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Government Information in Canada/Information gouvernementale au
Canada, Volume 3, number/numéro 3 (winter/hiver 1996-7)
Transition of the National Atlas Program Delivery to the Internet 1
La technologie et l'Internet sont souvent recherchés comme
mécanismes d'amélioration de la distribution des services et
de la satisfaction des besoins des clients, et ce souvent dans une
structure à coût réduit. Dans le cas du Service
d'information de l'Atlas national (SIAN), la transition à
l'Internet pour la distribution du programme a changé la
distribution du service de cartographie et de l'information
géographique. L'article suivant identifie les changements
nécessaires pour l'organisation, les personnes et les processus
pour se concentrer sur la distribution du programme SIAN et
améliorer le service de distribution. La transition à la
livraison du service d'Internet a eu beaucoup de conséquences.
Introduction
In 1994 the National Atlas Information Service (NAIS) began to
deliver its mapping program over the World Wide Web (http://www-nais.ccm.NRCan.gc.ca/).
Internet delivery
has changed the course of a ninety-year history of map development
and program delivery. Much of the impetus for this paradigm shift
originated with problems of service delivery--difficulties in
accessing products, long delays before new maps were issued, and
the costly and time-intensive traditional development process.
As a result of these problems, the NAIS had become alienated from
its traditional clientele of schools, the general public and government
partners. Budget reductions and government downsizing efforts
created additional pressures to change.
As information technology continues to evolve, the Internet and
networked communications will continue to influence business,
education and government activities. Throughout the government,
the need to deal with that influence is high on organizational
agendas. The pressure to use information technology to deliver
programs and services is compounded by the pressures of reduced
funding and the desire to better serve clients. Inevitably, changes
will be required in staff, processes and organizational issues.
Moreover, organizations must also consider how the necessary
changes progress and whether there will be the anticipated side effects.
Traditional National Atlas Program Delivery
A. Traditional Map Development
The traditional focus of the NAIS was the development of the National
Atlas of Canada, a large book of maps and supporting text. Since
1906, the NAIS has published five editions of the National Atlas.
Each succeeding edition of the atlas covered more topics
at increasing levels of sophistication. The latest edition
was published in 1993 and contained over ninety maps.
Creating maps has been traditionally a lengthy, multi-staged
process of research, cartography, processing, and production for the
NAIS.
Producing a typical map might take several months from beginning to end.
The mapping process began with researchers, who compiled and
analyzed subject information to develop themes and to identify
techniques to portray the information. In many cases, the research
involved integration of information and subject material from
different government departments and NGOs. Using manual processes,
engineers and cartographers converted the research material into
maps. In the final stages of the mapping process, graphics and support
information was added by graphic
support and production technicians. Production technicians
concluded the process, designing the
final output, fine-tuning the colour process and coordinating
the printing of map products.
B. Objectives of the National Atlas Information Service
Program
Formally, the NAIS has a broad set of objectives for program delivery.
The objectives of the program are based on the production and
dissemination of geographical knowledge about Canada. More specifically,
these include: promoting an understanding of Canada's land mass
and its people; and providing educational material on the geography of
Canada.
Linked with the formal objectives are less formal interests of
promoting national unity and bilingualism and addressing the issues of
diversity
affecting Canadians. Increasingly, the pursuit of less formal objectives
has become more politicized than in the past, and has involved
cooperation with other government departments and stakeholder
organizations. An example is the boreal forest poster map, which
included consultations with forestry companies, the Canadian Forestry
Service, and environmental organizations.
C. Clients of the NAIS Program
The NAIS program was designed to meet the needs of several different
client groups, including different educational communities, the
media and the general public, as well as other government departments
and non-governmental organizations (NGOs). The largest of the
client groups are elementary and
high schools, as well as colleges and universities.
The general public and media utilize the program for reference
material and generalized depiction of Canada. NGOs participate
in product development and use the NAIS program to promote their
interests. Other government departments
are both consumers of the program and partners in the development
of products.
D. Program Activities
The activities of the NAIS program focus on the development of
thematic map products. Thematic mapping involves
linking information not normally found on maps, for example annual
income or mother tongue, with geography or location. Delivery of the
NAIS
program is carried out through the following key activities:
1. National Atlas Information Service Products --the traditional
focus
of the program has been the
development of the National Atlas of Canada. Additional products
developed by the program include: specialized poster maps, commemorative
maps to mark anniversaries, and custom maps products.
Thematic maps contained in the paper National Atlas of Canada
address several key areas. These areas include: population and
socio-economic analysis,
physical phenomena, climatic information, environmental issues, and
cultural features.
In addition, the NAIS program
develops specialized map products for specific occasions such as
anniversaries
of Canada's confederation, map products displaying election results,
a map of superlatives, and poster map products of wildlife, natural
hazards, and the boreal forest.
