State of Hawaii
GEOGRAPHIC INFORMATION SYSTEM
IMPLEMENTATION STRATEGY AND ACTION PLAN
Preface
The purpose of this Implementation Strategy and Action Plan is to provide a status summary of the State of Hawaii's efforts in developing a Statewide geographic information system (GIS) as well as a course of future action for further system development. Furthermore, this document elaborates on existing procedures and policies, as well as future directions relative to the development of the Statewide GIS. It is intended to serve as a working document to clarify, and where appropriate, establish policies for areas of concern or question as the Statewide GIS continues to grow.
The evolving nature of GIS's in general, warrant the development of a short-term plan of action. The immediate issues and concerns which are being encountered in system implementation, combined with the progressive nature of the GIS field as a relatively new and evolving technology, justifies the need for a short term strategy at this critical time. In the relatively short time period that the State has been working on developing a GIS program, significant changes in computer hardware technology and GIS software have already occurred. Therefore, a secondary purpose of this strategy is to attempt to lead the development of the Statewide GIS in a direction which takes into consideration future trends in the GIS field.
While the State of Hawaii has taken some major steps in implementing a Statewide GIS, the system is still in an early phase of development. A Statewide GIS database will not have any bounds and will continue to grow and be refined as new data are forever being created through ongoing research. A number of State agencies, despite their interest in GIS, have still not been able to allocate sufficient resources to support their use of the system, particularly in terms of funding and staffing. Furthermore, projected budget restrictions and cuts along with downsizing of agency staffs will be deterents in the overall growth of the system.
Therefore, this document establishes a baseline of information on the overall system. It is also intended to assist agencies and their administrators to better understand the organization and operation of the Statewide GIS.
Background and History of the State GIS
Historically, the State of Hawaii has been nationally recognized as a leader in land use planning and policy implementation. Foreseeing the importance of effectively managing its finite land resources, the State enacted its historic Land Use Law in 1961, and thus, became the first State in the nation to pass a comprehensive land regulatory program.
In its efforts to carry out the intent of this law, State planners have long recognized the importance of being able to analyze spatial interrelationships with respect to land resources and activities. Thus, there has always been a perceived need for an effective and efficient method of being able to combine map overlays to analyze and make policy decisions. While manual overlay mapping techniques have long been a methodology used in conducting policy analyses, the State has also been cognizant of efforts to automate this function through the use of computers and geographic information systems (GIS). The cost-effectiveness of pursuing this option, however, did not become a viable alternative until rapid advances in the development of smaller and faster computer chips occurred in the mid-1980's.
Recognizing the potential benefits of establishing a Statewide GIS, the then new State Administration as well as the State Legislature, strongly supported its development and implementation. Pursuant to House Resolution 275, H.D. 1, Fourteenth Legislature, 1987, the Office of State Planning (OSP) formed and chaired an Ad Hoc State GIS Task Force which also included representatives of the Departments of Agriculture, Budget and Finance, Business and Economic Development, Defense, Hawaiian Home Lands, Health, Land and Natural Resources, and Transportation. The Ad Hoc Task Force, which was an administrative level group, addressed a number of issues relating to the implementation of a Statewide GIS, including user agency requirements and expectations, capabilities and limitations of current GIS technology, and current available options with respect to GIS software and hardware. The Task Force submitted a report which included its findings and recommendations to the Legislature entitled: A Report to the 1988 Legislature: State Automated Geographic Information System.
The Task Force found that there were several concurrent GIS-related activities that were either being planned or already underway in Hawaii. At the federal level, the U.S. Geological Survey, the Soil Conservation Service, the National Park Service and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service were considering or already in the process of implementing GIS's for their respective applications.
At the County level, the County of Hawaii already had installed a microcomputer-based MAP (Map Analysis Package) system, the City and County of Honolulu had awarded a contract to the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) to develop and deliver a "turn-key" GIS for municipal applications, and the County of Maui was considering the possible implementation of a GIS.
At the State level, the Department of Transportation had already installed a Computer-Aided Design and Drafting (CADD) system for transportation infrastructure engineering and design, and the Department of Defense had initiated the implementation of IEMIS (Integrated Emergency Management Information System) for disaster and evacuation planning and modeling. Within the University of Hawaii system, the College of Tropical Agriculture and Human Resources' Agricultural Engineering Department had initiated a Hawaii Natural Resources Information System (HNRIS). The HNRIS software and database were developed in-house and considered to be proprietary in nature.
