PROJECT CREATION
GeoFIRM contains a set of powerful mapping tools that allow the user to:
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Initiate a project
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Perform the primary data production and management tasks
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Create the final project deliverables.
The tools described below help establish the foundation of a DFIRM mapping project; the same steps are applied for each project.
Creating a GeoFIRM Dataset
The GeoFIRM "Create GeoFIRM Dataset" tool creates an empty project-specific database shell with all the requisite DFIRM spatial data layers. It also creates the associated domain tables and lookup tables, and populates much of the initial information for the Study Info table (e.g. projection, study name, etc.) In addition, it creates the GeoFIRM-specific feature-linked annotation layers, as well as the topological rules used by SDE to enforce spatial relationships. This tool reduces our startup time; we can begin loading data and adding annotation within minutes of initiating the project in the GeoFIRM environment.
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Creating Panels
The GeoFIRM toolkit includes a comprehensive paneling tool that creates the initial paneling scheme and stores it inside the ArcSDE geodatabase. This initial paneling scheme is extracted from a country-wide USGS 1:24,000 quadrangle spatial data layer. The quadrangles can then be subdivided into the appropriate base panel scale (1:12,000 or 1:6,000). All results are stored in the S_FIRM_PAN layer in the GeoFIRM ArcSDE geodatabase. Latitude/longitude coordinates and the panel numbers are automatically generated and managed by the GeoFIRM toolkit, and these values are updated when individual panels are merged or divided. The GeoFIRM environment also supports irregularly shaped panels and overedge panels. The required DFIRM quadrangle layer is also populated concurrent with panel creation.
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Create Raster Catalog
The GeoFIRM toolkit includes a raster catalog generation tool to assist GeoFIRM users with integrating and managing the georeferenced imagery for a project. A raster catalog allows a collection of tiled georeferenced images to be treated as a single image; the raster catalog behaves intelligently as the user pans from one location to another, only retrieving and displaying those images within the map extent. The end result is a manageable raster dataset that can be easily used in a seamless manner for an entire study, saving valuable file management time.