2. Cooperative Projects with other Federal Departments --the
NAIS has traditionally
utilized cooperative projects to accumulate input information
and support for development of thematic maps. Projects of this
nature often involve horizontal interaction of information and
data. Cooperative projects involve the exchange of information
during the initial stages of the project and provision of feedback
and comments during the middle and final stages of the map development
process.
Other cooperative projects involve agreements to deliver mapping
services to other federal government departments. Projects of
this nature involve the development of maps as a contribution
to larger projects or delivery of support services to specific
government clients.
3. Support and Scientific Services --the NAIS program
provides a range of supporting
or scientific services to its clients. Support services range
in focus from assisting other government departments on mapping
issues to participating in large-scale environmental and natural
resource assessment projects.
Generally, scientific services involve a combination of the delivery
of map products and support in using maps to assist in decision-making,
assessment and monitoring. Additional scientific support services
include: services to the public, participation in inquiries,
transfer of knowledge to the national geographic education community,
and participation at events such as: science fairs, national
educators conferences, and science and technology mentoring programs
Transition Push Factors - Responding to Client Needs
The needs of clientele
and the realities of government funding have resulted in transition to
Internet publishing in order to improve service delivery of the NAIS program.
Specifically, the transition addressed criticisms
concerning: timely map publishing, access to map products, generation
of revenues, response to client feedback, as well as the static
nature of program delivery.
A. Timely Publishing
Transition of NAIS program delivery has enabled more timely publishing
of map products. NAIS maps are made public and accessible immediately
following their completion. This differs substantially from traditional
activities that waited for a compilation of the National Atlas
of Canada to be published. Internet publishing has also made
it easier to change and update the maps, which is important for
temporal data or the addition of new data sources as they become
available.
B. Expanded Client Access
The Internet has also provided the organization a means to deliver
its program to a larger audience at reduced cost. Traditional
program delivery resulted in distribution of map products to a
relatively small audience, constrained by physical proximity
to libraries or by the substantial resources needed to acquire
paper editions of the National Atlas of Canada. The Internet
site provides unlimited access. Clients are provided
on-demand access to thematic map products and are provided information
about how to obtain paper copies when required. Additional information
on map products is also provided.
C. Budget Cuts and Revenue Generation
The pressures of fiscal reductions and imposed
downsizing were partly responsible for the transition of program
delivery to the Internet. The traditional NAIS methods were quite
costly, especially in terms of staffing. "Doing more with
less" would have been extremely difficult if procedures had not been
changed substantially. Moreover, the budget cuts had led to
the perception that the program needed to generate more revenues by
selling its products.
D. Response to Client Feedback and Dynamic Program Delivery
In the past, the NAIS did not have close and ongoing communication
with its clients. Their needs were difficult to ascertain and
tracking those needs was even more daunting.
NAIS program delivery using the Internet has facilitated better
communication between the organization and clients through feedback and
comment
mechanisms within the Web site. Monitoring
of traffic and access has enabled the NAIS to better determine
the client base and frequency of access. Program delivery can now
meet clients' changing needs.
Internet Program Delivery
Overall, transition of the NAIS program to the Internet has been
successful. The program has been refocused to meet client
needs with better and expanded service delivery. In recognition
of these efforts, the NAIS WWW site has been awarded a Treasury
Board medal of excellence as an implementation that captures the
spirit of the Blueprint for Renewing Government Services Using
Information Technology.
Transition to the Internet has significantly changed the delivery
of the NAIS program. Use of a WWW site has provided the ability
to combine the delivery of traditional NAIS products and services
with new value added products. Important components of the Internet
program delivery are interactive mechanisms, improved access
to additional information, and more substantive value-added products
that meet client needs.
National Atlas Information Service on the Internet
NAIS program delivery using the Internet has provided better delivery
of services and expanded program activities. A version of the
NAIS Internet site can be reached at
http://www-nais.ccm.emr.ca/schoolnet/.
The site includes the following program activities: access
to thematic maps, supporting discussion material and links to
additional scientific information, quizzes, search tools, and
a historical discussion of cartography and mapping.
Use of the Internet has allowed the NAIS program to deliver better
access to thematic map products. At first, only a listing of thematic
maps was available.
Access to map products was slightly improved as clients were presented
only with
small images or descriptions of maps. As the transition to program
delivery through the Internet extended further, new and more substantial
access was gained through the introduction of digital technology
and interactive web tools.
Improved access to map products through the introduction of digital
technology is best exemplified by NAISMap.