Each of the above systems was being developed for individual agencies or levels of government in order to address their respective and specific applications. In addition, none of the systems being developed within State Government agencies were true GIS's. In this regard, although one of the goals of the Task Force was to coordinate ongoing GIS efforts, the specialized nature of these various "GIS-related" activities and the different stages of implementation in which these efforts were progressing made it necessary for the Task Force to consider the development of a larger system which would be useful to a wide cross-section of user agencies. The Task Force also recognized that in the future, there could be a desire to interface the Statewide GIS with some or all of these ongoing "GIS-related" efforts. In addition, the Task Force decided to facilitate the process of developing a Statewide GIS by first focusing on the State agencies.
At the time the Ad Hoc GIS Task Force was formed, the Department of Business and Economic Development's Coastal Zone Management (CZM) Program (the CZM Program was later transferred to OSP pursuant to Act 352, SLH 1988), was already developing an Ocean and Coastal Information Management System (OCIMS) and was evaluating a wide range of GIS systems. While the panel reviewing bids and system proposals determined that a microcomputer-based system could have sufficiently served the needs of the OCIMS, the CZM Program in cooperation with the GIS Task Force, recognized the need to coordinate these new GIS initiatives, and selected the minicomputer-based ARC/INFO GIS software package developed by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI) with the intent that this would serve as the foundation for the Statewide GIS. The CZM Program awarded contracts to two contractors to provide the ARC/INFO software, develop the OCIMS database design, conduct demonstrations of the types of applications which could be run on the system, and conduct initial training for State personnel.
In accordance with the Task Force's recommendation that Hawaii State government begin implementation of a Statewide GIS, the Office of State Planning and the Department of Budget and Finance's Electronic Data Processing Division (now known as the Information and Communication Services Division) acquired the necessary software and hardware, including the central processing unit and peripheral equipment to initiate implementation of the system. Following the installation of the hardware and software, the contractors held a series of demonstrations of the OCIMS in October, 1988, and subsequently, an ARC/INFO training class was conducted for a limited number of State personnel from interested agencies.
Overall Implementation Strategy
There were a variety of approaches which were considered in implementing a Statewide Geographic Information System. One option which would have involved minimal participation in system development would be to hire a consultant to deliver a system, including hardware, software and a comprehensive database. The cost of obtaining such a "turn-key" system, however, was prohibitive and therefore, not considered.
A second option was to use a centralized approach by designating a single agency or sub-agency to be fully responsible for all aspects of the system including administration, maintenance, data input, data analyses, and data output. Such an arrangement would require a full-time commitment on the part of the designated agency which would be responsible for the conduct of all GIS-related analyses and products for all agencies on a work order basis. Examples of jurisdictions using such an approach include the State of Oregon, which established a Geographic Information Services Section within their Department of Energy, and the State of Vermont which established by Executive Order, an Office of Geographic Information Services within their Office of the Secretary of Administration. However, in view of the cumbersome administrative procedures which would be required to establish such an organization, the State of Hawaii is not considering such an option at this time.
Instead, the Ad Hoc GIS Task Force expressed their preference that the system be developed primarily by agency personnel rather than exclusively by contractors and other outside sources in order to develop in-house as well as in-State expertise in GIS system development and to help better understand what would be involved in maintaining such a system. Inasmuch as agencies expressed a universal desire to be able to access the system to carry out their own applications, the State's philosophy on implementing the GIS is intended to be a multi-agency effort. As such, it was understood that each user agency would be responsible for either carrying out their own analyses by personnel specially trained to use the GIS, or arranging to have their GIS projects completed by consultants or through agreements with agencies having trained GIS experts. However, the preference was that each agency develop in-house GIS expertise. In addition, each user agency would develop, automate and maintain data they are responsible for and make their data available to all users. The intent is to minimize duplication of efforts in developing databases and maximize interagency cooperation and partnerships.
In order for this to be effective, however, there would have to be a strong commitment on the part of the user agencies from the managers' level to the hands-on users at the staff level. The fact that the State selected the complex ARC/INFO software will mean that casual users will not normally be able to use the system for complex analyses. To obtain the maximum benefits of using the GIS, each participating agency would preferably assign at least one professional staff member on a half- to full-time basis to be responsible for that agency's GIS needs. In order to help facilitate the use of the system, particularly for those agencies with routine monitoring or specific review responsibilities, customized graphical user interfaces could be developed to assist casual users of the system. Furthermore, in recognition of the need to make their GIS software more user friendly, ESRI has developed ARC/VIEW 2, a user friendly module of ARC/INFO, to make GIS layers accessible to managers and other casual users.
Establishment of a State Government GIS Standard
As previously mentioned, the ARC/INFO software was selected for CZM's OCIMS project through a competitive process in which several proposals were considered. It was selected partially on its reputation as being perhaps the most powerful GIS software available which would enable State agencies to conduct a wide variety of GIS applications and analyses. In addition, it offered a high degree of hardware flexibility which would enable the State to take advantage of existing equipment. The vendor also had a strong reputation for providing end user support which was important in assuring advancement of the system.
