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Binational Mapping Projects
Border Environmental
Health Initiative (BEHI)
To help understand the relationship between environmental and human
health, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) created an Internet Map
Service (IMS) for the shared watersheds along the United States-Mexico
border region as delineated by Woodward and Durall (1996). The
initiative provides an integrated, Web-based, environmental resource
geospatial database for display and analysis to monitor linkages between
environmental health and quality of life issues in the border region.
Documented methodologies developed during the pilot phase (Lower Rio
Grande Valley) form the basis for border-wide geospatial integration of
layers such as land cover, hydrography, census, geology, and potential
sources of contaminants. A complete list of available
data layers is
available on the website. This multi-discipline initiative includes collaboration from U.S. and
Mexican Federal agencies.
Monitoring colonias along the U.S.-Mexico Border began as
a joint project between the USGS, HUD and INEGI to create a publicly
available Internet-enabled GIS that allows cities along the U.S.-Mexico
border to manage issues relating to urban growth and low-income housing
developments. The project produced binationally integrated base mapping
layers such as infrastructure, demographics, and land use for several
sister cities along the Arizona and Texas border. Based on results of
the needs assessment conducted in both Arizona and Texas, each state
required a different approach to develop the colonias database.
In Arizona, the project identified colonia-like
neighborhoods, used GIS to delineate their boundaries, and submitted an
application to HUD for colonia status to secure community development
loans. Since a major project goal was to facilitate the preparation of
grant and loan applications for community improvement projects, the
project trained civic leaders in the use of GIS technology tools. For
more information visit the
Arizona Colonias website.
In Texas, the project embarked on the revision of the
baseline colonias data from the Texas Water Development Boards
Economically Distressed Areas Program database. Owing to the large
number of colonias in the state (more than 1,400) the project required
new methods to incorporate local government data into the revision
process. County appraisal districts provided improved boundary
delineations and occupied lot counts, utility districts provided
information on water and sewer availability, and field ombudsmen from
the Office of the Texas Secretary of State collected the health and
sanitation services data. Currently the Texas Legislature is using the
colonias database to determine state funding for infrastructure and
community development projects in the border counties. For more
information visit the
USGS
Texas Colonias website.
Predicting Environmental Consequences of Urban Development on the
US-Mexico Border Using GIS and land use change research,
erosion and sediment delivery prediction models are being applied in
this binational watershed to develop predictions of potential dispersion
downstream meant to assist city planning through the identification of
areas of least minimum impact for land development. Models used in this
research include the USLE, SEDMOD and SLEUTH
(more).
Geospatial Analysis of the Lower Colorado River
The history of 20th
century changes in the landscape, river flow, climate, and development
of the Lower Colorado River offers clues to better understand the
environmental processes and conditions needed to maintain populations of
native species and ecosystems. Agriculture and development, together
with dams and channelization of the river, have brought large, mostly
undocumented
changes to the
(more)
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Data Availability and
Ordering Process
United States
The USGS has several
options for ordering hard copy maps, aerial photographs, satellite
images, and digital vector layers.
Information regarding
ordering USGS topographic maps is available at the USGS
General Map Information website.
EarthExplorer
can be
used to
query and order satellite images, aerial photographs, and cartographic
products through the USGS.
Other sources of Federal, State, and local
government data can be queried from
Geospatial One Stop.
The four border states: California, Arizona,
New Mexico, and Texas maintain state GIS clearinghouses that allow users
to access geospatial data. The USGS has state liaisons that facilitate
coordination within the state for geospatial data. The clearinghouses
and state liaisons are listed below:
Texas:
Texas
Natural Resource Inventory System
USGS Geospatial Liaison for Texas:
Claire Devaughan
New Mexico:
New
Mexico Resource Geographic Information System
USGS Geospatial Liaison for New Mexico: Gary Kress
gekress@usgs.gov
Arizona:
Arizona Land Resource Information System
USGS Geospatial Liaison for Arizona: Tom Sturm
California:
California Spatial
Clearinghouse Library
USGS Geospatial Liaison for California:
Carol Ostergren
Mexico
Mexico geospatial
data is available for purchase from the
Instituto Nacional de
Estadística, Geografía, e Informática (INEGI), the official mapping
agency of Mexico. The Digital Elevation Model data is available for
direct download (see Elevation Data – Mexico)
and
the Digital Orthophotos are available for viewing
(see DOQs for
Mexico).
Status graphics are
available at <http://antares.inegi.gob.mx/map/prueba/index.html?c=388>
Once at the
INEGI Status Graphics site:
For a list of
available data sorted by state and quad name, select Consulta
interactiva sobre disponibilidad de conjuntos de datos geográficos
digitales escala 1:50,000. From this page, you can view
availability by selecting the Mexican state and type of data product
desired. Once the selection has been made, click Realizar consulta
to send your query. Note – if you select the individual product
type then the entire quad name and code (clave) for the quad will
appear. If you select all products (cobertura en los cinco productos),
then the selection will only show the quad code.
