This document summarizes a thesis defense presentation on a conceptual model for a public commons for geospatial data. The presentation introduces the objectives of making it easier for creators to share spatial data by providing mechanisms for metadata creation, attribution and credit recognition, liability protection, and non-monetary benefits. It then describes the conceptual design of the public commons, which would use an open access licensing approach, enhanced metadata searchability, and techniques for embedding identifying information in datasets. The presentation demonstrates features of the public commons and concludes that it could incentivize thousands of individuals to share datasets by addressing impediments to sharing.

1. Public Commons for
Geospatial Data:
A Conceptual Model
A Thesis Defense by
Narnindi Sharad
Advisory Committee:
Dr. Harlan J. Onsrud
Dr.Kate Beard
Dr. Anthony Stefanidis

2. Overview
 Introduction
 Objectives of Public Commons Model
 Conceptual Design of Public Commons
 Operational Aspects of Public Commons
 Demo
 Conclusions
 Future Work

3. Introduction
 National level spatial data collection efforts – In
many cases similar or duplicative.
 FGDC, NSDI, Geospatial One-Stop – facilitate the
availability and access to spatial data to all levels of
government, private and public.
 Key Premise – National governments are unable to
gather and maintain geographic data.

4. SPATIAL DATASPATIAL DATA
INFRASTRUCTURESINFRASTRUCTURES
LocalLocal
GovernmentsGovernments
RegionalRegional
agenciesagencies
Universities &Universities &
ResearchersResearchers
Non-profitNon-profit
organizationsorganizations
FederalFederal
AgenciesAgencies
Commercial sectorCommercial sector
Introduction

5. Introduction
 Common Wisdom – Intellectual Property laws and the markets
they protect create the environment for producing and sharing.
 Profit Motivations
 Credit and recognition
 As individuals, Most of our conduct in daily life is not driven by
profit motives.
 What are the impediments to widespread data-sharing?

6. Objectives
Many creators have indicated they would be more than
willing to share their spatial data sets with SDI’s or geo-
libraries, if-
 it was easier to do,
 Efficient Search and Data access mechanisms
 Interactive Web Interfaces
 Minimized Metadata Transcripts
 Upload Mechanisms

7. Objectives
Many creators have indicated they would be more than
willing to share their spatial data sets with SDI’s or geo-
libraries, if-
 they can retain credit and recognition for their
contributions,
 Visible Credit in their works and also derivatives
 Linking Author information to the datasets
 Multiple contributions – maintaining hierarchy of contributors

8. Objectives
Many creators have indicated they would be more than
willing to share their spatial data sets with SDI’s or geo-
libraries, if-
 they get increased liability protection from use of the data
they make available to the public, and
Open Access Licensing
Display Liability information and Disclaimer upfront

9. Objectives
Many creators have indicated they would be more than
willing to share their spatial data sets with SDI’s or geo-
libraries, if-
 they could obtain other non-monetary benefits.
Permanent Archival services
Tagging and Identification services
Increased search and retrieval capabilities
Increased visibility for contributions

10. Objectives
Many creators have indicated they would be more than
willing to share their spatial data sets with SDI’s or geo-
libraries, if-
 it was easier to do,
 they can retain credit and recognition for their
contributions,
 they get increased liability protection from use of the data
they make available to the public, and
 they could obtain other non-monetary benefits.

11. Conceptual Design of Public Commons
 Combined technological & legal model for at least partially
accommodating these impediments.
 Enable and entice Non-Expert GIS user contributions
(University researchers, students, professionals in other fields).
 Archiving services – indexing, access and search mechanisms.
 One-Stop approach (upload and download of datasets at single
location)
 Develop technical methods which can support previously
discussed objectives.