NAISMap is an interactive,
Web-based simple geographic information system (GIS). It improves
access by allowing clients to access a database of over 200 thematic
maps. NAISMap is a combination mapping tool
and database. It allows NAIS clients to interactively create
thematic maps based on simple technology that integrates and customizes
maps. When using NAISMap, clients select one or several maps
of interest from the database. Once NAISMap is invoked and maps
are selected, the NAISMap software integrates the selected maps
and provides the ability to customize legend entries, colour characteristics,
and the map title.
Included within the NAISMap software are pointers to supporting
information, graphics and links to other Internet resources.
In combining improved access and interactive service delivery,
the NAIS program provides its clients more substantive information.
Several quizzes also provide interactive program delivery. One is
a general quiz of Canada's geography, providing clients the opportunity
to pose questions to members of the NAIS research staff. A related
area of the quiz has a frequently asked questions section. A "Did
you know?"
section is a current events resource of facts about Canada and its people.
Recent efforts have introduced the referendum results, the census,
and activities at the Voisey Bay nickel deposit.
Search tools on the NAIS Internet site provide users ease of access
and faster service delivery. In addition to a key word search
for navigation within the site, clients can search a database
of geographical names to locate cities and places. Searching
by name enables cross-referencing of place and latitude and longitude.
This is useful for novice clients who are interested in where
Steven Lake is located, but also addresses the needs of more
sophisticated clients who wish to determine coordinate locations
for map ordering and purchase.
Change Precipitated by Internet Program Delivery
While undoubtedly successful, the transition from a delivery system
based on paper to one dominated by digital images involved important
and difficult changes in several operational areas at
NAIS.
Fiscal Resources and Cost Reductions
Consistent downsizing efforts and severe
fiscal restraints forced the NAIS program to reduce staff and
streamline activities. In 1986 the program had employed approximately
fifty persons. By 1994 less than twenty-five persons
worked in NAIS, including staff for operating and maintaining
systems and hardware.
WWW program delivery provided a unique opportunity to
expand services while at the same
time reducing costs. Despite the success of the transition and the many
changes that have resulted, the pace of the transition, and the
number of new services bought online have been constrained by
continued fiscal resource strains. Efforts to improve fiscal
resources through recovery of costs by capitalizing on improved
access to clients has been viewed poorly by clients and to date
has been ineffective.
Changes Affecting Process within NAIS
Change precipitated through the introduction of Internet program
delivery has affected the map development process. This has emphasized
movement from manual, labour-intensive multi-staged processes
to more dynamic digital information processing. Although digital
mapping was utilized prior to the introduction of Internet program
delivery, the Internet transition sped the change.
Transition to Internet program delivery altered the tasks performed
by staff during the mapping process. The order of the tasks is
less linear in orientation, and repetitive activities are simplified
and performed by computer programs. The map research
activities are now primarily contracted out to the private sector
and to universities, while other map development and information
collection efforts have emphasized partnerships with other government
agencies and non-profit organizations.
Transition to digital map development has also resulted in the
addition of further value in the thematic mapping process through
reduced production times. Further gains
in efficiency have resulted from the changes in map reproduction.
As an added benefit of the Internet transition, many of the maps
produced in digital form can be easily replicated, and the basic
elements of one map can often be used in the development of
another. This has resulted in recycling of common base
maps that contain basic information used for most thematic mapping,
for example boundaries and provincial borders or lakes and rivers.
Manual mapping processes did not permit such ease of transfer
and map reproduction.
Changes Affecting the NAIS Staff
NAIS staff bore the brunt of the changes precipitated by transition
of the NAIS program to the Internet. While the traditional mapping
process demanded employees with a highly task oriented skill set,
transition to Internet publishing has changed the required skill set and the
culture of the organization, emphasizing computers and technical
skills related to systems and information integration.
As staff became more skilled at the entire mapping process, from research
to map design, to compilation and Internet publishing, the process
became more project oriented than task
oriented. More persons have the skills to perform tasks in the
process, whereas past efforts had experts at particular stages
of the process. Although generally staff
have expanded their expertise to include more activities, these
have resulted in loss of staff with specialized skills.
The most successful staff members have been the developers of
the first NAIS Web site and the NAISMap interactive Web GIS.
The NAISMap Web tool has undergone subsequent modifications under
contract and further additions are planned. Contracts and development
of similar Web-based tools have been pursued at Environment Canada.
The Web-based mapping tool has also attracted attention from
the United Nations--UNESCO and the Food and Agricultural Organization
(FAO), with potential for further software sales and WWW development
research.
Coordination of Internet Program Delivery
Coordination of the NAIS program delivery using the Internet is
currently provided by the GeoAccess Division of the Canada Centre
for Remote Sensing, a centre within the Earth Sciences Sector
of the Department of Natural Resources. Aside from changes
in staffing, the transition of program delivery was accomplished through
three mechanisms:
institutional reorganization, a project focus, and the extension
of partnerships.