The Ad Hoc GIS Task Force subsequently concurred that the use of ARC/INFO for the OCIMS project should be expanded to serve as the software for the Statewide GIS. At the time of the selection, ARC/INFO was recognized as being one of the most advanced geo-processing computer mapping software packages available. The ARC/INFO GIS continues to be a leader in the industry and is continuously upgraded by ESRI through software revisions and improvements.
In order to assure maximum compatibility among State agency users of GIS technology, and moreover, with the increasing numbers of new GIS software packages being attractively marketed by a variety of software vendors, it is important to establish a commonly accepted policy among State agencies regarding GIS software. It is, therefore, hereby established that the ARC/INFO GIS software developed by the Environmental Systems Research Institute (ESRI), shall serve as the State Government's standard for GIS applications.
In establishing this policy, it is recognized that some agencies are already using certain types of graphics software such as Computer Aided Drafting and Design programs and modeling applications, such as emergency management and transportation modeling programs. This particular policy is in no way intended to supersede the use of these software programs for their intended purposes. It is instead intended to establish a software standard for geographic information analyses carried out by State agencies, primarily because software vendors often try to misapply the use of a graphics-related software to carry out complex GIS applications. State agencies with compelling reasons not to comply with this particular GIS software standard, must demonstrate that databases developed under variant GIS programs can be readily translated to ARC/INFO in order to maintain the State's goal of avoiding duplication of efforts.
Overall Goals
The overall goals of the Statewide GIS are as follows:
Agency Roles
Through its Statewide planning and coordination responsibilities, the Office of State Planning shall continue to serve as the lead agency for planning and implementing the Statewide GIS. Generally, OSP will be responsible for: coordinating and setting policies for system use, establishing GIS data standards, promoting access to the system, and coordinating the development and maintenance of the database.
The Department of Budget and Finance's Information and Communication Services Division (ICSD), through its electronic data processing and communications functions, shall continue to be the lead resource agency. Generally, ICSD will be responsible for determining the configuration of the system and networking needs and for maintaining the fileserver. ICSD shall also work closely with OSP including assisting and advising all user agencies on the technical aspects of developing and using GIS data. In addition, ICSD is also available, by request and/or Memorandum of Agreement, to provide technical assistance to users with special and unique applications. For example, ICSD assisted the Office of the Lieutenant Governor in carrying out its 1990 voter redistricting responsibility. The Lieutenant Governor's Office is statutorily required to reapportion the State's voting districts every ten years.
While the Ad Hoc GIS Task Force was the primary force in initiating the State GIS, the State GIS Users' Group, which is an off-shoot of the original Task Force, is the now driving force for maintaining user agency participation. The Users Group is currently composed of those agencies actively participating in GIS activities. The group meets on a monthly basis to discuss matters relating to system use including current issues, sharing ideas and techniques and providing progress reports on their respective activities. Members currently include the Departments of: Business and Economic Development and Tourism; Health; and Land and Natural Resources. Other State agencies not identified in this group are welcome to participate in the State GIS Program and the Users Group.
Table 1. identifies the various roles and functions of the State agencies in a matrix format.
Existing and Potential User Agency Profiles
Goal: Establish a comprehensive Statewide Geographic Information System to help improve and streamline State agency planning, resource management and other decision-making processes which utilize spatial data.
Table 1.
Distribution Of Responsibilities Among Agencies Participating In The Statewide GIS
| Lead Agency | Resource Agency | Active User Agencies | GIS Users Group |
| Office of State Planning | Dept. of Budget and Finance, Information and Communication Services Division | Departments of: Business, Economic Development & Tourism; Health; and Land & Natural Resources | Representatives from Lead Agency, Resource Agency and User Agencies |
| Establish and set policies for system use | Control access to and configuration of system network | Promote use of the system within own agency | Advise lead agency and particpate in the development of policy issues |
| Set GIS standards | Advise lead agency on the technical aspects of setting system standards | Adhere to established GIS standards | Advise lead agency and participate in the development of GIS standards |
| Coordinate equipment acquisition and installation and install and maintain equipment for own use | Advise and coordinate with lead and user agencies on the technical aspects of equipment acquisition and installation and install and maintain communications hardware and software | Install and maintain equipment for own use | Advise lead agency and resource agency on the issues of system accessibility and use by user agencies and other users |
| Determine and manage budget for Statewide database, own applications and own hardware and software maintenance and upgrades | Determine and manage budget for system operations, special applications and equipment maintenance and upgrades | Determine and manage own budget for applications and equipment maintenance and upgrades | Communicate and coordinate GIS purchases and upgrades with lead and resource agency |
| Make budget requests to the Legislature | Make budget requests to the Legislature | Make budget requests to the Legislature | Communicate and coordinate budget requests with other
agencies' budget requests
|
| Coordinate the development of the database
--Set data standards --Set security standards --Digitize data of common interest to system users |
Administer database and assist lead agency in setting data and security standards | Gather data, automate and supply to resource agency; develop specialized databases for own use as well as possible use by others | Assist in establishing data and security standards and coordinate development of new data layers and maintenance of existing layers |
| Upgrade own hardware and software | Monitor system and communications hardware and software and upgrade as necessary | Upgrade own hardware and software | Coordinate hardware and software upgrades; assist resource agency in upgrading fileserver |
| Provide staff in support of system applications | Provide staff in support of system applications | Provide staff to develop databases and to run agency applications | Coordinate and communicate new applications |
| Coordinate training | Assist in coordinating training | Acquire training needed to use system and to run agency applications | Communicate training needs |
Within the context of this goal, the following agencies are either actively using the GIS or have expressed some interest in using the system.
