Real Time Map Data in the National Park Service

GeoNYC “When There's a Bump in the Road”: Monday, January 11, 2016

https://www.nps.gov/npmap/slides/working-with-real-time-data/

Empowering National Parks
with Open Source Mapping Tools

www.nps.gov/npmap

• NPMap: web maps for the National Park Service
• A team of developers, cartographers, and data engineers that build tools to enable web mapping across the NPS
• Focus on public-facing maps
• NPS Graphic Identity Standards
• Open-source technologies shared with the public

NPS Places

Technologies

• Editors: modified iD editor from OpenStreetMap
• A modified version of the iD editor from OpenStreetMap
• JOSM is also supported for advanced editing and imports
• Uses the OpenStreetMap API and data schema
• node.js
• PostgreSQL and PostGIS
• CartoDB

NPS Places

Data Process

1. User adds data through the iD editor or JOSM
2. Changeset is written to the API database
3. A write to the PostGIS database is triggered when a changeset is completed
4. The points are rendered into points, lines, and polygons based on their tags with SQL in PostGIS
5. Every 5 minutes a process runs that finds changes and uploads them to CartoDB to be used in public-facing maps

NPS Places

• Core data system for trails, roads, parking areas, buildings, and points of interest
• Compatible with CLI tools for OpenStreetMap data processing
• Built to enable all park employees to contribute to the map
• Currently uploading GIS-based data to rapidly augment the database
• Places Editor provides access to database in a browser

Park Tiles

• Suite of basemaps designed to fit NPS identity
• Data from OpenStreetMap, Mapbox (Terrain), and NPS Places
• Version 3: All Places data within Park Boundaries

NPMap Builder

• A tool to build beautiful, accessible web maps that can be easily added to NPS.gov and standalone sites
• Incorporates NPMap.js, Park Tiles, Symbol Library, and Places, among others
• Many options for customization, including a wide variety of basemaps
• Multiple data formats supported for custom overlays
• Custom configuration options for popup windows and tooltips

Sometimes you encounter “Bumps in the Road”

(source Wikimedia Commons)

Conditions can change rapidly

(source nps.gov)

NPS Places Live

• Live road closure and campsite availability status
• In several parks
• Blue Ridge Parkway
• Yellowstone
• Grand Teton *
• Golden Gate *
• Update info in one place
• Screens update on kiosks at park visitor centers
• Custom basemap design

NPS Places Live

(source nps.gov)

NPS Places Live

Geysers

NPS Places Live

Campgrounds

Questions?

npmap@nps.gov

Jim McAndrew@jimmyrocks

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Questions?

npmap@nps.gov

Jim McAndrew@jimmyrocks

• Yellowstone Park Roads - Live
• Blue Ridge Parkway: Real-time Road Closures

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