Terra GIS

CALweedmapper
Two web mapping sites have been built for CALIPC (California Invasive Plants Council), a non-profit that is dedicated to protect the natural vegetation and environment of California. The internal web mapping site was designed and built by Terra GIS to enable data entry, dynamic storage and online mapping capabilities for over 200 non-native (invasive) plant species tracked by CALIPC and their partners. CALWeedmapper is the public facing (second) web mapping site, a complex web GIS application that was built for CALIPC in collaboration with CALFLORA and Green Info Networks. The public site features a “basic” (general) user area that allows to display and query over 200 dynamic plant species GIS layers and to create reports on a variety of geographic units (e.g. Counties, Weed Management Areas etc.) . It also includes a log-in area of the web site, which has database editing capabilities for users that obtained a password from CALIPC. Technically the application is based on the open source tools MapServer, PostGIS, and OpenLayers and in addition the JavaScript frameworks ExtJS & GeoExt. View presentation slides (internal tool only) from the presentation at WAURISA 2010 in Tacoma, Washington State, USA.

 

Nicaragua Projects
A simple but efficient web mapping site of development aid sponsored projects in Nicaragua was built for the Howard G. Buffet Foundation (HGBF) in 2011. The map allows to display and query locations of multiple levels of project partners and organizations alongside with pictures and project & location descriptions of the projects on the ground. Technically the web map is based on MapServer, PostGIS and OpenLayers and was built in a very short time frame (about one week).

 

VFS Viewer (Verein für Forstliche Standortserkundung – Bavaria Germany). The VFS Viewer project was developed in co-operation with our partner company CSGIS in München (Munich) Germany. The Web GIS was built as a tool for the public and more specifically for private forest owners to determine if their own (forested) property has been mapped by the VFS. The VFS is a non profit organization based in Munich that conducted long term field mapping projects over the last 30 years during which detailed soil and suitability maps where created at a scale of 1:5000 for all private forest areas in the state of Bavaria. The detailed soil and suitability maps are not included in the public version of the viewer due to privacy and copyright issues. However the tool enables all private forest owners to determine by themselves if an area has been mapped and the owner can then directly contact the VFS to obtain information about his property. The project was presented at AGIT 2011 in Salzburg (download slides in German), Austria and a short article published in the conference proceedings ( download article in German).

 

OCLA GIS
In 2008 a comprehensive project was started to built the Office of Civil Legal Aid GIS – WA State (OCLA GIS). OCLA supports people in WA State that are low income by providing or facilitating access to civil legal aid services. The GIS was built to support strategic planning processes on how to optimally allocate the available resources of OCLA and its partner organizations in regards of the populating in need of civil legal help (project phase 1). In phase two additional capabilities such as query and reporting functionality (maps and database export or reports) was added, a OCLA GIS users guide was developed & published, and technical training for the OCLA partner organizations conducted. In 2011 new census data where added, the technical guide for OCLA GIS completed and additional functionality added to the system. View presentation slides from the presentation at WAURISA 2010 in Tacoma, Washington State, USA.

 

Ekiti State Infrastructure Viewer
The Ekiti State Infrastructure Viewer was build in co-operation with Ademola Omojola, Professor at the Department of Geography, University of Lagos for the Government of Ekiti State Nigeria. The Web GIS enables to spatially query, display & identify information for a variety of infrastructure & amenity categories for the entire State. Roads and land use base layers form the background information along with LGA district boundaries. Google satellite and aerial imagery is available in a decent resolution and quality for Ekiti State and can be viewed as an alternative background layer in the web GIS viewer. Infrastructure features are provided in fourteen categories such as education, health and telecommunication and can be individually selected, viewed and identified, including pictures for most of the features.

 

US Geocoder – for Online Image
Terra GIS supported the work on the US Geocoder site that includes US wide data & maps, enables users to geocode street addresses in the entire US, calibrate geocoding results via client input, to find legislative districts and elected officials and much more. The project was developed in collaboration with Robert Hollingsworth of Kartanica Geosystems for Online Image. Cartography of the maps, reverse geocoding alongside with the mapping user interface was part of Terra GIS’s tasks in the project.

 

Obama for America Campaign Web GIS
( project for the 2008 US election, not online any more ) During the 2008 US election Karsten Vennemann of Terra GIS created an Open Source based web mapping site for the Obama campaign to support their general efforts and to map voters in a dozen battle ground states.  Read more about the project in the article Obama Campaign – Mapping voters with Mapserver, PostGIS and Openlayers online. Download published articles: The US Election 2008 – Karsten Vennemann looks at mapping voters for the Obama Campaign with MapServer, PostGIS and OpenLayers Geoconnection magazine 3/2009 and “A Map For Change” read online or download as pdf

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Montana Rivers and Climate Change GIS
The web mapping site for American Rivers and Pacific Rivers Council supports grass roots organizing and advocacy work for research and non-profit groups working in the State of Montana. GIS data include information regarding Montana rivers such as ‘Wild and Scenic Rivers‘, ‘ Dewatered Streams‘, ‘Habitat and Species Value’, ‘ Aquatic Integrity Areas‘, ‘ NWPPC Protected rivers‘, along with base layers such as ‘Watershed boundaries’, ‘Hydro power Dams’, infrastructure features and ‘public & protected lands’.  Technically the application is based on the MapBender web mapping framework, and web map services published via the MapServer mapping engine.