Institutional Reorganization
Internal reorganization of sections and staff has been an effective
mechanism to coordinate delivery of the NAIS program using the Internet. The
original transition of program delivery using the Internet was managed by
the National Atlas Information Service, with limited support from private
contractors. The majority of the transition was orchestrated in-house with
NAIS staff developing Web activities. However, more recent reorganizations
within the Department of Natural Resources and the implementation of
downsizing policies, as well as recognition of the importance of networked
program delivery, have resulted in the merger of the NAIS with several other
divisions. The product of the merger is the GeoAccess Division, a unit
dedicated to utilizing technology, tools, and networks to provide improved
delivery of geographic information and services.
Within the GeoAccess Division, new sections with new activities were
created
to further coordinate Internet program delivery. The WWW site, systems and
Web-related work are managed by the Data Integration Section, which also
provides computer support to the entire division. A Stakeholder Coordination
Section addresses identification of client needs, and promotes partnerships
that exploit geographic data and applications. The Spatial Systems Section
designs and contracts the private sector and partners for research and
development on the next generation of Internet activities and NAIS program
delivery. Map products are developed by a Client Services Section, which
provides graphic and cartography expertise and supporting scientific text
through cooperative projects and partnerships.
Project Focus
The majority of the content of the NAIS program on the Internet
is developed through client-centred projects. Such projects
have a horizontal tendency, cutting across federal departments
and the private sector to facilitate the integration of information and
access a more
general group of clients (schools, the public and the media).
An example is the SchoolNet
project conducted in cooperation with Industry Canada, Carleton
University, teachers' organizations
and several provincial educational groups.
New additions to the NAIS program on the Internet are also developed
through projects. Previously, the program worked towards production
of the National Atlas of Canada, and project activities beyond
this objective were limited. However, transition to Internet
program delivery has emphasized a project focus that breaks activities
into smaller units. This enables the pursuit of special projects
and speeds the map development process.
Expanded Partnerships
Coordination of Internet program delivery has also required extension
of partnerships with other government agencies. Some of the more
strategic partnerships solidified following
the Internet transition include: the Canadian Forestry Service,
the Geological Survey of Canada, Statistics Canada and Environment
Canada, along with the North American Free Trade Office and Canadian
Geographic monthly magazine. In general, agencies are attracted by the
potential
to reach new clients, the potential of interactive program delivery,
and by the addition of value through integration and use of different
information using the Internet.
Partnerships have also been utilized for leverage of funding for program
development. Despite its successful transition and ability to
access new clients, funding of WWW activities remains scarce.
In this respect, an important influence on the site are the partners
that provide funding to support continued development of NAISMap
and the production work to develop new thematic maps. Although
partnership with agencies has traditionally emphasized information
sharing and cooperative decision-making, increasingly partnerships
also require the transfer of funding.
Future
A powerful influence motivating further change of the NAIS program
delivery is the GeoAccess Division. The NAIS has been
framed as an inventory of government geographic information.
In the next generation of networks and integrated service delivery,
this corresponds to a component of a Canadian Geospatial Data
Infrastructure (CGDI). CGDI is an integrated network of geographic
databases that will include: online access, ordering and acquisition
of digital maps, air photographs, satellite imagery, global positioning
systems (GPS) and other geographic information and services.
Additional CGDI components under research and development include:
data compression algorithms, interactive Internet exchange of
larger more sophisticated files, common data models, and more
browse and data viewing tools
The vision of the NAIS program is to build upon the success of
the Internet program delivery. The reorganization of the NAIS
program into the GeoAccess Division has structured the program
to act as a resource of on-demand digital geographic information.
This will provide clients even better access to more geographic
information. Conceptually, the elements of the inventory build
upon the components of the NAIS web site. The NAISMap tool will
be an important aspect that allows clients to integrate data
and access supporting information, as well as link to
more detailed geographic information using the Internet.
Conclusions
Transition of the NAIS program delivery to the Internet has successfully
refocused the delivery of products and services. By utilizing
the Internet, the NAIS has improved program access with reduced
budgetary resources and has managed to win awards for improved
service delivery.
Transition to Internet program delivery has not only improved
service delivery but has also ensured the viability of the NAIS
program. It reaches more clients with better products, and has
exponentially improved access to thematic maps, which are made
in much less time than in the past. Future plans to improve
services and access to information are underway,
as the program has been incorporated into plans for the development
of the CGDI.
Jeff Labonte, "Paradigm Shift: Transition of the National Atlas
Program Delivery to the Internet," Government Information in
Canada/Information gouvernementale au Canada 3, no.
3 (1996-7). [http://www.usask.ca/library/gic/v3n3/labonte/labonte.html]
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