SCERP Project Number: ET93-22
Principal Investigator: Dr. Richard D. Wright and Dr. Ernst C. Griffin
San Diego State University
Goal: This is the first year of a three-year program involving the development of a comprehensive geographic information system (GIS) for the San Diego/Tijuana interface and its use in addressing a set of border environmental concerns.
Rationale: The San Diego/Tijuana metropolitan area, now exceeding three million inhabitants, is the largest urban concentration on the United States-Mexico border. The social, economic, and environmental interactions between the populations on either side of the border have increased in volume and intensity in recent years. Unfortunately, in many ways the international border remains a significant barrier which impairs the understanding of many basic problems and impedes the resolution of numerous applied policy issues. In anecdotal terms, this is probably most graphically reflected by the fact that many maps published on either side of the border leave the other side blank. Virtually everyone who has conducted research on the border region has confronted problems of data accessibility and compatibility. This problem is not restricted to socioeconomic measures, but also is true of most physical parameters as well. Thus there is a major need for a comprehensive cross-border GIS database which can be used as a foundation for systematic research.
Approach: The purpose of this project is to create a GIS for the San Diego/Tijuana interface and examine its utilization in a set of environmental concerns. The goals of the research are:
1) to determine what types of GIS data are available and needed for environmental research along the California-Baja California section of the international border.
2) to develop recommendations for standards for border GISs.
3) to develop spatial data sharing procedures to facilitate the use and development of border GISs by both public and private organizations.
4) to create an integrated GIS along the border between the counties of San Diego, USA and Tijuana, Mexico.
5) to extend multi-species natural habitat modeling south of the border.
6) to model urbanization in Tijuana and analyze the impacts on air and water quality.
7) to conduct transborder training and education on the use of GIS technology in border environmental studies.
Status: This is the first year funding of a three-year program and is largely exploratory in nature. It builds on a substantial knowledge base resulting from past and current border research by the co-principal investigators. All of the objectives were initiated with first year funding, but most will continue with second and third year funding. The status of each task undertaken with first year funding is detailed in the following paragraphs:
1) Inventory of Border GIS Activities
During the funding period a GIS user needs assessment of the California-Baja California section of the border was completed. A questionnaire was developed, a list of possible respondents was compiled, interviews were conducted, and a database of GIS holdings by agency has been created. A copy of this survey was made available to each participant at the SCERP Technical Conference held in San Diego on March 28-30, 1995. Reports on the survey were given at two conferences: (a) the Workshop on Geographic Information Systems for Mexico/United States Border Environmental Research and Management, published as a proceedings in January 1994; and (b) a special session on United States-Mexico Border Environmental Databases, held at the Annual Meetings of the Association of American Geographers in March-April 1994. Representatives of SCERP and EPA were in attendance at both meetings.
2) Development of Data Standards
As we researched this topic in more and more depth it became clear that the development of a comprehensive set of environmental spatial data standards for the United States-Mexico border will require many years of effort by many individuals and organizations on both sides of the border. To date, we have obtained and reviewed various GIS standards, including the Federal Spatial Data Transfer Standards and the Information Coding Standards for EPA's Locational Data Policy, in relation to the requirements of a bi-national GIS. Extensive discussions of standards issues and requirements were led by project staff at the two aforementioned meetings.
3) Spatial Data Sharing
In November 1994, President Thomas Day of San Diego State University and President Jorge Bustamante of El Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) signed an agreement that commits their institutions to cooperate in sharing digital spatial data for the Tijuana River watershed and adjoining sections of the border. In relation to this agreement, Dr. Alain Winckell, an ORSTOM GIS specialist who is housed at COLEF, and I have been meeting on a weekly basis during the past year to discuss issues of transborder data development and data sharing. Currently, we are developing procedures for integrating data from both sides of the border. As soon as the data are integrated we will make it available to other entities in the public and private sectors. Based on our experience, it appears that spatial data sharing is best dealt with through bilateral agreements on a case by case basis.
