PASDA(Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access) joins Geography network

PASDA (Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access) joins Geography network

Redlands, California-ESRI today announced the participation of Pennsylvania Spatial Data Access (PASDA) in the Geography Network. PASDA is the official geospatial data clearinghouse for the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania. PASDA is a cooperative project of the Pennsylvania Geospatial Information Council (PAGIC), the Pennsylvania Department of Environmental Protection, and Pennsylvania State University (PSU). PASDA provides free public access to more than 12,000 data sets and 14,000 metadata records covering various types of data-digital orthophoto quadrangles, digital raster graphics, digital elevation models, roads, streams, watersheds, fish and bird species, satellite imagery, river conservation plans, and the Pennsylvania Gap Analysis Project (GAP) Analysis habitat data. PASDA works directly with state agencies, regional and local governments, and nonprofit organizations to identify, document, and provide access to data via the Internet.

PASDA's participation in the Geography Network through PAGIC reflects the Commonwealth's commitment to technology benefiting its citizens. PASDA's project members from Penn State's Environmental Resources Research Institute, the PSU College of Agricultural Sciences, and the PSU Center for Academic Computing work together to provide access to the Geography Network services using ArcIMS. The data layers and interface, which were developed by PASDA's technology coordinator Ryan Baxter, are some of the most frequently requested data sets on the site. PASDA's participation in the Geography Network represents its interest in cooperation and coordination with other sites across the country and its desire to make geospatial data more accessible to the public. Geography Network makes widespread coordinated access to geospatial data possible and promotes cooperation among data providers and developers.

Geography Network assists the business of government (www.geographynetwork.com). From promoting citizen welfare, caring for the environment, and protecting public safety to managing public lands, the Geography Network can aid governments by using advances in Internet technology to disseminate information. Local governments are finding that Geography Network encourages planning, developing, and maintaining geographic information as well as sharing the data with other agencies and citizens. A national spatial data infrastructure can more easily be realized by increased data sharing and this is what Geography Network is about-sharing data. Users can browse, download, or use data by using the free viewer on Geography Network, or any OGC-compliant GIS software. ESRI, the world's leading provider of GIS software, builds technology to support Geography Network, as well as maintains the Geography Network portal, the metadata catalog, the digital marketplace, and the search engine. For more information visit: www.geographynetwork.com

ESRI
Founded in 1969 as a research group devoted to improving methods of handling geographically referenced data. Today, ESRI is the leading developer of geographic information system (GIS) software, with more than 300,000 clients worldwide. ESRI also provides consulting, implementation, and technical support services. In addition to its headquarters in California, ESRI has regional offices throughout the United States, international distributors in more than 90 countries, and more than 1,050 resellers and developers. ESRI's goal is to provide users with comprehensive tools to help them quickly and efficiently manage and use geographic information to make a real difference in the world around them. ESRI can be found on the World Wide Web at www.esri.com.