YOUR COMMENTS ARE REQUESTED as part of a community review process for an
arctic geospatial infrastructure development report.
The publication "Recommendations for a Geographic Information
Infrastructure to Support Arctic Research: Outcomes of the Arctic GIS
Workshop" was released in April 2001 as a Phase I report following the
Arctic Geographic Information Systems Workshop held January 22-24, 2001.
The National Science Foundation now is soliciting community comments on
the Phase I report to incorporate broad-based input from a cross-section
of researchers and GIS experts. Following this community review and the
incorporation of recommendations received, the final report will be
published online and in hard copy by ARCUS. Details follow in the letter
below.
We apologize if you receive copies of this request from several sources.
Please pass it on to interested colleagues.
Dear Colleague,
The publication "Recommendations for a Geographic Information
Infrastructure to Support Arctic Research: Outcomes of the Arctic GIS
Workshop" was released online in April 2001 following the Arctic
Geographic Information Systems Workshop held January 22-24, 2001. This
Phase I report represents the input of over 100 participants working
together to formulate recommendations to the National Science Foundation
for the development of an infrastructure that supports the long-term
acquisition, maintenance and accessibility of geospatial data for the
Arctic. This report outlines the first steps in developing spatial data
infrastructure to support arctic research that is sustainable and
accessible in the long-term. The Phase I report is available as a PDF
download from the ARCUS website at http://www.arcus.org/gis/report.html.
Information about the workshop, including the agenda and list of
participants, is also available from this URL.
The National Science Foundation sponsored the Arctic GIS Workshop to
bring together arctic researchers and expert users of geographic
information systems (GIS) to determine how to improve GIS capabilities
to benefit arctic research. The Arctic Research Consortium of the U.S.
(ARCUS) facilitated the workshop. Workshop participants identified many
primary issues, challenges, solutions, and benefits related to an arctic
spatial data infrastructure. To incorporate broad-based input from a
cross-section of researchers and GIS experts beyond what is possible
within the constraints of a three-day workshop, the National Science
Foundation now is soliciting comments on the Phase I report. Following
this community review and the incorporation of recommendations received,
the final report will be published online and in hard copy by ARCUS.
Please take this opportunity to review the Phase I report and contribute
your thoughts and recommendations on what is needed to develop or
improve an arctic spatial data infrastructure to benefit arctic
research. Review comments are due to ARCUS no later than Monday, July
23rd, in approximately 5 weeks. You may email or fax your suggestions to
review [at] arcus.org or 907/474-1604. More detailed instructions follow
including: 1) HOW TO GET THE DRAFT 2) COMMENTING ON THE PHASE I REPORT
3) ILLUSTRATIONS 4) EDITING INSTRUCTIONS 5) TIMELINE
HOW TO GET THE DRAFT
The Phase I report is available on the ARCUS web site at
http://www.arcus.org/gis/report.html as a downloadable PDF file. Please
let us know if you experience format-related printing or viewing
problems. Please contact us as soon as possible if you are experiencing
problems with downloading. We will email the PDF to you or express mail
a hard copy if necessary.COMMENTING ON THE PHASE I REPORT
Please provide whatever comments and suggestions you feel will improve
the final report of recommendations. Our concerns are primarily:
a. What important ideas or considerations are missing from the report?
b. Does the structure work well? Would the flow of ideas be improved by
rearranging the sections, or paragraphs within them? Is the text
understandable to a general audience?
c. Does the report make clear how an arctic spatial data infrastructure
could be successfully implemented? If not, how can this be clarified?
d. Does the report make clear how arctic researchers can or should
participate in the development process? If not, how can this be
clarified or emphasized?
e. Does the report make clear what steps will be necessary by sponsoring
or responsible agencies for development? If not, how can this be clarified
or emphasized?
f. What examples of GIS used in arctic research would enhance the report?
g. Do the graphics now in the report support the text and make important
points? Can you suggest other illustrations that would be good to include?ILLUSTRATIONS
The Phase I report includes a few key graphics to illustrate essential
points. Graphics representing important concepts described in the report
or that illustrate research projects in the Arctic that utilizes GIS
could add meaning and information to the final report. We suggest
including scientific figures showing uses of geographic information
systems (GIS) in arctic research, photos of relevant research
activities, and images or diagrams depicting GIS and geographic
information infrastructure (GII). Please make suggestions for such
illustrations, send examples if you have them, and when possible include
information for captions, including photo credits. Please email images
to Renee Crain at renee [at] arcus.org. The publication will include full
attribution for all images.EDITING INSTRUCTIONS
**Please send review comments to ARCUS by MONDAY, 23 July 2001.
All review comments should be clearly referenced by chapter number,
subsection number, paragraph number, sentence number within the
paragraph, or by sentence fragment. If you are suggesting major changes
to the contents of a section, send revised text to replace the existing
text.
Please e-mail your comments to review [at] arcus.org either in the body of the
email or as an attached Word document. If you prefer, you may write
comments directly on a hard copy of the document and fax it to
907-474-1604 as long as the recommendations are clearly legible and
comprehensible. Make sure your comments are not so close to the margin
that they will be cut off by the fax.
- TIMELINE
* 14 June 2001 Workshop report sent out for community review
* 23 July 2001 Review comments due to ARCUS
Continued internal review and editing
* October 2001 Final Arctic GIS Report published and available for the public
We look forward to receiving by 23 July 2001 your review comments and
contributions for the final report recommending developments or
improvements to an arctic spatial data infrastructure.
Thank you in advance for your comments.
Wendy K. Warnick
Executive Director ARCUS