Public geospatial data in wisconsin: information access, data sharing, and the university (Thesis)
Published in UWM Digital Commons, 2015
A Thesis submitted in partial fulfillment of the Requirements for the degree of Master of Science in Geography at the University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee in August 2015.
Abstract
This research explores public geospatial data sharing in Wisconisn. The research is informed by literature on GIS and Society, Participatory GIS, Spatial Data Infrastructure, Information Justice, The Digital Divide, and Library and Information Science. Original research consists of a survey and follow up interview to public land information professionals in Wisconsin gauging their interest in a UW System-wide geographic information portal for distributing public spatial data to UW System users. The research finds that social and insitutional rather than technical factors are major drivers of data-sharing activities in Wisconsin. However, technical aspects of geographic information are changing quickly with a move to more hosted services in the cloud. This research explroes how this shift influences data-sharing, academic library GIS services, and university level education. While social and institutional influences are critical, GIOS proefssionals, students, and educators must be ready for the cloud.
Chapters
Chapter 1: Introduction
Chapter 2: Geospatial Information Justice: Beyond Access
Chapter 3: Public Geospatial Data Sharing in Wisconsin
Chapter 4: Envisioning Open GIS: The Role of the University and the Library
Committee
- Dr. Rina Ghose (Professor, UWM Geography)
- Dr. Zengwang Xu (Professor, UWM Geography)
- Marcy Bidney (Curator, American Geographical Society Library)
Recommended citation
Appel, S. R. (2015). Public Geospatial Data in Wisconsin: Information Access, Data Sharing, and the University.