[1] PASDA serves as Pennsylvania's node on the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI).
PASDA provides access to thousands of data files, terabytes of data, and hundreds of Internet Map Services, Google Earth KML files, metadata, mapping applications, and other information like guides and tutorials.
[5] PASDA was developed by the Pennsylvania State University as a service to the citizens, governments, and businesses of the Commonwealth.
The High Performance Computing Center at Penn State is also providing significant resources and support for PASDA.
In addition to direct download, PASDA has developed multiple ways to access data.
[9] Map services have been some of the most heavily used features on PASDA and support multiple types of web based GIS applications.
In addition, PASDA metadata is harvested by multiple data portals including Geospatial One Stop, Data.gov, and the National Biological Information Infrastructure.
PASDA saw a dramatic increase of use in almost every sector driven in part by factors such as Marcellus Shale exploration, environmental conservation, economic development initiatives, expanded use of geospatial data in universities, non profits, and the private sector, and the increased interest from average citizens who are able to access geospatial information via PASDA’s data previewer and KML files without the need for specialized GIS software.
The statistics this year demonstrate more than any other that there is a wide range of data that is of great interest to the user community.
Data (and map services created from data) from partners at the PA Department of Environmental Protection, PennDOT, PA Fish and Boat Commission, PA Department of Conservation and Natural Resources, Allegheny County, the DCNR PAMAP Program, and the Delaware Valley Regional Planning Commission received phenomenal use—with map service views and data downloads in the millions or hundreds of thousands.
In addition, PASDA has created highly significant applications and services that dramatically increase the value of the data available.