David A. Hart, AICP

GIS Specialist
 University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute
Goodnight Hall, Room 201
1975 Willow Drive
Madison, Wisconsin 53706-1177

Telephone: (608) 262-6515
Fax: (608) 262-0591
Email: dhart *at* aqua.wisc.edu

Academic Profile
Curriculum Vitae (pdf file)
Biographical Sketch - short, long (pdf files)
Research Projects (pdf file)
Presentations (pdf file)
Workshop Instruction (pdf file)

Social Media
LinkedIn (social networking for professionals)
Delicious (social bookmarking web service)
 [Picture of David Hart hiking the Coastal Track in Abel Tasman National Park in New Zealand]

[Research Interests] - [Research Projects] - [Teaching] - [Links]

Research Interests

Research Projects

Wisconsin Coastal Atlas
The Wisconsin Coastal Atlas is a new initiative to provide access to maps, data, and tools to support decision-making about the Great Lakes. Design of the Wisconsin Coastal Atlas is based on concepts from the successful Oregon Coastal Atlas, refined through interaction with Wisconsin coastal science and management communities. Spatial Narratives of the St. Louis River Estuary
This collaborative project involves organization of scientific and geospatial information for the new National Estuarine Research Reserve in the St. Louis River estuary. It involves Minnesota and Wisconsin researchers and includes a digital archive for the scientific studies in the estuary and watershed, research on anthropogenic stressors in the St. Louis River watershed, creation of a “deep map” that provides a natural and cultural narrative for the estuary, and innovative place-based games to engage students and citizens in the NERR. Great Lakes Observing System - Outreach and Education
Wisconsin Sea Grant assists in supporting the outreach and educational missions of the Great Lakes Observing System. Climate Adaptation for Coastal Communities
This research visualizes shoreline and water level change for three Great Lakes harbors based on updated climate change and lake level scenarios. Spatial Analysis of the Corrosion of Sheet Metal Structures in the Duluth/Superior Harbor
This research utilizes GIS to explore the patterns of corrosion of steel structures in the Duluth/Superior harbor.

Fox/Wolf Hydrologic Dashboard
The hydrologic dashboard links web mapping and data visualization to explore the pattern of past rainstorm events in the Fox-Wolf River watershed in northeastern Wisconsin.

Wisconsin Coastal GIS Applications Project
The Wisconsin Coastal GIS Applications Project was a cooperative venture of the University of Wisconsin Sea Grant Institute and the Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison that ran from 1994 to 2009. The primary goal of the project was to teach the application of GIS/LIS and related spatial technologies to local government staff and officials to aid them in moving towards the sustainable management of Great Lakes coastal resources.

Wisconsin Coastal Guide
The Wisconsin Coastal Guide is an interactive web mapping site that promotes the cultural and natural attractions along Great Lakes coasts of Wisconsin. For tourists, the site shows where to pull off the state and federal highways of the Great Lakes Circle Tour to explore coastal parks and beaches, lighthouses, shipwrecks and other attractions. The site was built with funding from the Wisconsin Coastal Management Program.

Developing a Dynamic and Distributed GIS to Support Coastal Management Along the Lake Superior Coast of Wisconsin
The Lake Superior Coastal Mapping Portal promoted the development of a 'dynamic and distributed GIS' to support integrated coastal management along the Lake Superior coast of Wisconsin. Funding was provided by the NOAA Coastal Services Center.

Visualizing Coastal Processes
Information collected about coastal processes is often very technical in nature and difficult for coastal landowners to understand. This project integrates animation, aerial photography, pictures, charts, and text to help the public better understand: (1) the natural process of coastal erosion; (2) how local land development decisions impact coastal erosion; and (3) the case for scientifically-based coastal development setbacks. It examines coastal processes for a location just south of Concordia University in Ozaukee County, Wisconsin. Funding was provided by UW Sea Grant and the Institute for the Application of Geospatial Technologies.

Acquisition, and Integration of Large-Scale Digital Mapping for the Wisconsin Lake Michigan Shoreline in Support of the Lake Michigan Potential Damages Study
This research project, sponsored by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers, Detroit District integrated large-scale, local government spatial data to support analysis of the potential damages caused by storms in conjunction with high water levels in Lake Michigan. The digital spatial data included: parcels, planimetric features, topography, digital orthophotos, land use, land cover, and soils. The location of the study covered a 1000-meter zone inland from the Lake Michigan shore in Wisconsin. In addition to the primary role of supporting the Lake Michigan Potential Damages Study, the research also served as an early test of the ability of the Wisconsin Land Information Program to support collaborative regional efforts.

GIS Training for DNR Water Management Specialists in Support of the Wisconsin Waters Initiative
The primary goal of this project was training of Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources (DNR) water management specialists on the use of geographic information systems (GIS) in their day-to-day activities. This activity supported the Wisconsin Waters Initiative, a program to integrate state and local water protection programs and make site-specific information readily available for state and local regulatory staff, property owners, and developers.

