BTAA-GIN Collection Stories

By Cecilia Smith Railway terminal map of Chicago What is the item? A map of railways and depots in Chicago and surrounding areas from 1897 by Rand McNally and Company. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Michigan Interesting tidbits: Railways were an influential component to the incredible population growth in Chicago during the late 19th and early 20th centuries. The map uses color to denote North, West, and South Chicago, whose boundaries are largely formed by branches of the Chicago River. The Chicago Park and Boulevard System is also highlighted in green. The system is a series of parks connected by wide streets with central medians containing planted dividers. 26 miles of the system are listed on the National Register of Historic Places.

By Karen Majewicz India was subjected to colonization by England between 1612-1947, first under private trading companies, and later the British government. A major turning point occurred in 1857, when Indian soldiers (known as Sepoys) serving the British East India Company revolted. Violent clashes broke out across northern India, and, although historians disagree on casualty numbers, at least hundreds of thousands of people were killed. This series of uprisings, known as the Indian Rebellion of 1957, prompted the British government to dissolve the Company and to assert their own direct control over India. Within the next few years, cartographers provided the government with many new or updated maps illustrating British encampments, transportation routes, and the locations and dates of the major Rebellion conflicts. Many of these 19th century Indian maps can be found via our geoportal and came from the Ames Library of South Asia, housed at the University of Minnesota. This collect...

By Caroline Kayko Visit our Featured Collection: Nichols Arboretum and Matthaei Botanical Gardens The Matthaei Botanical Gardens and Nichols Arboretum (MBGNA) is a University of Michigan organization that promotes environmental conservation and enjoyment of nature in two locations in Ann Arbor, MI: the Nichols Arboretum, and Matthaei Botanical Gardens. The MBGNA has an open data GIS hub where they host datasets about vegetation, trails, land cover, geology, and more. These can be used by anyone from botanists to nature trail enthusiasts. Aerial Imagery There are scanned aerial images from sporadic years, the oldest being from 1937 and the newest being from 2006. There is also digital orthoimagery of the botanical garden from 2010 from a SEMCOG orthoimagery project. Close-up of aerial imagery showing handwritten notes denoting farms on the botanical gardens grounds, 1949. Interactive Maps Some notable interactive maps on the open data hub include the Matthaei-Nichols Botanical Surveys. ...

By Cecilia Smith What’s in this collection? The EarthStat collection consists of 1,099 raster datasets. The data layers are global in coverage and provide information regarding agricultural crops. What BTAA Library submitted the collection? EarthStat is a collaboration between the Global Landscapes Initiative at the University of Minnesota’s Institute on the Environment and the Land Use and Global Environment Lab at the University of British Columbia. Stanford University improved access to the data by splitting it up into layers, converting it to web services, and creating metadata for each layer. The web services and layer level downloads are available in the BTAA Geoportal . The original GeoTiffs can be downloaded at the EarthStat website. Interesting tidbits: EarthStat data was created to support researchers developing ways to feed a growing world population while reducing the environmental impact of agriculture. The EarthStat project combines national, state, and county level cen...

By Daniel Dotson and Joshua Sadvari At Ohio State, our map collections include more than 175,000 geologic, topographic, and thematic maps distributed across our Geology Library, Gardner Family Map Room, Architecture Library, Special Collections, and more. While we have not yet contributed scanned maps to the geoportal, our participation in the project has been of great benefit to us in identifying potential collections for digitization and discussing effective map scanning workflows with our peers. We look forward to contributing scanned maps from our collections in the future. Ohio State is looking at a few options for adding scanned map content. Click the links to view the print records from the OSU Library Catalog. We have three main categories: Public domain maps, not digitized elsewhere We have a number of maps in our collections that are public domain. Some of these are in patron-accessible collections, while others are in our Special Collections units. These items would be check...

 By  Karen Majewicz The Minnesota Geospatial Commons was officially launched in 2015, and serves as the state’s central clearinghouse for public geospatial data. The site runs on an open source application (CKAN) and is operated by the Minnesota Geospatial Information Office (MnGeo) . The Commons has grown from about 200 unique datasets at the time of public launch to over 800 today. Total Number of Datasets in the Minnesota Geospatial Commons between July 2014-July 2019  https://gisdata.mn.gov/stats#total-datasets Contributors Contributors include state departments and agencies, such as Natural Resources, Transportation, Health, Agriculture, Revenue, Education, Water & Soil, and Animal Health. Metropolitan entities, such as the Emergency Services Board, the Mosquito Control District, and MetroGIS have also contributed resources. Submitting public data to the Commons is voluntary, but several counties, including Dakota, Itasca, Faribault, Hennepin, Lake, Meeker, Ram...

