• What kind of data is in MesoStor?
• What does MesoStor do?
• How can I search for data?
• How do I get the data?
• What happens when the data I want is "on" multiple maps? Do I have to download all of them?
• How long before I get the data?
• Will MesoStor be useful if I have no GIS experience?
• How difficult will this be, since I have little computer experience?
• Can I use data from MesoStor with my data?
• Do I have to download the files right then?
• Do I get to view the layers or do I just select them from a list?
• How much will it cost the end-user?
• Will the private and public sector both have access?
• What mapping or GIS software formats are available?
• Can I get data for just a country or a city?
• What do I need to access MesoStor?
• Can MesoStor data be updated easily? And how often will it be updated?
• Who else has done something like this?
• Can you clip an individual area?
• Why should a "seamless" database be important to me?
• Can I create a map and print it off the screen?
• What do I need to access MesoStor?
• How do you plan to address large files and long download times?
• Is FGDC compliant metadata provided?
• If you are seamlessly merging multiple data files, how is metadata organized?
• How does all this work?
• How can I change my password?
• How do I set my user preferences for raster and vector formats?
• Why does it sometimes say that my raster format is unacceptable?

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What kind of data is in MesoStor? (return to top)

• All available digital map data we can acquire for Mesoamerica will be in MesoStor. This includes roads, streams, ecosystems, satellite imagery, and elevation data.

What does MesoStor do? (return to top)

• MesoStor allows you to search for GIS data of Mesoamerica and download just what you want. You can request the data to be prepared in any of a number of vendor formats and projections/datums. When you submit your request the system begins processing it and will send you an e-mail with the FTP link to access the data. Simply click on the link and the data will be downloaded to your computer.

How can I search for data? (return to top)

• You can search by many different easy-to-use criteria: (a) place (e.g. city-limits, country, political boundaries), (b) point in UTM, lat/lon or SPSC coordinates, (c) box drawn on screen, (d) theme keyword (e.g. elevation, soils).

How do I get the data? (return to top)

• Once you have identified the data you want MesoStor extracts the area you select, converts it to the software format and the datum/projection you select and downloads it to your computer over the internet.

What happens when the data I want is "on" multiple maps? Do I have to download all of them? (return to top)

• Unlike other systems, MesoStor’s data is "seamless" – existing maps have been merged into one single map and you select ONLY the area you want. It doesn’t matter where it is. You DO NOT have to know what map applies to your area.

How long before I get the data? (return to top)

• The time will depend on the type of data and the number of other users. Most vector data is processed almost immediately. Usually you can expect an e-mail telling you that the data is ready within a few minutes of the submission. Raster data processing can take substantially longer. You will frequently get your e-mail saying the data is ready within 15 - 30 minutes. Very large jobs (you can select up to 1 GB) can take hours.

Will MesoStor be useful if I have no GIS experience? (return to top)

• There are no GIS skills needed to use MesoStor. However, MesoStor provides digital data and you will need to be able to use the data. MesoStor is NOT an online mapping system. SERVIR also offers an online mapping system at http://servir.nsstc.nasa.gov and then follow the link to Interactive Maps.

How difficult will this be, since I have little computer experience? (return to top)

• Anyone who can use the World Wide Web can use MesoStor, no GIS skills are needed.

Can I use data from MesoStor with my data? (return to top)

• MesoStor delivers data to your desktop computer in many different formats and you can immediately merge it with your own data.

Do I have to download the files right then? (return to top)

• The data will remain on the server for 72 hours and will then be removed. You can download the data at anytime.

Do I get to view the layers or do I just select them from a list? (return to top)

• After you have defined your criteria (by area or topic) the ones in the database that meet the criteria are displayed in a list. You then select the layers you want from that list. MesoStor is not a map viewer.

How much will it cost the end-user? (return to top)

• There is no cost to the end-user.

Will the private and public sector both have access? (return to top)

• Anyone with access to the World Wide Web can access MesoStor. Depending on the providing agency’s requirements, there may be certain data classes that are "advertised" in MesoStor but that cannot be freely downloaded, but the great majority can.

What mapping or GIS software formats are available? (return to top)

• Technically MesoStor can provide data in more than 50 different vendor formats. The operational systems will support all common formats including AutoDesk, ESRI, Intergraph, MapInfo, and many others. It is also fully compliant with the Open GIS Consortium’s spatial data specifications.

Can I get data for just a county or a city? (return to top)

• Yes. Data can be delivered to you for just the limits of any "place" in the database including cities, protected areas, and countries.

What do I need to access MesoStor? (return to top)

• You will need access to the World Wide Web and a web browser. At this point MesoStor works best with Microsoft’s Internet Explorer Version 5.x or higher. It should work smoothly with the 6.x release of Netscape. MesoStor will work smoothly with Netscape 4.5 or higher but these versions of Netscape currently do not properly recognize security certificates. We are working to determine how this issue can be addressed.

Can MesoStor data be updated easily? And how often will it be updated? (return to top)

• MesoStor is designed using a new "transactional" geospatial data model – its design allows "immediate" updates to be posted to individual features. For example, if a road is moved only that single change needs to be made to the database. How and when it will be updated, however, is an administrative decision that will depend on resources and agency agreements.