4) GIS Database Development
As mentioned in #3, the November 1994 agreement between SDSU and COLEF is intended to facilitate the creation of an integrated GIS for the border region. The procedure being followed is to integrate the data on a thematic basis as each subject is completed on both sides of the border. Prior to the advent of this project, SDSU has developed a general purpose GIS for Otay Mesa, an area of about 160 square miles along the U.S.-Mexico border. This database was the first of its kind in San Diego County. Building on this existing database, SDSU has continued to add to the digital database for the San Diego County-Baja California region at the scale of 1:24,000. SDSU is focusing on the development of framework data that are not being produced by other local, state, and Federal organizations. Currently we are con-centrating on the generation of the topography, hydrography, and soils layers of the 1:24,000-scale quadrangles that cover San Diego County (80 map sheets are involved). Working from south to north we were about 20 percent finished at the end of first year funding. We expect to be 50 percent completed by the end of second year funding, and we will complete the entire county at the end of third year funding. The topographic data are being automated from USGS color separates following USGS standards. The hydrographic features are also derived from Soil Conservation Survey maps at the scale of 1:24,000. Once the automation of these layers is completed, we will add digital data from other sources (e.g., vegetation from the Multiple Species Conservation Program) to produce a comprehensive environmental database for the County.
5) Multiple Species Natural Habitat Mapping
During the past three years SDSU has worked with the San Diego Association of Governments and OGDEN Environmental to develop a multiple species natural habitat GIS for San Diego County. With second and third year funding the goal is to expand the San Diego County effort southward into Mexico. However, to accomplish this it is necessary to obtain up-to-date aerial photography and satellite imagery for Mexico comparable to that used for habitat mapping on the U.S. side. The aerial photography has now been obtained and SPOT panchromatic satellite imagery has been ordered. We expect that Landsat multispectral imagery will also be employed. With the remotely sensed imagery in hand, we anticipate that land use and vegetation mapping will move ahead as a part of second year funding.
6) Urban Modeling in Tijuana
A plan to model urban growth in the Tijuana region making use of aerial photography to identify photomorphic units has been developed. This research will move ahead in 1995 now that second year funding has been obtained.
7) Transborder Training and Education
A workshop on GIS Databases for Mexico/United States Border Environmental Research was held in San Diego in November 1993. This workshop, which was attended by 40 persons from both sides of the border, focused on spatial data standards, current transborder GIS database activities and future needs, transborder environmental data monitoring technology and requirements and GIS data sharing. In June 1994 one week of ARC/INFO GIS training was provided to three persons from SEDESOL. This training was provided at no cost to the participants. A proposal for a one-day workshop on the use of GIS in Modeling Air Quality has been prepared by Richard Wright and George Hepner and has been submitted to SCERP for possible funding. After due consideration it was decided to delay holding the air quality workshop until the third year with the participants. It is anticipated that the workshop will be held under the joint sponsorship of San Diego State University, the University of Utah and other SCERP institutions with GIS research projects funded by SCERP.
Potential Users:
A wide range of users from the public and private sectors will have access to the database. Examples of users include:
1) Environmental consultants who need to conduct environmental risk analysis along the border.
2) Researchers who wish to delimit transborder sensitive habitat preserves.
3) Public sector employees on both sides of the border who must identify and monitor various types of pollution.
4) Educators who wish to employ digital data to teach their students about a wide variety of border topics.
5) Members of the private sector who wish to employ data about the border in relation to opportunities made available because of NAFTA.
6) Other SCERP researchers who are conducting environmental studies
that require the use of digital environmental data.
Other Personnel:
Collaborators at other institutions are:
Dr. George Hepner, Department of Geography, University of Utah
Dr. Alain Winckell, El Colegio de la Frontera Norte, Tijuana
Related SCERP-supported projects:
Last updated 7/1/99