A strong interest has been expressed by the Planning and Development Office and the Pesticides Branch of the Department of Agriculture (DOA) to become active users of the State GIS. Lack of funding to purchase hardware and software and the fact that the DOA offices are located outside the State Civic Center have been deterents to their participation. Since DOA is scheduled to move their offices within the next few years, high-speed networking to the fileserver will not be implemented until after the move and after hardware/software are purchased. In the interim, it is recommended that DOA continue to include budget requests for the purchase of GIS workstations or alternative equipment and software. Once this is accomplished, options such as a temporary stand-alone system or modem communications could be established.
The Planning and Development Office of DOA maintains Agricultural Lands of Importance to the State of Hawaii (ALISH) maps, Agricultural Land Use Maps (ALUM) and the Land Study Bureau (LSB) Detailed Land Classification Maps. All of the ALUM's are digitized while only portions of the ALISH and LSB maps have been automated. Both of these data sets are somewhat dated, however, they are still useful. They would be even more valuable if they were updated. At this time, however, there are no plans to update these data sources, again due to lack of funding.
The Pesticides Branch of DOA is responsible for monitoring the application of pesticides and possible adverse effects on the environment and has some Federal (Environmental Protection Agency) funds for these purposes. In line with this responsibility, the Pesticides Branch is interested in where pesticides are being applied and where there may be sensitive resources which could be affected by pesticide applications.
Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism
The Energy Division, Land Use Commission (LUC) and the Hawaii Community Development Authority (HCDA) of the Department of Business, Economic Development and Tourism (DBEDT) are current users of the State GIS. The Energy Division has primarily used the GIS to analyze the potential impacts of developing geothermal resources. LUC is in the process of assessing the use of GIS in the analysis of Land Use District boundary amendments and Special Use Permits. HCDA is using the GIS for planning and mapping their community development district.
DBEDT has not yet acquired GIS equipment, primarily because of the relatively high cost of GIS hardware and software coupled with the high cost of the high-speed communication lines needed to efficiently network with the various divisions of DBEDT which are located in leased office spaces in different buildings. DBEDT users have, however, been a primary user of ICSD's GIS lab. It is not likely that DBEDT will begin to plan to acquire equipment in the near future. It is recommended that DBEDT reevaluate their situation in the FY 96-98 biennium cycle and if appropriate, budget for purchase of GIS hardware and software.
Department of Defense
The Civil Defense Division of the State Department of Defense was remotely connected by modem to the State's fileserver. However, the Civil Defense Division disconnected this remote tie-in to the State's fileserver to meet other needs within the Division.
The Civil Defense Division has primarily input data into their Integrated Emergency Management Information System (IEMIS) which is connected by modem into a national database. The IEMIS includes software and database components such as weather information, evacuation models, and other emergency management analysis capabilities. While IEMIS does carry out certain spatial data analyses and therefore has certain GIS characteristics, it is not a true GIS package. As noted in the State's Database Design, integration of the IEMIS into the State GIS should be examined. To date, however, this has not been done and it is not clear at this time whether the Civil Defense Division will continue to be dependent on IEMIS to meet their particular needs.
The Department of Education (DOE) expressed an early interest in using GIS for planning new school facilities and maintaining acceptable student/faculty ratios. For these purposes, DOE is primarily interested in the U.S. Census Bureau data which would be used in conjunction with a layer of school locations. Although DOE's use of the system has not yet materialized, the identified applications would be very appropriate uses of the GIS.
