MapChat Technical Support Group

From VVWiki

Contents 1 BVMTSG Identity 1.1 Potential clients 1.2 Focuses 2 mapChat specifications 3 Software and web resources 4 Organizing data on the MapChat 2 server 5 Data sources for discussion mapsets 6 Technical Group People 7 Other Important People

BVMTSG Identity

BVMTSG is the Bulkley Valley MapChat Technical Support Group. MTSG for short.

This group exists to assist the different organizations and projects around the valley that are planning on using mapChat 1 (and potentially mapChat 2). This software is under development at the University of Waterloo and University of Otago, and is being tested in the Bulkley Valley.

The organizations interested in mapChat tend to lack the technical ability to host it, to train people in its use, and to manage the data collected. Hence the need for a local pool of people who can do these things--and do them for all the potential clients, without being attached specifically to one project or another.

Potential clients

• the Bulkley Valley Stewardship Council and its Community Asset Identification initiative.
• Ministry of the Environment, Skeena Region, and its Asset Identification initiative (we need some clarification on what this project is)Clarification: MOE is developing sensitive ecosystem inventory. Community asset mapping needs to come from the community. These both need to be mapped and available in order for future development to recognise and maintain them.
• Town of Smithers, and its Official Community Plan review process
• the Community Resources Board, possibly for gathering public input on referrals
• the Office of the Wet'suwet'en, possibly for gathering public input on land-use decisions
• Air Search and Rescue (CASARA), Northwest BC Zone, possibly for communications between Search headquarters and other locations during a search.

Focuses

1. Technical
   • setting up mapChat 1 on a local server (local mapChat server considerations)
   • communicating and coordinating with the software's authors at the University of Waterloo and University of Otago.
   • Being prepared to set up a local server with mapChat 2
2. Workshop Support
   • supplying people to support workshops where people are using mapChat 1
     • technical setup
     • instruction
     • troubleshooting
     • Assistance
3. Data maintenance
   • deleting drawings that were mistakes,
   • removing chat that is offensive,
   • dividing data into the appropriate layers
   • exporting data for use (shapefiles, KML)
4. Mapping Support
   • making maps (PDF or printed on paper) of data collected in mapChat to support groups using mapChat
   • making maps to support data collection on paper maps

mapChat specifications

• web-based, allowing simultaneous users in different locations
• presents a set of vector and raster map layers
• users have the ability to zoom and pan the map set, and turn on and off layers
• user have the ability to draw new features (point, line, polygon)
• users can post comments associated with features they drew, features other users drew, and features present in the existing map layers
• users can reply to the posts of others, so that they can "chat" about features. The software supports discussion (or what Ray C. would call "negotiation")
• optimized for dial-up connections if possible
• supports people who want to draw on paper maps (i.e., it allows print out of what's on the screen
• free and extendable (i.e., open-source, GPL)
• can export user drawings and discussion into a commonly used GIS format (e.g., shapefiles)
• reasonable prospect for continuing to be supported in the next 5 -10 years.

Software and web resources

• MapChat 1
• MapChat 2
• mapserver
• postgresql
• postGIS
• FWTools
• GDAL
• GEOS
• Proj.4
• pgAdmin
• Chameleon
• Ka-map
• OpenLayers
• Subversion
• ArcGIS
• MapWindow
• QGIS
• Shape2Earth
• Shp2KML
• Community Mapping Network
• the BV Community server

Organizing data on the MapChat 2 server

Please see the page on Organizing MapChat2 data on the server.

Data sources for discussion mapsets

One of the most complex things we do is find data for various clients. As well, there are periodically request to update that data.

Here is a procedure for building new MapChat2 mapsets and mapfiles.

This is a place to document sources:

• BVSC discussion data sources
• open-source discussion data sources (100% free, unencumbered geodata)

Technical Group People

• Morgan Hite mjh_at_hesperus-wild.org (Interests: technical)
• Tara Strauss tara.strauss_at_gmail.com
• Dave Stevens geek_at_uniserve.com
• Janice Prichard ja_prichard_at_hotmail.com
• Jass Parker jass_at_advancedgis.ca
• Scott McMillan mcmillas_at_hotmail.com (Interests: GPS data collection, basic mapping, learning more about data clean-up)

Other Important People

• Steve Osborn (Valley Vision) Steve_at_nexusbc.ca
• Jay Gilden (BV Stewardship Coalition) jgilden_at_sbcglobal.net
• Ray Chipeniuk (GEOIDE, formerly professor at UNBC) chipsaw_at_telus.net
• Anne Hetherington (MoE) Anne.Hetherington_at_gov.bc.ca
• Kara Jenne (NWCC) KJenne_at_nwcc.bc.ca
• Prof. Brent Hall (GEOIDE, Dean of the School of Surveying, University of Otago; formerly professor at the University of Waterloo) brent.hall_at_otago.ac.nz
• Prof. Rob Feick (GEOIDE, professor at the University of Waterloo) rdfeick_at_fesmail.uwaterloo.ca
• Mike Leahy (PhD candidate, University of Waterloo, MapChat 2 author)
• Vivien Deparday (graduate student, University of Waterloo, MapChat 1 maintainer) vdeparda_at_fesmail.uwaterloo.ca
• Prof. Steven Roberts (GEOIDE, professor at Wilfred Laurier University) sroberts_at_wlu.ca
• Erin Hamel (graduate student, Wilfred Laurier University) hame7730_at_wlu.ca
• Alison Walker (Town of Smithers town planner) awalker_at_town.smithers.bc.ca
• Scott Emmons (GeoBorealis) semmons_at_geoborealis.ca
• Johanna Pfalz (Eclipse GIS, potential technical committee member) Johanna.Pfalz_at_telus.net