OR:
For an interactive status graphic map of available data,
select Consulta grafica sobre disponibilidad
de conjuntos de datos geográficos digitales escala 1:50,000.
To start the Internet map server, click Iniciar.
At the bottom left
side of the map, select product type and zoom level. Then click on the
desired area of the map to view quad codes. To view availability,
select the product from the bottom right side, then click Enviar.
To zoom, select zoom level and click on desired area of the map.
Remember that MDE stands for Modelos De Elevación (DEMs).
On the
web page, there is no information on the price of the
products or the method of ordering. To order the data, you
can send an email to their
sales
center in care of
Maria Eugenia Cruz (she speaks english), send a fax to her
at (52) 449 916-80-21 or call the INEGI sales center in
Aguascalientes at (52) 449 918-19-48. The email or fax
should contain a list of products and quadrangle codes or
names. The INEGI sales center will calculate the cost
in dollars and fax or email the information back to you. A
certified check will need to be used to make the purchase.
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Remote Sensing Data
(Aerial Photos, Digital Orthophotos, Satellite
Imagery):
Satellite
Imagery: Previews of medium resolution
satellite imagery such as Landsat, Modis, and Aster can be viewed at
Glovis for most of
the world. Purchase instructions are also included.
A
Digital Orthophoto Quadrangle (DOQ) is a computer-generated image of an
aerial photograph in which the image displacement caused by terrain
relief and camera tilt has been removed. The DOQ combines the image
characteristics of the original photograph with the georeferenced
qualities of a map. DOQs are black and white (B/W), natural color, or
color-infrared (CIR) images with 1-meter ground resolution.
DOQs for the
United States
Annual partnerships with the USDA Farm Services
Administration’s National Aerial Imagery Program (NAIP) provide
the most current DOQs for the United States. This partnership is undertaken on a state by
state basis which includes annual digital photography images taken at 1
or 2 meter resolution and processed into DOQs. The USGS provides access
to these DOQs through both an Internet Map Service (with download
capabilities) and a Web Mapping Service.
Orthophoto viewing through an Internet Map Service (IMS) and direct
download:
http://seamless.usgs.gov
Web Mapping Service
(WMS) for use in a GIS:
http://geodata.usgs.gov
DOQs for Mexico
The Instituto Nacional de Estadistica,
Geografia, e Informatica (INEGI) produces DOQs for Mexico. These
data are available to be viewed from an Internet Map Service, accessed
in your GIS from a Web Mapping Service, or purchased on CD from from INEGI
(see
Data
Availability and Ordering Process – Mexico).
Orthophoto viewing
through an Internet Map Service (IMS)
http://mapserver.inegi.gob.mx/map/visorto/viewer.htm
Web Mapping Service
(WMS) for use in a GIS:
http://mapserver.inegi.gob.mx/geografia/espanol/prodyserv/ortofotos/ortofotos.cfm?c=718
(Note, the WMS service link is
provided in the instructions or can be directly accessed
from from GIS at:
http://antares.inegi.gob.mx/cgi-bin/map4/mapserv_orto).
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Elevation Data
Elevation data
captured in a digital format can be used for various terrain analysis
applications. Digital Elevation Models (DEMs) are useful for many
environmental investigations. In hydrology these may include: deriving
watershed boundaries, investigating flood hazards, as input to surface
water models, and analyzing water quantity and water quality
statistics. In ecology, elevation data may be used to delineate
different ecosystems, analyze climate variations, and automatically
delineate south facing slopes. DEMS are important inputs for analyzing
land use and land cover data. Both the U.S. and Mexico have publicly
available seamless elevation data for their country.
DEMS for the
United States
National Elevation Data
The USGS National Elevation Dataset (NED) has been developed by merging
the highest-resolution, best-quality elevation data available across the
United States into a seamless raster format. NED is the result of the
maturation of the USGS effort to provide 1:24,000-scale Digital
Elevation Model (DEM) data for the conterminous US and 1:63,360-scale
DEM data for Alaska. The shaded relief display is derived from NED using
a hill-shade technique.
Elevation Derivatives for
National Applications (EDNA) is a multi-layered database derived
from a version of the National Elevation Dataset (NED), which has been
hydrologically conditioned for improved hydrologic flow representation.
The seamless EDNA database provides 30 meters resolution raster and
vector data layers including: Aspect, Contours, Filled DEM, Flow
Accumulation, Flow Direction, Reach Catchment Seedpoints, Reach
Catchments, Shaded Relief, Sinks,
Slope,
and Synthetic Streamlines.
To view and
download NED and EDNA data:
http://seamless.usgs.gov
Modelos de Elevación for
Mexico
INEGI has mosaicked
their 50-meter posting digital elevation models for the entire country.
