Greater Yellowstone Area

Data Clearinghouse

 

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Digital Atlas of the Greater Yellowstone Area 

The Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) encompasses 18 million acres of land transcending the state boundaries of Idaho, Montana, and Wyoming. At its core, lie two of the nation's most prominent National Parks, Yellowstone and Grand Teton. Surrounding the parks are public lands administered by six different National Forests, two National Wildlife Refuges, and Native American Indian Reservations. Scattered through the borderlands are privately held agricultural lands, towns and various other private holdings.

The Greater Yellowstone Area Data Clearinghouse (GYADC) was created in 1997 to provide an Internet data discovery service for Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA) stakeholders to assist managers, planners, scientists, teachers and the public in finding spatial and non-spatial information for use in resource management and decision making processes. The objective of the GYADC is to initiate the communications mechanisms that will lead to developing consistent data layers across the Greater Yellowstone Area. Awareness of the data each agency holds will allow sharing of information where needed, avoid duplication in developing additional data sets, and focus on common work on crucial missing data sets. The GYADC also provides public access to information about the Greater Yellowstone Area ecosystem and its communities.

The GYADC functions as a detailed catalog service with links to spatial data and graphics. The GYADC will provide links to metadata entries that enable users to directly download digital data in one or more formats. When the data are too large to download via the net, information will be provided for an appropriate contact to purchase the data sets.

Geographic data users from many disciplines have a recurring need for a few themes of basic 'framework' data:
    • Othoimagery
    • Governmental Units
    • Transportation
    • Cadastral
    • Geodetic Control
    • Hydrography
    • Elevation and Bathymetry.

By attaching their own geographic data - which can cover innumerable subjects and themes - to the common data in the framework, users can build applications more easily and at a lower cost. The seven data themes provide:

    • basic data that can be used in applications,
    • a base to which users can add or attach geographic details and attributes,
    • a reference source for accurately registering and compiling participants' own data sets, and
    • a reference map for displaying locations and the results of an analysis of other data.

The notion of 'framework' is a growing data resource to which geographic data producers can contribute. It will continually evolve and improve with increased participation.

The NSDI framework also includes procedures, guidelines and technology to enable participants to build, integrate, maintain, distribute and use framework data. These elements ensure that

    • users can depend on accurate, detailed data that can be certified and integrated into the framework to create a a trustworthy data source;
    • users can update their data holdings from the framework data; and
    • users can attached additional information to the framework.

Finally, the framework features institutional relationships and business practices that ensure that framework data are created, maintained, and distributed for all geographic areas and that widespread use is encouraged. The framework integrates data from all types of organizations in all sectors, promotes partnerships for data creation and maintenance, and provides unrestricted access to data. The framework environment is designed to be responsive to the needs of the geographic data community.