IndianaMap Migration Completed

We are excited to announce the successful completion of the IndianaMap data migration from the legacy site maintained by the Indiana Geological and Water Survey (IGWS) to the new indianamap.org platform, now hosted and maintained by the Indiana Geographic Information Office (IGIO). This transition marks a significant milestone in the evolution of IndianaMap, ensuring that the Indiana public has transparent access to statewide geospatial datasets.

This migration will not only free up resources for IGWS staff but will also ensure that the Indiana state government meets and exceeds statutory requirements outlined in IC 4-23-7.3. To summarize, IndianaMap fulfills some of the major priorities and projects outlined for the GIO through the GIS state statute. IC 4-23-7 requires that the GIO promote the development and maintenance of framework layers associated with a statewide basemap. These framework layers are: digital orthophotography, digital cadastre, the public land survey system, elevation, geodetic control, governmental boundary units, water features, addresses, and streets. Additionally, the migration allows Indiana to modernize the hosting, presentation, and distribution of Indiana geospatial data, while positioning the platform for future enhancements.

The figure above shows the homepage for the IndianaMap website, which can be found at indianamap.org.

Data Crosswalk Tables

To minimize inconvenience for IndianaMap users, the IGIO has released “data crosswalk tables” for each phase of the data migration. These tables show the old IGWS dataset names and REST URLs alongside the new indianamap.org dataset names and REST URLs. Now that the data migration is complete, we have created a comprehensive data crosswalk table that includes information for all four migration phases. You can access the data crosswalk tables at indianamap.org under the “Enhancements” tab, or follow the link found here.

The figures above show the data crosswalk tables as accessed from the IndianaMap website.

Access to Legacy Data: Pre-Zipped Data Archive

Static versions of the datasets that were hosted on the legacy IGWS site have been downloaded, compressed, and uploaded to the IGIO public SharePoint site. These datasets can be accessed by following the link here. Moving forward, the IGIO will maintain a practice of archiving historic datasets. If users have any questions about the archived datasets, please contact the IGIO for further information.

The figure above shows the pre-zipped data archive containing all legacy datasets that were backed up from IGWS.

Acknowledgments

IndianaMap has been a collaborative project from its inception. The initial partnership between the Indiana Geographic Information Council (IGIC), IGWS, and the State were crucial in developing an effective platform. In the earlier phases of IndianaMap’s development, partnerships with the FGDC aided in the development of key framework datasets for the site.

The IGIO’s partnership with IGIC continues to be critical for the program. As the transition was being planned, IGIC launched an IndianaMap Steering Committee workgroup which meets monthly and gives IGIO staff and IGIC members an opportunity to discuss IndianaMap topics. IGIO staff also attend various IGIC workgroups related to the framework datasets and data sharing to develop and implement recommendations and align priorities with the GIS community at large.

We would like to extend our deepest gratitude to the IGWS for their foundational work in hosting and maintaining IndianaMap over the years. Their dedication and expertise have been instrumental in making IndianaMap what it is today. We also want to acknowledge the other key partners and stakeholders who contributed to the migration, including our technical support teams and data contributors. Your efforts have made this transition possible, and we are grateful for your collaboration.

Looking Ahead

Looking ahead, we are committed to further enhancing IndianaMap to better serve our users. Some of our future priorities include:

• ADA Compliance and Accessibility: We aim to make IndianaMap fully ADA compliant, ensuring accessibility for all users.
• Enhancing Metadata: We aim to establish consistency with metadata standards across all datasets. In doing this, users will benefit from well-rounded information on resource citations, publication dates, points of contact, dataset maintenance schedules, and improved data catalog searchability.
• Updating Website Resources: Additions and improvements will be made to our FAQ documents. Existing FAQ resources will be updated, and new resources will be made available. We aim to provide information that empowers users to fully utilize the IndianaMap website tools and datasets.
• Optimizing Symbology: Our team is working to optimize symbology, improving the visual representation of data to make it easier to interpret and use.
• Improving Field Aliases: We will be refining field aliases across datasets to ensure clarity and consistency, making our data even more user-friendly.
• Highlighting Maps and Applications: Maps and applications can be highlighted on the IndianaMap site to increase accessibility of useful mapping tools which have been developed by state agencies.
• And more!

Conclusion

The completion of this migration represents an important advancement for Indiana’s geospatial community. By transitioning IndianaMap to a modern platform, we have reinforced our commitment to maintaining a robust, accessible, and reliable geospatial data infrastructure for the state. This effort not only aligns with our long-term goals outlined in the IGIO Strategic Plan but also sets the stage for continued innovation and collaboration. As we move forward, we are dedicated to working with our partners, stakeholders, and users to ensure that IndianaMap remains an essential resource for informed decision-making, economic development, and public safety.

Contact Us

For additional information and resources on utilizing IndianaMap tools and data, please visit the "IndianaMap FAQs & Guides"section of the IndianaMap website. Additionally, you can reach IGIO IndianaMap staff via email atindianamapsupport@iot.in.gov or follow the "Contact Us" link on the IndianaMap website.