Department of Hawaiian Home Lands
The Department of Hawaiian Home Lands (DHHL) is responsible for administering almost 200,000 acres of land within the State of Hawaii. In order to help facilitate their land administration functions, DHHL has expressed an interest in using the GIS as a land use planning and management tool.
DHHL could use the system to analyze and evaluate land holdings for resource and land use potential. A DHHL land ownership layer exists on the system, however, it is dated and should be updated. The ownership layer could be used in combination with a number of other layers already existing on the system to help DHHL assess potential land uses for their lands.
To date, DHHL has not used the GIS, however, has requested products from the system. Since DHHL is located in a leased building, it may not be practical for them to purchase equipment at this time since it would be expensive to network into the State's fileserver. They could, however, access the GIS from ICSD's lab or possibly through other remotely connected sites. If DHHL is interested in using the GIS on a daily basis, they should consider training at least one staff position in using the GIS.
The Environmental Planning Office (EPO) of the Department of Health (DOH) is an active user of the State GIS. To date, they have added an aquifer layer and an Underground Injection Control (UIC) layer to the State's GIS database. DOH's Office of Environmental Quality Control also contributed funds (from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency's State Wetlands Program grant) to the Department of the Interior's efforts to convert the U.S. Fish and Wildlife's National Wetlands Inventory maps to digital format. This wetlands layer now exists as a coverage in the State's database.
DOH-EPO acquired a Sun Sparc workstation through Federal grants from the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA). Since the DOH Environmental Planning office is located outside of the Civic Center, they are currently running a stand-alone system. However, they are currently working with ICSD to evaluate connecting (via modem to a PC computer) to the State fileserver to have everyday access to the State's GIS database.
DOH-EPO has assigned two staff positions to carry out GIS functions on a part-time basis for the Office. As such, DOH now has some GIS expertise within the agency. EPO staff has also begun to evaluate ARC/VIEW as an end-user interface for its environmental programs in the Environmental Management Division (EMD). A Local Area Network (LAN) system for the EMD programs located at 919 Ala Moana Boulevard is currently being implemented. As part of the LAN system, EPO will be incorporating the use of ARC/VIEW to allow the programs access to GIS data.
The Environmental Planning Office has also purchase Global Positioning System (GPS) equipment which will be utilized for collecting locational data. The utilization of GPS technology will allow geographically referenced data (such as monitoring stations and pollution sources) to be accurately collected for input into the GIS.
In addition to DOH-EPO, other divisions within DOH have expressed interest in becoming active users of the system. These other users would be more interested in socio-economic analyses including monitoring the overall health of the population. This would involve the integration of incidence of diseases and other medical statistics with the State's existing spatially-referenced demographic database.
The Department of Human Services (DHS) has expressed some interest in using the GIS. DHS has a number of tabular databases such as HAWI, CPSS, FAMIS and MMIS which they would like to integrate with the State's existing GIS base layers and Census information. Since much of the DHS data is confidential, there would have to be assurances that their data are accessible to authorized personnel only.
DHS is particularly interested in applying the GIS's spatial analyses capabilities to their tracking of DHS clients and to evaluate the effectiveness of their services to remote areas. Eventually, DHS would like to take GIS technology to the clients in their homes via lap tops.
Department of Land and Natural Resources
The Department of Land and Natural Resources' (DLNR) Divisions of Aquatic Resources (DAR), Forestry and Wildlife (DOFAW) and Historic Preservation, are active users of the State GIS. Other division and offices under DLNR which have expressed an interest in using the system include the Divisions of Land Management, State Parks, Water and Land Development and Water Resource Management, and the Office of Conservation and Environmental Affairs.
DLNR's GIS effort is coordinated through its Administrative Service Office, which has established a GIS lab for Department users. In order to further develop GIS within DLNR, the Department has an approved Distributed Information Processing and Information Resource Management (DIPIRM) Project Valuation Assessment (PVA) to use Local Area Networks to take GIS technology to the desktop of the various divisions and staff offices.
DAR has added information produced by the Main Hawaiian Islands Resources Investigation project. This project has been charged with improving the management of inshore fisheries by facilitating access to fisheries-related information for the Division. The GIS data added to data are: 1) commercial fisheries landings, and 2) fish and habitat-related information for selected sites.
DOFAW's Na Ala Hele Program (NAH) has completed an inventory of trails and access routes on a Statewide basis. The NAH Program wants this data to eventually be distributed to the district offices for resource management use. In order to help facilitate their use of the system, NAH hired a contractor to develop an interactive menu-driven application to input and retrieve trails and shoreline access data.
The Historic Preservation Division is developing Statewide historic and archeological sites databases. To date, they have completed the islands of Oahu and Lanai and have started processing data for Kauai, Maui and the Big Island.