Most Endangered Rivers of the USA – American Rivers
A map series showing the ten most endangered Rivers in the USA was published by American Rivers for their 2010 campaign. On the American Rivers website the report was announced as follows:
“American Rivers today released its most anticipated report of the year, America’s Most Endangered Rivers of 2010. The 25th anniversary edition of the report spotlights ten rivers facing the most urgent threats, and also features key endangered river success stories from the past two decades.”
Antarctica Satellite Image Slides – 2041
	This set of slides where done for British Explorer and Global Environmental Activist Robert Swan and his non-profit organization 2041 to help promote his 2012 expedition. Robert Swan is the first person who walked to both poles, South and North.
Twentyfive years after he reached the South pole and 100 years after Amundson and Scott he is planning another expedition called ‘the return journey 2012’: to reach the edge of the Antarctic continent starting from the South Pole (the opposite way he went 25 years ago)  – this time without using any fossil fuels. Read more about the great work of 2041.
Global Warming Scenario for the Pacific NW of the USA – American Rivers
This map for American Rivers shows Global Warming Scenarios for the Columbia River Basin in the Pacific NW of the USA. The data used for the map are from the Climate Impacts group of the University of Washington (2007).
The main map shows the potential warming for the year 2070 and the inset map shows the August mean Surface temperatures averages for 1980 – 1997. The main goal of the map was to visualize the potential temperature changes in salmon habitats throughout the Columbia River Basin.
Hydropower Dams Licensing – Hydropower Reform Coalition
		Hydropower dam re-licensing represents an important opportunity for river restoration. This map series is about hydropower dams and related licensing information. The maps classify FERC (Federal Energy Regulatory Commission) regulated dams into several categories, such as exempt from licensing, recently licensed, and imminent or future opportunity (depending on the year when the license expires). The maps visualize location, project and licensing information in a way
that allows the Hydropower Reform Coalition to plan for current, near term and future opportunities to take action regarding the issuance of new licenses, and related mitigation & restoration measures.
The first maps of the series where created at CommEn Space, the last ones completed by Terra GIS. Currently 4 maps including California, US Pacific Northwest, US Southeast, and Hydropower Dams Rockies have been completed.
	A pilot study by Terra GIS illustrates the integration of the map data into a hydropower web mapping application for use as a dynamic information system.

Easel Map Display for the Shorewatch Program – People for Puget Sound
	Shorewatch is one of PPS’s outreach and education programs to build community awareness of conservation issues around Puget Sound. A set of maps was created as a basis for an easel display that is used for outreach and education activities by PPS staff. The series of three maps was created by Karsten Vennemann at CommEn Space, showing the area of Puget Sound and neighboring watersheds (catchment basins).
Two of the poster size maps (4 by 4 feet) where printed by a third party print shop onto the metal surface of an transportable easel display. One side of the easel is showing the topography of Puget Sound and its hydrologic features. The opposite site of the board shows the watersheds around Puget Sound.
	The third map was used to create and cut flexible magnetic jigsaw puzzle pieces that can be used in educational outreach activities. The puzzle
	pieces can be stuck onto the easel as an educational activity, virtually recreating the Puget Sound watershed.

The Wenatchee Watershed Vision – The Trust for Public Land
			The Wenatchee Watershed Vision is a conservation vision plan for the Wenatchee River Watershed. The main focus is on the areas stretching from Leavenworth to Wenatchee. The report includes 16 maps that were created by Matt Stevenson (CoreGIS), Karsten Vennemann (now Terra GIS) and Erica Simek (now The Nature Conservancy).
			All maps shown here where created by Karsten Vennemann of Terra GIS. Base maps in the report include public and protected lands, working lands and recreation.
				One part of the report is about evaluation of future housing developments. The maps to the left show part of the results of an comprehensive analysis that included analysis of developed, divisible & developable lands, and modeling of maximum potential development that likely will be affected the most by future housing developments.
The maps to the right illustrate easements for public fishing access on private parcels along the Wenatchee River. Until recently restrictions on fishing have been in place. Read more about the report here.

More sample maps

	Salmon-Safe Certified Farms – Stewardship Partners Salmon – Safe is an eco-label certification program that evaluates farms regarding their adoption of fish-friendly conservation practices and participation in salmon habitat restoration. The base for this web click-able map was created by Karsten Vennemann at CommEn Space.
	Alaska – Satellite Image map Example for a map using satellite imagery and transparent vector overlays.
	Protected Lands – Pacific Coast Joint Venture The map shows protected lands in 1990 and 2006 in and around Grays Harbor on the Washington coast.

Karsten Vennemann
Principal and GIS Analyst
Karsten is the principal scientist and GIS Analyst at Terra GIS. He has over 20 years of expertise in environmental evaluation and GIS. His background is in Geography and Soil Science and he holds a Diploma from the University of Stuttgart, Germany, and a Master’s Degree from UC Berkeley. His previous work included positions as Environmental Scientist, GIS Analyst and Programmer, and Project Coordinator.