The project comprises two phases: a metadata gap analysis and 3-week campaign in November to update and complete the records in Ramona for Maryland, and a campaign beginning in February to encourage GIS users in Maryland to create a profile and enter records. The metadata gap analysis revealed in most cases that fields required for FGDC-compliant metadata were complete but in need of updating and/or revising for clarity. For example, the description given for many records needed to be made more clear and concise to fulfill the abstract requirement of the metadata. The gap analysis results were sent to the data owners prior to the training Webinar held on November 13. The 3-week campaign to update records ran from November 26 through December 14. Two state agencies and one university GIS center updated their records. The project team then met with each targeted agency or jurisdiction to obtain support and discuss the request for updates. All agencies or jurisdictions participated in the meeting and agreed to make a best attempt to update their data in Ramona. An obstacle encountered with Ramona was the limited amount of FGDC-compliant information that could be added. The team determined that questions can be added at a user level, but not at a data layer level. This is a limitation of Ramona. The team compiled a training document that describes the process for creating a profile and entering descriptive records. The project is actively promoted at Maryland State Geographic Information Committee quarterly and executive meetings and at MD iMap meetings.
Center for GIS at Towson University
Contacts:
Ardys Russakis, Associate Director
410-704-5288
arussakis@towson.edu
Ashley Buzzeo, Project Manager
410-704-2081
abuzzeo@towson.edu