By Cecilia Smith Facility Geofence: Iowa What is the item? A shapefile with the Salt and Brine locations for Iowa Department of Transportation facilities. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Iowa Interesting tidbits: Salt and Brine locations are where Iowa DOT’s snow plows are kept. This data layer contains a polygon for each of these locations. Each polygon covers the entire area on which a facility sits. This enables two related geospatial applications: geofencing and automated vehicle location (AVL). Geofencing is the use of a virtual perimeter for a real geographic area. AVL involves determining the geographic location of a vehicle and transmitting the information to a database. In this case, the polygons act as geofences, meaning that as an AVL enabled snow plow enters or leaves the area of a polygon, the trip start or stop is recorded. That information can then be used for planning operations and communication to the public. Thanks to these types of data, Iowans ...

By Melinda Kernik Featured Item: Wildfires Tracked by DNR: Minnesota What is the item? This data layer shows the location of wildfires in Minnesota between 1985 and 2019 (updated weekly). It includes fires for which the MN Department of Natural Resources was the primary responding agency - in other words, wildfires on state lands and some rural private lands. It does not include fires occurring on federal and native American lands (several hundred annually) or those dealt with by local fire departments (several thousand annually). Even with only a subset of events represented, the data provide a fascinating look into the frequency and causes of wildfires across the state! What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Minnesota Interesting tidbits: Curious about what proportion of wildfires are caused by lightning (as opposed to railroads, arson, or children)? The data includes information about the cause, size, and damages related to each fire. The data have been collected for m...

By Kathleen Weessies What happens when a broad-based discovery tool such as the BTAA Geoportal brings together datasets that had been created in isolation and places them side-by-side? Scholars experience unprecedented findability and access to datasets which in turn gives rise to new questions and research topics. In short, knowledge is advanced more broadly, more deeply and in a more timely manner. For example, every municipality, county, and state government is charged with governing some aspect of the public drinking water supply. Every unit of government generates data of one kind or another documenting aspects of water management within its purview. Scholars studying topics such as aquifers, agriculture, contaminants such as e. Coli, or disaster mitigation draw on these public datasets to advance our collective knowledge. Each dataset is usually generated and maintained in isolation of other local and regional efforts. In the BTAA Geoportal, scholars can use one search site to fi...

 By Theresa Quill IndianaMap is the largest publicly available collection of Indiana geographic information system (GIS) map data. It is a collaborative project made possible by partnerships between federal, state, local organizations and agencies, and universities. IndianaMap is developed and maintained by the Indiana Geological and Water Survey and was created in part as a data sharing initiative between Indiana GIS data providers. It includes data from all 92 Indiana Counties, as well as many state agencies, academic institutions, and federal agencies. What’s in this collection? IndianaMap is the primary source for spatial data of Indiana. Data layers are organized around eight general themes: Demographics, Environment, Geology, Government, Hydrology, Imagery, Infrastructure, and Reference. Examples of data are Census data cleaned and clipped to the state of Indiana, Wind Power Speed and Density, School locations, Elevation data, Political Boundaries, and much more. Data i...

By Karen Majewicz Students of Landscape Architecture and Geographic Information Science (GIS) will likely have encountered the name Ian McHarg, due to his landmark book, Design with Nature. This text, published in 1969, put forth ideas about taking the ecology of a region into account when planning homes, neighborhoods, and cities. McHarg’s work was particularly influential in the field of GIS for his proposed methods of using polygon overlays for analysis. McHarg was also part of an architectural firm, Wallace, McHarg, Roberts, and Todd, that was frequently contracted to work with metropolitan areas to assist with urban planning. This firm worked with the Metropolitan Council of the Twin Cities in Minnesota during the late 1960s. Their work resulted in a report, An Ecological Study of the Twin Cities Metropolitan Area, that was accompanied by dozens of custom maps detailing the climate, geology, hydrology, biota, and built environment of the region. The original copies of these maps a...

 By Cecilia Smith Featured Item: Shipwrecks (Great Lakes), Wisconsin 2014 This is a shapefile of 631 shipwrecks in the Great Lakes of Wisconsin. The Wisconsin Historical Society compiled the data. What BTAA Library submitted the item? University of Wisconsin Interesting tidbits: There’s a good deal of interesting attribute data in the shapefile, including: the vessel type, where the vessel was built, the lives lost in the wreck, and more. Using this dataset, you could create a time animation using the wreck dates or a comparison of home ports and wreck locations. Where can I find out more? More information about Wisconsin shipwrecks, including a searchable database of the wrecks, is available here: http://www.wisconsinshipwrecks.org/ The Wisconsin Coastal Atlas ( http://www.wicoastalatlas.net/ ) is a great resource for maps, data, and tools for the region Have questions about this item, the BTAA geoportal, or maps and geospatial data in general? Please don’t hesitate to contact our...