The source for the data is their contours from the 1:50,000-scale maps
and 1:25,000-scale urban maps where available. To edge-match the
borders, INEGI used the USGS National Elevation Dataset and the SRTM
90-meter for Guatemala. The data have been resampled to a 30-meter grid
and are available as “seamless” DEMs at no cost to the user through
INEGI’s website. After creating a username and password, anyone can
download the DEMs. A user-friendly interface is available to browse the
1:50,000 quad grid and enter the grid number manually or to click on the
desired quad. DEMs can be downloaded in .bil format by 1:50,000 quad or
by specifying an area no larger than 2 square degrees.
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Base Cartographic Layers
United States
Digital versions of
base Cartographic data layers such as hydrography, transportation,
boundaries, and structures are available from a variety of sources for
the United States.
The USGS maintains a
National Hydrography Dataset (NHD) at both the 1:100,000-scale and
1:24,000-scale. The NHD maintains connectivity between streams and
waterbodies to allow network routing and stream addressing for
hydrologic events. All streams and waterbodies contain the EPA reach
codes. The NHD can be viewed and downloaded at
http://nhd.usgs.gov
The most current
transportation, boundaries, and structures datasets can be found from
the state clearinghouses of the Geospatial One-Stop site. Please see
Data Availability and Ordering Process – United States.
Mexico
Digital versions of
base cartographic data layers found on INEGI topographic maps are
maintained and offered for sale to the public from INEGI. Please see
Data
Availability and Ordering Process – Mexico to check data
availability and purchase of the data.
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National Land
Cover Dataset for the United States
The USGS in
conjunction with the Multi-resolution Landscape Characterization
Consortium has produced National Land Cover Datasets (NLCD) for the
temporal time periods of 1992 and 2001. The 1992 NLCD was derived
from the early to mid-1990s Landsat Thematic Mapper satellite data and
consists of a 21-class land cover classification scheme applied
consistently over the United States and delivered in a raster format.
The spatial resolution of the data is 30 meters and mapped in the Albers
Conic Equal Area projection, NAD 83. The second generation 2001 NLCD
provides a data framework which allows flexibility in developing
and applying each independent data component to a wide variety of other
applications. Components of the database include 29-class land cover
classification scheme applied consistently over the United States,
estimates of percent imperviouseness and percent tree canopy, and
classification rule. All zones in the United States are scheduled to be
completed by December 2006.
National Land Cover Dataset viewing
through an Internet Map Service (IMS) and direct download:
http://seamless.usgs.gov
Web Mapping Service (WMS)
for use in a GIS:
http://geodata.usgs.gov
USGS Land Cover
Institute:
http://landcover.usgs.gov/usgslandcover.php
Uso de Suelo Land
Cover Dataset for Mexico
INEGI
has produced a 1993 (Serie II) and 2001 (Serie III)
1:250,000 scale Uso de Suelo (Land Use) vector
(polygon) digital map. INEGI’s LULC datasets, Serie II and Serie
III were also derived using Landsat imagery, but were created utilizing
manual methods. LULC types were visually interpreted from the Landsat
imagery. Polygons were digitized to delineate LULC types and then
verified with fieldwork. The final INEGI dataset consists of a polygon
layer, which has 89 LULC classes for the border region. The data can be
ordered from the INEGI Sales Center. See
Data
Availability and Ordering Process – Mexico.
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National Atlas
Both Mexico and the
United States maintain digital versions of National Atlas Databases that
can be viewed online through a Internet Map Service. These National
Atlases contain data at medium and low resolution for a variety of
themes and are constructed through partnerships with a variety of
federal agencies in both countries.
National Atlas
of the United States
The USGS oversees the
integration of a variety of data layers presented online as electronic
maps and services. Unlike the big
bound map collection of 1970, the latest National Atlas uses information
presentation, access, and delivery technologies that didn't exist 30
years ago to bring you a dynamic and interactive atlas. The National
Atlas has held fast to the tradition of producing the finest maps in the
world.
Atlas Nacional
Interactivo de Mexico
INEGI developed the
Atlas Nacional Interactivo de Mexico as a concrete manifestation of
IDEMEX (Mexico’s spatial data infrastructure). The Atlas is a web
mapping service that allows users to discover geospatial data available
from many different Mexican federal agencies. Map services are not
hosted by the Atlas, but are pulled from their respective agencies. Some
agencies contributing data are: INEGI, SEMARNAT, CENAPRED, INE, CONABIO,
INMujeres, and others. The Atlas does not have download capabilities at
this time
Border Maps
Federal and Indian lands within
100 miles of the
U.S.-Mexico border
and within the states of
California,
Arizona,
New Mexico,
Texas
References
Osborn, K. 1998. United States-Mexico transboundary aerial photography and mapping initiative. Photogrammetric Engineering and Remote Sensing LXIV
(11):1085-1088
Woodward, D. and Durall, R. 1996.
United States-Mexico border area as delineated by a shared-water
resources perspective. U.S. Department of the Interior, Field
Coordinating Committee. Fact Sheet 1. U.S. Geological Survey,
Albuquerque, NM.
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