In addition to the efforts listed above, DLNR has also initated the following projects: a) Kapolei land use, coastline and roads update; b) Boating area utility facility revisions; c) State hazard data conversion; d) State land inventory database update; e) Agriculture land suitability database development; f) State Park facility inventory and boundary update; and g) State Park facility development.
The Department of Transportation's (DOT) Highways Division and Airports Division has concentrated most of its efforts in the area of computer aided drafting and design. For this purpose, DOT has been using the Intergraph CAD software. As a logical extension of their use of the existing Intergraph system, DOT has been exempted from the State's GIS standard and they have purchased the Intergraph GIS module. The data produced on both the ARC/INFO and Intergraph systems are interchangeable.
In addition to its role as the State's GIS coordinating agency, the Office of State Planning (OSP) is also an active user and developer of the system. OSP recognizes GIS to be an essential tool for carry out its planning functions and related activities. As every day users of the system, OSP acquired hardware at the same time ICSD acquired their current GIS equipment. OSP's workstations are networked to the State's fileserver which is operated by ICSD.
Some of the major projects in which OSP has used the system include: the Land Use District Boundary Review, which is statutorily required every five years; the Barbers Point Reuse Study; the Hamakua Interim Land Use Plan; the Waiahole Ditch analysis; and the Carrying Capacity study. In addition, the Coastal Zone Management Program and the Land Use Division within OSP are moving in a direction where GIS would be used in their respective day-to-day activities.
ACTION ITEMS
System Architecture
The State's initial hardware platform was a Prime 4150 minicomputer which served as the central processing unit (CPU) and also stored the State's database. Several Tektronix terminals, three digitizing tablets, a pen plotter and a laser printer were connected to the Prime to carry out GIS functions. A GIS lab was established within ICSD where the Prime was operated and maintained. The lab included five Tektronix terminals, two digitizing tablets, the pen plotter and the laser printer. Remote hook ups were established at the Office of State Planning through the Wangnet and the Department of Health through a dedicated line modem.
In 1993, the State upgraded its hardware system to meet the expanding needs of the users and to maintain a state-of-the-art system. While the centralized processing capabilities of the Prime 4150 were considered to be the state-of-the-art when the GIS was first being implemented, major developments and improvements in new high-performance workstations and fileservers moved the direction of GIS technology towards a distributed rather than a centralized processing environment. Distributed processing is the distribution of information processing to the end-user location. As such, although the database resides on a centralized fileserver, the actual data processing takes place at a networked desktop workstation, rather than using the processing resources of the fileserver.
In considering the move to a distributed processing environment, there were valid concerns raised because it offered temptations for developing stand-alone or even independently operated systems and databases. The establishment of such stand-alone systems, databases and/or independently operated systems could lead to the development of redundant data layers which would be contrary to the State's goal in developing and maintaining a shared, centralized database. Despite these concerns, the overall advantages of moving to the workstation environment were too great to ignore and a decision was made to proceed in this direction.
In order to facilitate agencies' ability to procure necessary GIS equipment, ICSD executed a bid for high speed UNIX-based workstations. The bid, which was won by Hewlett-Packard, enabled ICSD to establish a price list for essential GIS equipment which State as well as County government agencies could use to purchase such hardware.
Another option available to State agencies is to take advantage of existing personal computers and to run agency applications using the PC version of ARC/INFO. This may be especially appealing to those agencies with small and/or minimal applications which, therefore, may not feel justified in purchasing a more costly workstation. The PC option may also be a preferred option executed by those agencies that are not fully committed to the use of the Statewide GIS and therefore may want to start off small before committing to the more expensive hardware and software alternatives.
Goal: Provide a Statewide Geographic Information System which is accessible to all State agencies through advanced communications technology.
Objective
Recommended Policies
Recommended Implementing Actions
Use of System and Acquisition of Equipment
Currently, there are five workstations, three digitizers, a laser printer, a color thermal printer and an electrostatic plotter which are available to all GIS users in ICSD's GIS Lab in the basement floor of the Kalanimoku Building. The GIS Lab is available on an appointment basis to State personnel wishing to access the system.
In order to gain everyday access to the GIS, the participating agencies may want to acquire their own workstations and peripheral equipment. To facilitate the procedure of obtaining necessary approvals to obtain GIS equipment as well as to help coordinate the process of selecting a vendor, DB&F, ICSD has established a price list for GIS hardware.
Goal: Provide a Statewide Geographic Information System which is accessible to all State agencies through advanced communications technology.
Objective
Recommended Policies
Recommended Implementing Actions
Database Development
The inputting of data is the single most expensive and time-consuming effort involved in developing a usable GIS. The process requires the conversion of existing and/or newly collected spatial (graphic) information and its associated tabular data into a digital or machine-readable format. Database development will be a continuous process because there is no limit in the amount of data which could be collected and digitized.
