Environment DEC
From the June 2008 issue
Website Offers a New Mapping Gateway
New natural resource maps and other environmental information are part of a recent expansion of DEC's website. The Mapping Gateway will provide DEC's partners and the public with a range of services that consolidate and enhance accessibility to the agency's extensive geographic information on a large variety of environmental topics.
Full-featured/Interactive
The Mapping Gateway combines existing web mapping applications and map collections with new offerings, including a full-featured, interactive data inventory and map viewer. In addition, a "Virtual Globe Data" link enables visitors to retrieve a variety of interactive aerial map representations after downloading virtual globe software such as Google Earth. For instance:
Lake maps showing depth contours and available fish species will be of interest to anglers
- Anglers can explore many of the state's waterbodies and view the depth contours, water surface area, mean depth, and available fish species.
- Birders can locate DEC-designated Bird Conservation Areas across the state and learn more about the species and habitat characteristics of a particular site.
- Hikers and hunters can view printable maps of Wildlife Management Areas and state forests, as well as explore the State Recreational Lands Interactive Mapper to create custom maps of recreational trails on DEC lands, or a detailed map of the Northern-Southern Hunting Zone line.
- Residents can use an interactive viewer to find the locations of many of the known and active contaminated sites being addressed by DEC in their communities, or they can view the New York State Inventory of Dams.
- GIS professionals will find descriptive information about how, when and by whom a specific set of data was collected and how the data is formatted and accessed.
The map viewer and other geographic information system (GIS) tools will provide the public with important location-specific information about many of the programs DEC manages, such as the locations of brownfields, dams and critical habitats. The Mapping Gateway will also provide private experts with access to several environmental databases developed by DEC staff.
DEC and GIS in Brief
DEC has been using GIS technologies since the 1980s as part of the routine work done to monitor and track environmental conditions around New York. As a member of the New York State GIS Data Sharing Cooperative, DEC also provides access to its geographic data via the New York State GIS Clearinghouse, managed by the state Office for Technology.
Users can browse the available GIS data by category. More than 35 GIS data sets are available on the gateway with new topics being added regularly. In addition to enhancing the public's access to DEC information, the Mapping Gateway also provides GIS professionals with valuable insight into the data sets collected by DEC and has the capability to display data from other organizations (EPA, USGS, etc.). In addition, by taking advantage of the hundreds of existing online data sources, gateway users can view DEC data within the geographic context of a diverse range of local, state, and national data sets.
Related Links:
New York State GIS Clearinghouse (leaving DEC's website)