12. GIS data producer enters metadata for his dataset at
Public Commons website
Submits GIS data
to SFIPCA
Data producer creates
a GIS dataset
SFIPCA
Use Steganography for embedding
an Identifying number
Generate machine readable
Open access licenses
Centralized GIS data
server
Store GIS data distrubed by
bounding coordinates
Data indexing &
Search Mechanisms
Conceptual Design of Public Commons

13.  Advanced User-Friendly Web-Interface
- metadata creation and data upload mechanisms
 Open Access/ Copyleft licensing approach
- enable credit recognition and free distribution
 Enhanced Metadata Model
- allow indexing, rapid access and search of data
 Embedding Copyright Information into the data
- enable identification and documenting contributor lineage
Conceptual Design of Public Commons

14. Public Commons for Geo-Spatial data
What is Public Commons?
Online Digital GeoSpatial library-like data repository
Napster-like data-sharing facility that
automatically supports user friendly metadata
creation, open access licenses, and documents
parent lineage of any newly submitted data set.

15.  Advanced User-Friendly Web-Interface
- metadata creation and data upload mechanisms
 Pull down Menus for Metadata fields
 Intelligent from previous responses and saved profiles
 Upload datasets directly from folders
 Minimized web transcripts
Conceptual Design of Public Commons

16. Metadata Elements
 File reference ID
 Details of the originator
 Title of the content
 Presentation form
 Abstract or Extensive information
 Time period of the content
 Status of the work?
 Information about maintenance work.
 Spatial Extent Info [ North, East, West, South bounding Coordinates or
interactive map ]
 Data Theme Info
 Keywords for the content and place of work
 Spatial Data Info:(1) Data type: Raster / Vector (2) Data format .
 Access Constraints:
 Use Constraints:
 Open Access Licensing
 Liability Information

17. Comparison of Metadata Templates
Metadata Templates of
Organizations
Number of Mandatory
Metadata elements
(approx.)
FGDC CSDGM 165
NOAA 86
FGDC Metadata Lite 41
Geography Network 35
Public Commons 23

18.  Open Access/ Copyleft licensing approach
- enable credit recognition and free distribution
 Guard against liability exposure
 Linking Liability information to the
datasets
as a part of the metadata creation process.
Conceptual Design of Public Commons

19. Open Access Licensing (OAL)
PUBLIC COMMONS OPEN ACCESS COPYRIGHT NOTICE
This copyrighted work permits unrestricted redistribution and
modification of a work, provided that all copies and derivatives retain
the same permission and the author is properly acknowledged and
cited.
Not conforming to any of these conditions will be considered a
violation of this Copyright and are punishable by Law.
This work is distributed in the hope that it will be useful, but WITHOUT
ANY WARRANTY; without even the implied warranty of
MERCHANTABILITY or FITNESS FOR A PARTICULAR PURPOSE.
View Full License

20. Advantages of OAL
 liability exposure may be substantially reduced through
the license provisions,
 the originator and all value-adders have a legally
enforceable right to credit for their work,
 the license can prevent the efforts of the originator and
value-adders from being captured by a company with a
large market share or otherwise being removed from an
open sharing arrangement, and
 Commons Identification software - can provide instant
access to the detailed licensing language through an
Internet link.

21.  Enhanced Metadata Model
- allows rapid indexing, access and search of data
Metadata search models
Alexandria Digital Library Approach
Data Clearinghouse Approach
Public Commons Hierarchical approach
Public Commons for Geo-Spatial data

22. Alexandria Digital Library Approach
Metadata
Database
GIS Web user
Digital Library Web Client
Query: Spatial Location
Centralized

23. FGDC Data Clearinghouse approach
Metadata
Database
Alaska GDC
ESRI
Clearinghouse
NOAA
Clearinghouse
NRCS
Clearinghouse
FGDC Entry Point
Z39.50 Gateway
GIS Web user
Metadata
Database
Metadata
Database
Metadata
Database
Query: Maine
Decentralized
&
Distributed

24. Search Results for Clearinghouse
Approach

25. Disadvantages
 FGDC places all distributed clearing nodes on the
same level without any classification.
 the results of a metadata query are retrieved by
individual clearing house servers and not an
integrated list ranked by their suitability of content.
 duplicate metadata records - data suppliers register
with many clearinghouses.
 Too many results – too much to evaluate.
 Too many clearinghouses - too much confusions.