What mapping or GIS software formats are available? (return to top)

• Technically MesoStor can provide data in more than 50 different vendor formats. The operational systems will support all common formats including AutoDesk, ESRI, Intergraph, MapInfo, and many others. It will also provide the data in user selected map projections and datums. It is also fully compliant with the Open GIS Consortium’s spatial data specifications.

Who else has done something like this? (return to top)

• No one. The project is the first data system to take advantage of a wide range of new developments in spatial data organization and storage.

Can you clip an individual area? (return to top)

• You can clip by (1) defined extent (e.g. 10 km) around a point or address, (2) by a box (either drawn on the map or with coordinates entered) (3) by any defined polygon including countries, protected areas, etc. Both vectors and rasters can be clipped.

Why should a "seamless" database be important to me? (return to top)

• If the data are seamless you don’t have to download multiple maps and connect (mosaic) them together. If you have a project area that is at the corner of four maps you don’t have to download four different maps, mosaic them and then cut out the piece you need. In MesoStor you simply identify the small area you need - only that part is seamlessly delivered to you immediately.

Can I create a map and print it off the screen? (return to top)

• MesoStor is designed to allow you to identify and acquire data, it is not an "on-line mapper." However, the data in MesoStor serves as the "back end" to different on-line mapping systems. SERVIR also offers an online mapping system at http://servir.nsstc.nasa.gov and then follow the link to Interactive Maps.

How do you plan to address large files and long download times? (return to top)

• User can create data file that can be as large as 1 GB. A file this large would be practically impossible to download over a slow telephone line. Because the user can select only a small area of interest, the files sizes are usually MUCH smaller that in other systems that use standard map files. Subject to cooperation from the vendors, we plan to add file compression to the raster file formats. The vector file are usually fairly small but the raster files can be very large. It is our hope that we can add user selectable compression options.

Is FGDC compliant metadata provided? (return to top)

• Yes. All data have FGDC compliant metadata and information on the data sets will be accessible via the FGDC clearinghouse system.

If you are seamlessly merging multiple data files, how is metadata organized? (return to top)

• Aggregated metadata has been developed for each seamless theme (feature classes) that is composed of individuals map tile data (e.g. metadata entry for "date" will be a range of earliest and most recent tile dates). In addition, however, a set of metadata "themes" will also be developed that reflects the original source metadata.

How does all this work? (return to top)

• The geographic data in MesoStor are placed in an Oracle Enterprise Spatial Database with GeoImage extension running on a SunMicrosystems Enterprise class server. The geographic and attribute components of each feature are stored as an object in the database. The data are indexed using a quadtree index that provides fast access. MapXtreme 3.0 (MapInfo Corporation) has been used to create the interface. Data is converted and re-projected using the Feature Manipulation Engine (FME, Safe Software’s) which was also used to load much of the data. GeoGateway software (PCI GeoMatics) is used to re-project raster data and is used to load much of the raster data. ArcSDC and ArcIMS 3.0 (ESRI’s) is used as the basis for the soils mapping and analysis system. GeoMedia (Intergraph), ER Mapper (ER-Mapper) and ArcInfo 9 (ESRI) were used to create seamless data sets and manipulate the data before loading.

How can I change my password? (return to top)

• On the main data lister page click on the Preferences button. In the Preferences dialogue select the "User Information" tab. Enter your desired new password in the two fields.

How do I set my user preferences for raster and vector formats?  (return to top)

• On the main data lister page click on the Preferences button. In the Preferences dialogue select the "Raster" or "Vector" tab. From the drop down list you can select the projection/datum and format you want. These formats will automatically be applied to future downloads. You can change them at any time.

Why does it sometimes say that my raster format is unacceptable?  (return to top)

• Because of the different properties of various raster data not all output formats are supported for all data types. The following output formats are supported for each data type.

 MesoStor

1. One band, eight bit images - Landsat data bands and B/W DOQQs.

Output formats available: ARC.bil, ARC.grd, ENVI.nvi, ERDAS.lan, PCI.pix and TIFF.tif.

MesoStor

2. Three band eight bit images – Landsat color composites, CIR DOQQs.

Output formats available: ARC.bil, ENVI.nvi, ERDAS.lan, PCI.pix and TIFF.tif.

3. One band, sixteen bit images – Digital elevation models, grid data with more than 256 values.

Output formats available: ARC.bil, ARC.grd, ENVI.nvi, ERDAS.lan and PCI.pix.

MesoStor

4. One band, eight bit data with a pseudo-color table – LULC and GAP maps, Digital Raster Graphics, various thematic gridded data.

Output formats available: PCI.pix and TIFF.tif.

MesoStor

Please be aware that only the appropriate options will be available in the MesoStor output data format selection drop down. If you have selected a data set, such as thematic land cover data, whose native formats is one band, eight bit then the only output formats possible in the drop down will be PCI-pix and TIFF.tif. Alternatively, if you selected a single Landsat band then all the formats would be available.