From CAD to web GIS: A case study of the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden

GIS technology is evoloving from desktop analysis to web-based applications. This project is an example of developing a web GIS for the Ruby M. Mize Azalea Garden while keeping up with these changes. The goal of modernizing the garden's database to GIS is to provide easier means to update features and integrate the CAD drawing of the garden with spreadsheet data to make map interpretation less cumbersome. This process will make editing easier and facilitate regular updates. The inclusion of web functionality also serves to provide potential visitors with more current and detailed information about the garden and its plants in an intuitive manner. The GIS Lab at Stephen F. Austin State University provided a virtual machine for the development of the garden's server and later a physical computer when migration became necessary.;After georeferencing the CAD drawing and creating an accession number text object for each feature, its various layers were imported into a new file geodatabase as polygon feature classes and a point feature class for the accession numbers. A spatial join was performed to assign accession numbers to each polygon. These accession numbers would then serve as a basis for a relationship with a non-spatial table created by importing a modified version of the existing spreadsheet containing the plants' genus, species, and cultivar. Under this scheme, each plant feature seen in the map would have appropriate attributes that could be viewed and queried easily.;A collection of tools were created using Visual Basic .NET for the purpose of intuitive editing available to the garden manager even without any GIS experience. The toolset includes the functions of adding, editing, and moving plant features, as well as for preparing data for mobile editing in ArcPad. Editing data through these tools can be done through the use of Microsoft Remote Desktop and ArcGIS Desktop. Retrieving ArcPad data for mobile editing will require access to the server.;The development of a web application was performed in two phases, necessitated by the transition from a virtual machine running ArcGIS Server 10.0 to a physical computer running ArcGIS Server 10.1. ArcGIS Server 10.0 included the function of creating a web application within the software while ArcGIS Server 10.1 provided publishing services while relying on other software or web services to produce the web application. This project included basic web applications for both versions of ArcGIS, but future development will continue as the technology evolves.