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The Delaware Data Mapping and Integration Laboratory (DataMIL), University of Delaware

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The Delaware Data Mapping and Integration Laboratory (DataMIL) is an online collaboratory to facilitate the maintenance, distribution, and application of the National and Delaware Spatial Data Framework.

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Business Problem

Delaware approved its Spatial Data Framework in the summer of 2000. A portion comes from State-maintained data sets; the rest is provided by the USGS digital line graph (DLG) data. The USGS topographic map DLG data for Delaware is some of the most up-to-date in the nation, but still averages about 10 years of age.

"We couldn’t help noticing that, in some areas, we had state and county data that could be used to update the DLGs," explains Sandy Schenck, of Delaware Geological Survey (DGS). "In other cases, there was DLG data that might update ours. And, while there is a long-established process for submitting ideas for eventual topographic map paper updates, we didn’t have a way to update the DLG data on a continuing basis."

At the same time, the Delaware GIS community was looking for ways to integrate data from different sources within the State. State-maintained data showing road centerlines, for example, needed to fit within rights-of-way depicted in the county-maintained cadastral data sets. At the federal level, USGS had started internal discussions about how to move from the quadbased topographic map series to a seamless
national spatial database, The National Map.

Delaware’s Spatial Data Framework was a conglomeration of county, State, and federal data sets that generally fit together, and made sense, but wasn’t pretty. If this ugly duckling were ever to develop into a swan, a way would have to be found to allow data stewards from all levels of government to work together to update each other’s data.

[Credit: ESRI Federal GIS Connections Newsletter, UC 2002]

Technology Implemented

- ArcIMS 4.0, including the Metadata Server, ArcMap Server, Image and Feature Server
- Servlet, WMS, and ActiveX ArcIMS Connectors
- ArcGIS 8.2
- ArcSDE 8.2
- Oracle 8.1.7
- WebBoard 5.0
- iPlanet 6.0 SP2
- ChiliSoft ASP 3.4.2
- JSP, ASP, Perl web languages

Development Team Biography

The DataMIL team is comprised of several individual people working in various agencies. Without each member’s specific talents, the DataMIL would have never left the ground. Research & Data Management Services, University of Delaware includes the largest contingent: Christina Callahan (GIS Specialist and Graphic Designer), John Callahan (GIS/Technical Lead), Richard Sacher (Forums Lead and Manager of RDMS), and Greg Forte (System Administration). DataMIL Team members from outside RDMS are: William “Sandy” Schenck (chair of State Mapping Advisory Committee, Delaware Geological Survey), Michael Mahaffie (chair of Delaware Geographic Data Committee, Office of State Planning Coordination), Shannon Bain (GIS/Data Specialist, USGS), and Robert Rinehart (National Map Pilot Lead, USGS).

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