Data Access

The PSF data centre is designed for three access methods. Users need to be certain which access is needed.

Access Method 1

For the manual access and viewing metadata (and sometimes downloading data) using a standard web browser,

Search Data

  • TYPICAL USE – researcher looking to search, browsing and examination of metadata, literature references, data downloads, and quick mapping,

Choices available:

  1. search capability to access iso-19115 North American Protocol (NAP) metadata,
  2. data files for download, if available. This option might be favoured by persons wishing to manipulate datasets after downloading
  3. link to external websites, if needed,
  4. map presentations where multiple layers can be assembled and viewed in Google Earth (blue square, if available) and locally in an Interactive map (so labelled),
  5. clickable thumbnail extracted from the relative page in the atlas (opens as full screen upon clicking), and
  6. subtle but important listing as pdf (clickable Adobe symbol on right and adjacent to each title)

 

 

Access Method 2

  • TYPICAL USE – GIS user wishing to create maps

There is a computer-computer approach, following OGC standards:

  • http://soggy.zoology.ubc.ca:8080/geoserver/WMS for georeferenced data images,
  • http://soggy.zoology.ubc.ca:8080/geoserver/WFS to access the features (numerical values),
  • http://soggy.zoology.ubc.ca:8080/geoserver/WCS for georeferenced rasters (gridded data) – presently none,

For this automated approach, special geospatial tools must be used.

Choices available:

  1. Data subsets can be selected and downloaded, where possible. Users must refer to the abstract for instructions, because each dataset protocol may be slightly different.
  2. These contents can be accessed, re-styled and re-projected using any GIS system such as a commercial product like ESRI or open source product like QGIS.

In contrast to (Access Method 3), all features can be viewed and downloaded

 

 

Access Method 3

Preview GIS data layers

  • TYPICAL USE – detailed examination of data layers for gis applications and data/images for reports

Choices available:

  1. as Open Layers for a quick look, including shape file information listing via clicks (if information is available)
  2. as Google Earth link via a ‘kml’ button
  3. as Geographic Markup Language (GML)
  4. in a huge number of WMS formats in a drop-down list (e.g. for possible inclusion in reports)
  5. as Comma-separated values (CSV) in WFS format

in this view, a maximum of 50 features may be downloaded

 

 

Access Method 4

Filter Spatial Data for Viewing and Download

TYPICAL USE – Perform filtering on datasets available from the GeoServer page, so that the specified information of interest can be viewed or downloaded.

Choices available:

  1. Download the data as Comma-separated values (CSV)
  2. View the data as Geographic Markup Language (GML)