Status, Progress, and Benefits of the Wisconsin Land Information Program
The engine that drives the modernization of land records in Wisconsin is the Wisconsin Land Information Program (WLIP). The Land Information and Computer Graphics Facility at the University of Wisconsin-Madison cooperated with the Wisconsin Land Information Board to collect information on the status, progress, and benefits of the Wisconsin Land Information Program. This included development of the first web-based system for collecting information on the modernization of land records at the county level. Land-Based Classification Standards
This project involved working with the American Planning Association to develop a paper and web site presenting a formal documentation method for databases that contain land-use information classified by Land-Based Classification Standards (LBCS). Land-Based Classification Standards (LBCS) provide a consistent model for classifying land uses based on their characteristics. The model extends the notion of classifying land uses by refining traditional categories into multiple dimensions, such as activities, functions, building types, site development character, and ownership constraints. Each dimension has its own set of categories and subcategories for classifying land uses. By classifying every land-use across multiple dimensions, users can have precise control of land-use classifications. Metadata Education and Research Project
The National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) was awarded a 1995 Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) Competitive Grant to implement its proposal titled An Educational and Research Program in Support of Content Standards for Digital Geospatial Metadata. The NSGIC metadata research and education project consisted of three phases. The first tested the FGDC metadata standard on a wide range of state, local, tribal and federal information as part of a cooperative effort of nine member states. The second involved the preparation of a practical explanation of the metadata standard for state and local governments. The third phase was a distance education program. Lake Superior Binational Program--Urban Stormwater Project
This project examined the use of GIS to facilitate stormwater planning and management in 14 communities with a population of greater than 5,000 in the U.S. portion of the Lake Superior basin. New Orleans Subsidence
This research utilizes GIS to explore patterns of land subsidence in the New Orleans region through correlation of environmental variables with observed benchmark heights.

Teaching

Teaching with Google Earth and Google Ocean
(Summer 2010 - ENR 690 - Ohio State University, Stone Lab, co-taught with Dr. Rosanne Fortner)
Virtual globes such as Google Earth and ArcGIS Explorer are intuitive and effective tools for learning about the environment. This course provided eight teachers from five states with the concepts and methods needed to apply virtual globes in environmental education. During their week at Stone Lab on Lake Erie in Ohio, teachers developed lesson plans and virtual globe applications on topics including invasive species, climate change, and earth science.

Contemporary Topics in Urban and Regional Planning: Mapping Mashups
(Spring 2009 - URPL 590 - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Urban and Regional Planning, co-taught with A.J. Wortley)
Creation of geospatial data is accelerating at a rapid pace. Increasingly, these geospatial data are being made accessible on-line as web services. Innovative organizations have begun to integrate these web services and develop web mapping applications that can be used for a variety of purposes. An example is Walk Score that lets the user calculate the “walkability” of their neighborhood along with a listing of the closest business in a variety of categories. Recently, software has been developed that lets people without extensive computer programming skills develop mapping applications that pull data from multiple distributed sources. These applications are referred to as “mapping mashups.” This course nurtured an understanding of the mashup phenomenon and provided “hands-on” experience on the use of Google Maps, Google Earth, and selected open source tools to develop web mapping applications.

Contemporary Topics in Urban and Regional Planning: Planning Support Systems
(Spring 2009 - URPL 590 - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Urban and Regional Planning)
Planning Support Systems (PSS) are designed to analyze and compare the impacts of alternative land use scenarios. PSS software is growing in sophistication. Research by Professor Asligül Göçmen indicates that while the use of GIS in Wisconsin planning agencies is extensive, there is little use of PSS at the local government level. This workshop utilized prominent PSS software and Wisconsin GIS data to analyze alternative land use scenarios. Students explored the evolution of planning support systems and the application of INDEX PlanBuilder and CommunityViz software.

Great Lakes Curriculum Development and Evaluation
(Summer 2008 - ENR 690 - Ohio State University, Stone Lab, co-taught with with Dr. Rosanne Fortner)
Virtual globes such as Google Earth are intuitive and effective tools for learning about the environment. This course provided five teachers from two states with the concepts and methods needed to apply virtual globes in environmental education. During their week at Stone Lab on Lake Erie in Ohio, teachers developed virtual globe applications on topics including climate change, aquatic habitat, and water quality.

Applied GIS Workshop: Land Use Inventory and Analysis
(Spring 2007 - URPL 969 - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Urban and Regional Planning)
This intermediate-level course focused on the application of geographic information systems in the practice of urban and regional planning. Students learned about cutting-edge land classification and field inventory methods, as well as GIS functionality for working with parcel maps and tax assessment data. The central component was a class project covering the collection, formatting, analysis, and presentation of land use data for a neighborhood in a Great Lakes coastal community utilizing the Land-Based Classification Standards developed by the American Planning Association. Planning issues addressed include the preservation of “working waterfronts” and smart growth concepts associated with the transformation of an obsolete industrial corridor into a vibrant employment center that mixes residential, commercial, and industrial uses.

Applied GIS Workshop: Rethinking New Orleans After Hurricane Katrina
(Spring 2006 - URPL 969 - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Urban and Regional Planning)
This GIS course allowed students to use GIS to offer ideas and recommendations on how to rebuild New Orleans. It provided an opportunity to learn about the environmental setting and culture of New Orleans; review the literature on coastal hazards, disaster recovery, sustainable development, and public participation GIS; acquire and integrate spatial data; conduct sophisticated GIS analyses; and communicate ideas in a forum that will help guide decision-makers as they shape the city’s future.

Applications of GIS in Urban and Regional Planning
(Spring 2005 - URPL 969 - University of Wisconsin-Madison, Department of Urban and Regional Planning)
This introductory GIS course focused on the application of geographic information systems in the practice of urban and regional planning. Topics covered included data models and structures, coordinate systems and projections, thematic mapping, spatial analysis, acquisition and integration of spatial data from various sources, interoperable web mapping services, spatial data policy issues, and GIS application development. The central component was a class project covering the collection, formatting, analysis, and presentation of land use data for a Madison neighborhood utilizing the Land-Based Classification Standards developed by the American Planning Association.

Links

UW-Madison GIS

Wisconsin GIS

GIS Resources

GIS Data

Great Lakes

Great Lakes Maps and GIS

Coastal Management

Coastal Maps and GIS

Urban and Regional Planning

Planning Support Systems

Metadata

Last modified: February 22, 2012
URL: http://maps.aqua.wisc.edu/dhart.htm
URL: http://www.lic.wisc.edu/users/dhart/dhart.htm