By Nathan Piekielek, Paige Andrew, and Linda Ballinger Project Task Force Members Nathan Piekielek, Geospatial Services Librarian; Paige Andrew, Maps Cataloging Librarian and Linda Ballinger, Metadata Strategist Over the course of the past three years Penn State University Libraries has organized and shared through the BTAA geoportal cartographic information resources of two primary types: 1) digital surrogates of original paper maps and atlases; and 2) geospatial datasets. Paper maps and atlases are from The Donald W. Hamer Maps Collection and Eberly Family Special Collections Library. Geospatial data are from state agencies across Pennsylvania that have been contributed to The Pennsylvania Geospatial Data Clearinghouse ( PASDA ). Some examples of each follow: A nearly complete collection of Pennsylvania Sanborn Fire Insurance Maps that when properly georeferenced can be used to track land use change through time and can be linked to other historical human geography data sources lik...

By Catherine Hodge What’s in this collection? The Hixson Plat Map Atlases of Iowa digital collection contains the 1930 editions of Hixson plat books for 95 of Iowa’s 99 counties. Plat books are atlases showing rural land ownership and property boundaries, or real property. A plat atlas generally has a map of the featured county showing the townships and sections as laid out by surveyors. Each page of the atlas is plat of the individual townships (36 square miles) within the county, identifying who owns individual parcels of land and the number of acres in each parcel. The plat shows township sections, roads, railroads, boundaries of towns and urban areas, and bodies of water. Local schools, churches and cemeteries are also noted on each map. Since plat maps can be used to trace property ownership over time, they are often sought out by genealogists or people interested in family histories, as well as by historians. What BTAA Library submitted the collection? The University of Iowa In...

  MHAPO is an application hosted by the University of Minnesota’s Libraries that provides access to over 121,000 digital copies of Minnesota air photos. The photos come from both the University of Minnesota’s John R. Borchert Library collection and the Minnesota Department of Natural Resource’s Landview application. Users can find photos by selecting a point along a flight path that links to a downloadable image. The earliest photos in the collection are from the 1920s and it spans forward to the 1990s. MHAPO was first built in 2008, and now receives over 1000 visitors per week. This user-friendly application won the Minnesota Governor's Geospatial Commendation Award in 2018 , which honors organizations that exemplify a commitment to "coordinated, affordable, reliable and effective" use of GIS to improve services within Minnesota.

 By  Kathleen Weessies Project Task Force Members: Kathleen Weessies, Social Sciences Coordinator and Head, MSU Map Library and Amanda Tickner, GIS Librarian Michigan State University’s contributions to the BTAA Geoportal are split between keeping an eye on GIS datasets made available around the state of Michigan and contributing items from its own collection of antique and modern maps. We are proud to draw attention to the State of Michigan’s rich array of GIS datasets which are available to use in computer modeling and GIS research projects. Designated Snowmobile Trails           Michigan is one of the few states that issues a shapefile of designated snowmobile routes. Glacial Landsystems: Michigan Michigan also maintains models of natural features such as glacial landsystems, which are so critical to the availability of fresh water. George Boynton’s 1842 map of Michigan From the MSU Map Library antique map collection, we have a rare 1842 map th...

  Indiana Historic Maps This collection includes over 300 public domain maps from the University of Indiana Library spanning the early 1800s to the late 20th century. Many depict the entire state of Indiana, but there are also city maps, including Gary, Bloomington, Indianapolis, and others. Indiana, 1950: age-sex pyramids for counties excluding places over 10,000 in 1940 Cook County, Illinois GIS Data 127 new GIS dataset administrative records have been added from Cook County, Illinois, which encompasses the city of Chicago. Wisconsin and Minnesota Counties More and more counties are providing their GIS data through open data portals and 220 items were added from Wisconsin counties, as well as from the Minnesota counties of Hubbard and Carlton.

It is Love Your Data Week and a key part of doing geospatial work is “ Finding the Right Data ”! The Big Ten Academic Alliance Geoportal strives to make relevant data easy to discover and fit into your workflow. While the data displayed in our portal comes from a variety of sources, it is often possible to access or download the data through our site. You can see what options are available in the tools box at the right side of the data info page. Three of the most common data formats are JPEG/TIFFs, Web Services, and Shapefiles. JPEG/TIFFs: Scanned historical maps from our library collections are often available for download as either JPEGs or TIFFs. These maps can be viewed as images in your favorite image browser, but they do not have geographic location embedded within the file. Web Services: These data are hosted online by a university, government agency, or another organization. You can use the URL to open the data layer in an online mapping program without having to download it ...