Sims, David

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University of New HampshireUniversity of New Hampshire Scholars' RepositoryMedia Relations Administrative Offices3-31-2006Statewide Geographic Database Launches NewOnline Mapping ToolDavid SimsFollow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/newsThis News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It hasbeen accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For moreinformation, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.Recommended CitationSims, David, "Statewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping Tool" (2006). UNH Today. 1126.https://scholars.unh.edu/news/11269/13/17, 1(08 PMStatewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping ToolPage 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2006/march/ds_060331mapping.html Statewide Geographic Database Launches New OnlineMapping ToolContact: David Sims 603-862-5369Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and SpaceMarch 31, 2006DURHAM, N.H. -- The New Hampshire Geographically Referenced Analysis and InformationTransfer System (NH GRANIT) has launched a new mapping tool that makes the statewidegeographic database available over the web.The NH GRANIT Data Mapper offers New Hampshire communities, agencies and organizations,and the general public access to the system’s comprehensive collection of archived geospatialdata. The data – such as town boundaries, lakes and ponds, roads, wetlands, soils,conservation lands, and aerial imagery – and the related tools are designed to inform andexpand decision-making at the local, regional, and statewide levels.The Data Mapper was developed by NH GRANIT staff at the University of New Hampshire’sComplex Systems Research Center (CSRC), in collaboration with the UNH Research ComputingCenter. The primary objective of the site is to support communities by providing maps andanalyses typically incorporated in community master plans. It will also assist local land useboards, including planning boards and conservation commissions, who need access to mappedinformation in order to respond to the issues and challenges they confront.According to Fay Rubin, NH GRANIT manager, “This tool offers a significant technical resourceto the many rural communities in the state with either a small planning staff or none at all. Italso offers a valuable resource to larger communities by providing the capacity to view andquery data at a multi-community or regional level.”For example, Rubin says, a typical community inquiry might be, “Are there important waterresources in close proximity to a proposed, large development site?” With a color aerialphotograph as a reference, a user could zoom into the target area and map lakes and ponds,rivers, wetlands, poorly drained soils, and stratified drift aquifers to assess what resourcesmight be impacted by the proposed development. He or she could also view topographic datato determine how the proposed site is situated on the landscape relative to those resources.Additionally, the user could download a report describing the characteristics of the featuresthat are displayed.The geographic data sets are organized into functional “themes” corresponding to standardmaps used in community planning. Four themes are currently available for viewing, includinga Base Map, Transportation, Water Resources, and Land Conservation.In an ongoing effort, the data sets and tools provided in the existing themes will becontinually updated and enhanced. For example, as new road data sets and related9/13/17, 1(08 PMStatewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping ToolPage 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2006/march/ds_060331mapping.htmltransportation layers become available, they will be incorporated in the online maps. In thecoming year, NH GRANIT also plans to add a number of new themes, one of them being FloodInsurance Rate Maps.As public interest in Internet mapping sites continues to increase, GRANIT staff expects agrowing audience of users to visit the site and explore the available data sets and tools. Forexample, a property-owner may want to zoom into an area of interest – the town orwatershed they live in – and display an aerial photograph, locate protected lands near theirhome, determine what types of wetlands are in their community, and print out a map of theresults.“We are grateful to the New Hampshire GIS Conservation Collaborative for supporting thedevelopment of the Data Mapper, and we’re excited to be able to offer this important new toolto our constituents in the state,” Rubin notes. “We know there is a great need for this kind ofcapability, not only for community planning efforts but also to support a wide range ofgeographically-based inquiries, many of which we cannot anticipate. We encourage users tosend us feedback on how they’re applying the tool and what additional capabilities they wouldfind useful.”NH GRANIT is a cooperative project to create, maintain, and make available a statewidegeographic database serving the information needs of state, regional, and local decision-makers. A collaborative effort between UNH and the NH Office of Energy and Planning, thecore NH GRANIT System is housed at the CSRC within the Institute for the Study of Earth,Oceans, and Space (EOS) in Durham.To use the new GRANIT tool and learn more, visit http://mapper.granit.unh.edu. For furtherinformation about GRANIT, visit http://www.granit.sr.unh.edu. 

Statewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping Tool

University of New Hampshire

University of New Hampshire
University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository
Media Relations Administrative Offices
3-31-2006
Statewide Geographic Database Launches New
Online Mapping Tool
David Sims
Follow this and additional works at: https://scholars.unh.edu/news
This News Article is brought to you for free and open access by the Administrative Offices at University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. It has
been accepted for inclusion in Media Relations by an authorized administrator of University of New Hampshire Scholars' Repository. For more
information, please contact nicole.hentz@unh.edu.
Recommended Citation
Sims, David, "Statewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping Tool" (2006). UNH Today. 1126.
https://scholars.unh.edu/news/1126
9/13/17, 1(08 PMStatewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping Tool
Page 1 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2006/march/ds_060331mapping.html
 
Statewide Geographic Database Launches New Online
Mapping Tool
Contact: David Sims 
603-862-5369
Institute for the Study of Earth, Oceans, and Space
March 31, 2006
DURHAM, N.H. -- The New Hampshire Geographically Referenced Analysis and Information
Transfer System (NH GRANIT) has launched a new mapping tool that makes the statewide
geographic database available over the web.
The NH GRANIT Data Mapper offers New Hampshire communities, agencies and organizations,
and the general public access to the system’s comprehensive collection of archived geospatial
data. The data – such as town boundaries, lakes and ponds, roads, wetlands, soils,
conservation lands, and aerial imagery – and the related tools are designed to inform and
expand decision-making at the local, regional, and statewide levels.
The Data Mapper was developed by NH GRANIT staff at the University of New Hampshire’s
Complex Systems Research Center (CSRC), in collaboration with the UNH Research Computing
Center. The primary objective of the site is to support communities by providing maps and
analyses typically incorporated in community master plans. It will also assist local land use
boards, including planning boards and conservation commissions, who need access to mapped
information in order to respond to the issues and challenges they confront.
According to Fay Rubin, NH GRANIT manager, “This tool offers a significant technical resource
to the many rural communities in the state with either a small planning staff or none at all. It
also offers a valuable resource to larger communities by providing the capacity to view and
query data at a multi-community or regional level.”
For example, Rubin says, a typical community inquiry might be, “Are there important water
resources in close proximity to a proposed, large development site?” With a color aerial
photograph as a reference, a user could zoom into the target area and map lakes and ponds,
rivers, wetlands, poorly drained soils, and stratified drift aquifers to assess what resources
might be impacted by the proposed development. He or she could also view topographic data
to determine how the proposed site is situated on the landscape relative to those resources.
Additionally, the user could download a report describing the characteristics of the features
that are displayed.
The geographic data sets are organized into functional “themes” corresponding to standard
maps used in community planning. Four themes are currently available for viewing, including
a Base Map, Transportation, Water Resources, and Land Conservation.
In an ongoing effort, the data sets and tools provided in the existing themes will be
continually updated and enhanced. For example, as new road data sets and related
9/13/17, 1(08 PMStatewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping Tool
Page 2 of 2http://www.unh.edu/delete/news/news_releases/2006/march/ds_060331mapping.html
transportation layers become available, they will be incorporated in the online maps. In the
coming year, NH GRANIT also plans to add a number of new themes, one of them being Flood
Insurance Rate Maps.
As public interest in Internet mapping sites continues to increase, GRANIT staff expects a
growing audience of users to visit the site and explore the available data sets and tools. For
example, a property-owner may want to zoom into an area of interest – the town or
watershed they live in – and display an aerial photograph, locate protected lands near their
home, determine what types of wetlands are in their community, and print out a map of the
results.
“We are grateful to the New Hampshire GIS Conservation Collaborative for supporting the
development of the Data Mapper, and we’re excited to be able to offer this important new tool
to our constituents in the state,” Rubin notes. “We know there is a great need for this kind of
capability, not only for community planning efforts but also to support a wide range of
geographically-based inquiries, many of which we cannot anticipate. We encourage users to
send us feedback on how they’re applying the tool and what additional capabilities they would
find useful.”
NH GRANIT is a cooperative project to create, maintain, and make available a statewide
geographic database serving the information needs of state, regional, and local decision-
makers. A collaborative effort between UNH and the NH Office of Energy and Planning, the
core NH GRANIT System is housed at the CSRC within the Institute for the Study of Earth,
Oceans, and Space (EOS) in Durham.
To use the new GRANIT tool and learn more, visit http://mapper.granit.unh.edu. For further
information about GRANIT, visit http://www.granit.sr.unh.edu.
 


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Statewide Geographic Database Launches New Online Mapping Tool

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