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> April 2002 Meeting Minutes
AZSITE CONSORTIUM
Quarterly Meeting Minutes
Thursday, April 18, 2002, 1:00 PM - 3:00 PM
Anthropology Department Conference Room
Arizona State University
A. CALL TO ORDER: Michael Barton called the meeting to order at 1:00 p.m.
B. INTRODUCTION OF MEMBERS AND GUESTS: See attached list
C. OLD BUSINESS
1. Review of minutes of last meeting: Minutes of the January, 2002, meeting were approved.
2. Status report on grants & IGA's:
Rick Karl reported that he had submitted a grant application for training and manual updates to the NCPTT.
MNA has some T-21 funding still remaining; ASM and ASU have completed the use of their share of those funds.
An IGA has been drafted and approved for BLM and two are in preparation for Pima County and Fort Huachuca.
BLM has committed to supporting AZSITE with $25,000, always assuming their funding is not reduced.
Heritage Funds are very uncertain due to the state budget problems and Heritage Funds take from lottery monies is reduced due to shift in public support for lotteries.
Carol Griffith reported that she and Steve Savage were preparing a grant to NEH for digitizing of some SHPO records for inclusion in AZSITE.
3. Standing committees
a. Database committee:
i. Peter McCartney reviewed work he is doing for BLM on interstate database compatibility and its implications for AZSITE. Using an example of one BLM user who needs to consult two very different state databases (AZSITE and NMCRIS, for example) Peter described the XML tools he is using to build bridges between the databases. The XML connectors translate the content of individual databases into a standard language (the "Glorietta metadata standard" that was developed several years ago for western states' cultural resource databases). The user's query is created in x-path language and transferred, via the Internet, to XML connectors that translate the query into terms that the 2 different state databases can read. This means that the individual user does not have to know individual database structure or syntax to get answers from the database. The work has been done for the attribute data and he is now working on building similar interfaces for spatial data. Security is managed by servelets that use "soap" technology, a message-based protocol that is device and operating system independent. As of now, the XML connector can accept requests only from known machines that have been listed for use. Interested readers may check the following to see a demonstration of this technology using environmental data: http://ces.asu.edu/bdi and follow links to Xanthoria and demo. This is similar to the Z39.50 protocol that libraries' web catalogs use.
ii. Michael Barton noted that this is the type of query protocol AZSITE is working toward. He reported that a new geo-access protocol is now available through http://azmap.asu.edu or through a link through the AZSITE home page at http://azsite.asu.edu. The new site provides only minimal site data, but that is still available through the original on-line search protocol. Beth Grindell reported that the electronic data upload process is performing very well. There is a learning curve but several companies have now mastered the process. In response to a question from Lilly Aguila about the continued need to submit a paper project registration form to ASM, she noted that the form is used by several offices in ASM so for the foreseeable future that form will have to be submitted in paper.
iii. Karl reported that a known incompatibility between ArcIMS and the Windows IIS has been resolved by transferring the server to an Apache web server which is proving much more stable.
b. Management committee: Rick Karl reported that there were 51 individual users from 11 companies that had received AZSITE user agreements, plus numerous users from the consortium agencies. Barton noted that there were concerns about the need for a smaller fee for single users. It was agreed that non-profit organizations can request a waiver but that we cannot reduce the fee below the present level, it is the cost of doing business. Carol Griffith commented that while ASP had suggested last fall that it would take over management of the system, the current state budget crisis and cuts to ASP funding made that unlikely for the foreseeable future. Karl reported on meetings he has had with BLM staff for training on data querying and data entry. He noted that Gary Stumpf continues to be a strong AZSITE supporter.
c. Tribal concerns committee: No report
D. NEW BUSINESS
Formation of a data users' group: It was announced that a data users' group, composed of people with AZSITE accounts who had used the database and data entry module was formed and a May 23 meeting was scheduled, to be held at ASU. The purpose of the meeting will be for end-users to meet with AZSITE consortium staff and the ASU GIS lab web site developers to give them an assessment of what works, what doesn't work and what new features should be added.
E. PUBLIC COMMENT:
1. John Giacobbe noted that the system looks spectacular and he is hopeful and that the savings in travel alone justify the cost of the system to the user. However he saw 2 key problems. The scale of the maps needs to be 1:24000, and the search functions are a bit arcane. He would also like to be able to save the images as .jpg or .tif files.
2. Lilly Aguila noted that report references are critical for §106 compliance studies.
3. Chad Smith suggested getting some pro bono assistance in reviewing the system security and whether or not it could be violated. Carol Griffith noted that the ASP attorney general was investigating state laws on illegal access to computer databases to determine what penalties might apply. Smith also asked about the applicability of open meetings laws to AZSITE proceedings. Carol Griffith replied that open meetings law apply only to committees appointed by the Governor. However, the consortium has attempted to follow similar procedures: we establish regular public meetings, invite the public to speak, and publish notes of the meetings.
4. Jim Cogswell noted that Northland has not yet paid a user fee and he cannot yet recommend that they do so because at this point using AZSITE still requires duplication of effort. He considered 1:24000 maps to be essential to good operations and would like to see download capabilities because at this point they still have to transcribe information manually which takes time and introduces error. He also noted the need for bibliographic data and a user's guide.
5. Carol Heathington reported that Luke Air Force Base continues to be concerned about not having any role over who has access to data in the database on LAFB lands. She understands that the current system does not support their having control over who accesses LAFB data and since the federal law requires that federal agencies determine whether the release of data may cause harm to the resources, LAFB must have control over how it exercises its mandate. David Wilcox asked her if she grants the "historic preservation system" the rights to the data. He and she disagreed on who should have ongoing right to control access. Wilcox noted that this has possible negative implications for the research goals that were a major reason for the creation of national historic preservation legislation.
F. ADJOURNMENT:
The meeting adjourned at 3:40 p.m. after setting a date of July 22 for the next meeting, at MNA in Flagstaff.
Participants:
Michael Barton, ASU, Chair
Beth Grindell, ASM, recording
David R. Wilcox, Museum of Northern Arizona
Carol Griffith, SHPO
Chad Smith, Ft Mohave Tribe
Rick Karl, ASM
Carol Heathington, Luke AFB
Lilly Aguila, Archaeological Consulting Services
John Giacobbe, Stantec Consulting
Jim Cogswell, Northland Research, Inc.