The process of converting spatial data involves a procedure known as digitizing. This is a method of translating the various elements of maps including lines, points and polygons into a computer-readable form. An electronic device called a digitizing board is used to record the x-y coordinates to form the various lines, points and polygons.
Technological advances now make the use of optical scanning devices more feasible and faster for converting graphic data to computer-readable format. While scanning may now be a viable method of converting graphic data to computer format, it should be noted that efficient use of a scanner normally requires the use of "clean" source materials such as USGS base map separates.
In order to systematically develop and design the Statewide database, the State retained ESRI to expand upon the earlier OCIMS Database Design effort to incorporate Statewide applications to the document. The database design process includes an assessment of the user agencies' data and applications requirements through interviews with the identified potential users of the system. This assessment is then used to determine the types of applications to be run on the system and ultimately serves as the basis for developing a database design.
While there is a continuing need to identify layers of information needed to develop a comprehensive GIS database, there are certain types of data that are fundamental to the establishment of a Statewide GIS. Initially, and in order to ensure the development of an accurate and consistent base map layer, the State's GIS includes the U.S. Geological Survey's (USGS) 7-1/2 minutes quadrangle maps as the primary base or reference layer. These maps meet national accuracy standards, are already used as a base map by most State agencies for their mapping needs, and are available for the entire State.
Two primary digital cartographic products produced by USGS are called Digital Elevation Models (DEM) and Digital Line Graphs (DLG). DEM's are topographic data produced as spot elevations sampled at 30-meter intervals. These are used to produce three-dimensional models of the land, as well as interpolated contours, slope and aspect.
DLG's are the line information on the USGS maps in a digital form. The DLG's for Hawaii currently include a transportation layer, a hydrography layer and a boundary layer. The transportation layer includes major and minor roads, trails, pipes and transmission lines and railroads. The hydrography layer includes perennial and intermittent streams, ditches, canals, lakes, ponds and reservoirs. The boundary layer includes administrative boundaries such as judicial districts, National, State and County parks, forests, refuges and military reservations. Another layer, which is not currently being fully developed for Hawaii, is the hypsography layer which are a digital version of the topographic contours on the quadrangle maps which are generally at 40-foot intervals.
In order to accelerate the process of digitizing the Hawaii DEM's and DLGs, the Office of State Planning entered into a cost-sharing cooperative agreement with USGS. The funds to enter into this agreement were appropriated by the Legislature for FY 89-91. Both the 7-1/2 minute DLG's and DEM's for the entire State have been completed and are now on the system.
Other Federal agencies are also converting their mapped data to digital format. Some Federal sources of digitized data include the U.S. Soil Conservation Service's soils data, the National Ocean Service's digitized bathymetric data and the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service's detailed vegetation maps for upland plant communities of the Islands of Hawaii, Lanai, Maui and Molokai. The U.S. Census Bureau for the first time produced digital versions of their decennial 1990 census data in the form of TIGER (Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing) files. It is the State's intent to include these various sources of data on the system and incorporate these layers into the GIS database.
The Office of State Planning has also digitized various data layers to help support its Statewide planning functions. OSP has digitized or has contracted to have certain coverages digitized comprehensively, including, but not limited to: State Land Use District Boundaries, Conservation District Subzones, Natural Area Reserves, Game Management Areas, Marine Life Conservation Districts, volcanic hazard zones, watersheds, isohyets, Agricultural Land Use Maps, and Neighbor Island Tax Map Keys. There are many other layers which have been partially digitized to meet immediate needs for specific areas of concern or "hot spots." These layers should be updated and/or completed in order to attain the State's goal of developing a comprehensive database.
Other State agencies have also added certain layers of data relevant to their respective applications. These agencies include the Departments of: Business, Economic Development and Tourism (Hawaii Community Development Authority and Energy Division), the Department Health (Environmental Planning), and Land and Natural Resources (Aquatic Resources, Forestry and Wildlife, and Historic Preservation).
Goal: Establish a comprehensive Statewide GIS database in which all interested State agencies will participate and contribute towards the advancement of the system and which includes natural resource information for both land and ocean resources data out to the 200-mile Exclusive Economic Zone as well as spatially referenced socio-economic data.
Goal: Coordinate the establishment of a common, centralized Statewide set of data which can be readily accessed by State agency users and improve the quality of spatial databases through the development of GIS standards for data and software consistency and compatibility to help avoid duplication of information gathering and compilation.
Goal: Promote continued communication and cooperation with other State, County and Federal agencies as well as the private sector through the use of common databases.