26. Query: Spatial Location
Roads
Metadata
Land
Parcel
Census Roads
Metadata
Land
Parcel
Census
GIS Web user
Digital Library Web Client
boundary info
(N E W S Coor)
boundary info
(N E W S Coor)
boundary info
(N E W S Coor)
Roads
Metadata
Land
Parcel
Census
Query: Theme
Prioritized Search Results
Public Commons Metadata Model
Centralized by Themes
&
Distributed by Location

27. 60° W120° W
30° N
60° N
57°
54°
63°66°
Hierarchical Metadata Search

28. Advantages of Public Commons
Metadata Search Approach
 Meaningful Metadata archive structure.
 Enhanced search mechanism.
 Duplicate metadata registrations can be eliminated on
multiple server locations.
 each lower level metadata repository can function
independently while sharing the same database with the
upper level.
 Results sent back for a query are listed by their ranks.

29.  Embedding Copyright Information into the data
- enable identification and documenting contributor lineage
 Attaching an Identification Number to Standard GIS format files
Using Steganography for raster and vector datasets
Embedding an ID in polygonal sides of vector datasets
Spatial File Identification System (SFIPCA)
Link author information and open access licenses
Link Metadata
Document parent lineage
Permanently mark information directly into the dataset
Conceptual Design of Public Commons

30. Raster Images - Steganography
 encoding extra info into least
significant bits of raster
images.
 Hide text as well as Small
Images in raster datasets
(JPG, GIF, DRG’s TIFF etc).
 Combined with cryptography
makes even tough for code
breakers.
 Limited solutions exist for
raster datasets (e.g. Invisible
Secrets, DigiMarc)

31. Embedding ID into header of datasets

32. Tagging Vector Spatial datasets
 Hand Writing Technique
[Bill Theon’s Vector Steganography, Directions Magazine]

33. Tagging Vector Spatial datasets
 Embedding Technique
[Bill Theon’s Vector Steganography, Directions Magazine]
0
1
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
0
1
Reference Length (rl)
> rl – 1
< rl – 0
Spatial dataset of Road network

34. AA101234
AA101234
AA101235
AA101235
Maine water
Penobscot
water
Harlan
Onsrud
Sharad
Spatial dataset
contributed to SFIPCA
The identification number
is extracted from the
dataset and checked for a
match in a database that is
placed at a remote
location on the Internet.
A database of linked
machine readable licensed to
patrons
A database of metadata
placed at a centralized
location
A database of identifier
numbers
SFIPCA Controlled
Databases
Identification & Verification

35. Operational
Aspects of
Public
Commons

36. Operational
Aspects of
Public
Commons
Spatial File
Identification System

37. Demo
Demo

38. Demo
Demonstrating the metadata access mechanism, contributor hierarchy etc.
Demo

39. Demo
Demo

40. Conclusions
 Identifier system need not be fool proof since goal is to provide
evidence that a file is in public commons rather than in private
ownership.
 Little incentive to strip unobtrusive ID’s since everyone can use
file for free anyway.
 Only potential thief tempted to strip ID’s might be business
trying to capture past contributions of others…. Yet similar
earlier files would exist in archives…. And 90% credit is good
enough.
 Greatest challenge is to counter unintentional stripping of ID’s.

41. Conclusions
Public Domain
GIS Data
Federal Government
GIS data
Commercial
GIS
Data
Value-added products
&
Services
Upon Copyright
expiration
Share-a-like
Public Commons
+
Growing and evolving resource of
public domain and public commons
licensed spatial datasets
continuous loop
of growth in GIS data

42. Conclusions
Public Domain
GIS Data
Federal Government
GIS data
Commercial
GIS
Data
Value-added products
&
Services
Upon Copyright
expiration
Share-a-like
Public Commons
+
Growing and evolving resource of
public domain and public commons
licensed spatial datasets
continuous loop
of growth in GIS data

43. Conclusions
Would the Tens of thousands of individuals
creating GIS datasets make use of such
capabilities to make their datasets available
with others?
Our Hypothesis: YES

44. Future Work
 Integrated search mechanisms based on spatial location
and ontologies?
 Provide further software tools at one place such that
people can produce maps on their own.
 Investigate Geospatial One-Stop Internet Portal
architecture relative to Public Commons.
 How can we accommodate people who would like to
share databases?
 Alternatives to steganographic techniques to embed extra
information.
 Alternative search and access mechanisms.

45. Thank You
Questions