NAIP Imagery for Texas

AmericaView members have been sharing information about USDA National Agriculture Imagery Program (NAIP) Imagery Viewers. This blog post shares information about such a viewer established for Texas statewide imagery.

The Texas Natural Resources Information System (TNRIS) recently launched an OGC-compliant Web Mapping Service (WMS) that features a variety of orthoimage datasets. Currently, the WMS includes the following image catalogs:

Statewide - one catalog per UTM zone per each dataset ¹:

• NAIP 2004 1 meter (1m) Color Infrared (CIR)
• TOP 2008 & 2009 50cm Natural Color (NC) & CIR ²
• NAIP 2010 1m NC
• Geologic Atlas of Texas 250K

Regional

• Texas Forest Service 2008 1m CIR - 13 East TX counties
• HPIDS 2009 Galveston 6in NC & CIR ³
• HPIDS 2010 Bexar, Guadalupe, and Comal Co.'s 6in NC
• HPIDS 2010 Smith 6in & 1ft NC
• USGS 2008 30cm Amarillo, Lubbock, & McAllen NC
• USGS 2008 30cm Border NC
• CAPCOG 2009 6in NC (Central Texas)

¹Texas straddles three Universal Transverse Mercator (UTM) zones: z13 N, z14 N & z15 N

² Note that for 2009, zone 14 has partial coverage and zone 13 has none.

³ High Priority Imagery and Data Sets (HPIDS), a State of Texas procurement process that uses a master contract.

Instructions for accessing the WMS in ArcGIS and ERDAS Imagine:

ArcGIS 10 instructions:

1. In ArcMap, choose Add Data > GIS Servers > Add WMS Server
2. Insert the URL http://raster.tnris.org/lizardtech/iserv/ows?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS& and click OK.
3. Either add all image catalogs at once using raster.tnris.org:80 or drill down to add individual datasets.

ERDAS Imagine 2011 instructions:

1. Choose Open > Files of type: Web Mapping Service (*.wms) > Connect
2. In GeoServices Explorer, choose Add Service
3. GeoService Type: Web Mapping Server
4. Insert the URL http://raster.tnris.org/lizardtech/iserv/ows?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS& and click OK.
5. Back on the main Imagine window, right-click in the Retriever space > Open GeoService
6. Find raster.tnris.org:80 from the Select a Server dropdown menu & select OK.
7. Expand the WMS and drag desired image catalogs onto the View.

The WMS is compatible in AutoCAD and Microstation.

Issues? Questions? Use this form for inquiries and issues related to TNRIS GIS and LiDAR data and the WMS image service.

Adding WMS to GoogleEarth

by Sam Batzli, WisconsinView

One of the many (and somewhat hidden) features of GoogleEarth is the capability of adding custom OGC Web Map Services (WMS). The connection to the WMS and its content can then be saved as a KML file and shared with others. Any user who opens the file in GoogleEarth will automatically add the WMS to their GoogleEarth session in the same configuration in which it was saved.

Here's how to do it.
1) Launch GoogleEarth
2) From the "Add" menu, select "Image Overlay"
3) You should get a dialogue box like this when you select the "Refresh" tab.

4) Click on "WMS Parameters"
5) A dialogue box like the following should appear...

6) You may select a WMS from the drop-down list...
or add your own by clicking "Add..."
7) Enter the URL for a working WMS in the dialogue box such as...

http://speedy.ersc.wisc.edu/cgi-bin/latest_wi_goes?

8) If your WMS is valid, you should get a list of layers to choose. [T] = Transparent and is based on the configuration of the WMS. Select and arrange the layers for viewing with the middle buttons.


9) If you are using my WMS example, select any combination of Channels 1 through 6 and arrange them so that the layer you want on top is at the bottom of the stack (counter intuitive, I know).


10) Finally, give the layer a title and some descriptive information. This interface seems to default to a GIF image type. For most imagery you will want to use PNG and that can be changed in the "Link" (see above). Once the WMS is placed on the globe, you can return to the properties by right-clicking the layer name. This is also where you "Save Place As..." KMZ or KML (KMZ is just Zip-compressed KML). I recommend using the initial saved KML as a starting point. In a text editor you can enhance the KML by separating layers, adding buttons, descriptions, and even logos. (See the KML Reference for more info).

This example uses this KMZ


That's it! Have fun!