Objectives
Recommended Policies
Recommended Implementing Actions
Database Review
Inasmuch as it is anticipated that there will be different agencies digitizing data sets, a review process will need to be implemented to ensure that accuracy standards are met before a coverage will be added to the database libraries. At this time, the Office of State Planning and the Department of Budget and Finance will be responsible for reviewing and inputting data into the appropriate library. Ultimately, however, it is likely that there will be a need to formally create a Database Administrator position to carry out this very important function.
Goal: Maintain an accurate and current GIS database.
Objective
Recommended Policies
Recommended Implementing Actions
Database Maintenance
Once the databases are added to the system, there will be a need to maintain the data to ensure that the information will be current. Inasmuch as each agency will have specific database interests, and since it will be virtually impossible for a single agency to perform this function, it will be up to the agency most logically responsible for a layer to maintain that data, regardless of who originally digitized the layer. For example, it would be expected that the Department of Hawaiian Home Lands would maintain the Hawaiian Home Lands ownership coverage. Final determinations and assignments of the agencies responsible for maintenance of data layers will be determined by the GIS Task Force after the Database Design document is completed.
Goal: Maintain an accurate and current GIS database.
Objectives
Recommended Policies
Recommended Implementing Actions
Availability of GIS Data to the General Public
One of the biggest issues facing developers of GIS's, particularly those in the public sector, is to what extent the general public should be allowed access to the information as well as the processes used to analyze data. As databases are developed, it is anticipated that there will be an increasing desire by both the public and private sector for GIS-related information in a digital or a hard copy form. While it is understood that most data are considered to be public information, there are instances when the data collected and maintained by certain agencies are considered to be confidential. In this regard, it is necessary to adopt policies for releasing information to the general public. In addition, since the GIS could become an important tool upon which certain decisions are made, the analytical processes used to evaluate information to reach conclusions should be considered to be confidential since the State would want to protect itself in cases of public protest or litigation. It is likely that the Task Force with input from the Office of Information Practices will have to carefully evaluate and reach a clearly defined policy on this matter.
Goal: Make GIS digital and hard copy data available to the general public.
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Training and Education
As the database continues to grow, it is anticipated that there will be increasing interest among the various State agencies to begin using the system for a variety of applications. In this regard, there will be a need to develop within the user agencies, in-house expertise in using the system. The ARC/INFO GIS is a command-driven software and therefore, requires considerable training and practice to master its use. As such, becoming competent on the system will require a strong commitment of staff resources from the user agencies.
Currently, there is not a formal training and education program established within State Government for existing and potential GIS users. In order to help support those agencies interested in using the ARC/INFO system, some training has been conducted by existing users on an informal basis and as required by the user agencies. Additionally, ESRI offers a variety of training classes throughout the year at its Redlands, California facility or they can be contracted to conduct training in-State. At least one local company also offers training classes on a periodic basis.
The introductory training programs listed above consists of learning fundamental aspects of using the system including: database development using digitizing and other data input methods and editing procedures, data analysis, and data output. This training only provides the fundamentals necessary to use the GIS. As such, it should be noted that the completion of any of the aforementioned introductory training classes does not establish a trainee as a GIS expert upon completion of the class.
Goal: Establish GIS expertise in all agencies which utilize spatial data.
Objective
Recommended Policies
Recommended Implementing Actions
Future Activities
In order to further advance the system, the application of new technological developments will have to be considered and evaluated. Since GIS technology is very dependent on the rapidly evolving computer industry, it is important that the State stay informed of the advances being made in the industry. New and more powerful software upgrades often must be accompanied by hardware upgrades. In this regard, it is important for all users to maintain a knowledge of these advances and plan and budget for upgrades within their agencies, as appropriate.
In line with the need to upgrade existing hardware and software, there is an infrastructural need to improve the communications network within State Government. High speed communication, including the potential use of fiber optics between and among State offices would help increase efficiency and speed of data transmissions. A fiber optic network already exists between the Kalanimoku Building and the State Capitol/State Office Tower complex. In addition, it is anticipated that there will be a desire to expand communications to the neighbor island agencies as well as possibly networking with the other County systems which may be implemented in the forthcoming years.
In order to improve database management and updating, the State is beginning to integrate data acquired through remote sensing image processing technology with the existing GIS database. This involves combining digital information collected by satellites and/or aerial photographs with the GIS database. Information about the earth's surface is constantly collected by multi-spectral scanners on satellites such as LANDSAT and the French satellite, SPOT. In addition to its value as a source for database updating, the availability of such information could also be used by agencies for environmental monitoring and enforcement activities. While aerial photographs and multi-spectral imagery are collected by lower flying aircraft less frequently than satellites, they do provide larger scale and more detailed data which also could be integrated digitally with the existing GIS database.
