Re-registration – retaining personalisation

ecls/ / Access

The imminent changes to authentication mechanisms across the UK tertiary education sector have implications for access to Digimap. A change of login credentials may mean that users are required to re-register with Digimap in order to continue accessing the service.

From 1 August 2008, access to Digimap will be via the UK federation only. This will mean that all subscribing institutions must offer their users access to Digimap through one of two methods:

1. using OpenAthens
2. via an in-house Shibboleth Identity Provider

Whichever method your institution chooses, one of the following re-registration consequences will apply:

  • Users who are already registered and continue to access Digimap through the OpenAthens service should not be required to re-register for Digimap.
  • Users who are already accessing Digimap using their institution’s in-house Shibboleth Identity Provider (i.e. are already registered with their Shibboleth credentials) will also not be required to re-register
  • Institutions moving from classic Athens or Athens DA authentication to using their own in-house Shibboleth Identity Provider should be prepared for all their Digimap users having to re-register.

This applies to all those Digimap Collections which require a secondary registration (currently Marine Digimap, Geology Digimap and Digimap’s Ordnance Survey Collection). Any change to an institutional login account will result in a requirement for users to re-register their new account details with Digimap. Indeed, those who have already made the transition from Athens to Shibboleth will already have undertaken this re-registration.

When users are issued with UK federation login credentials, they will need to register these new credentials with Digimap. However, this means that any personalisation (including data download histories for MasterMap Download) associated with their previous (Athens) accounts will not be accessible through their new account. To ease the transition process, EDINA has implemented a linking mechanism between existing Athens registrations and new Shibboleth registrations. This is a two-stage process:

Stage 1
The first stage is to collect some additional information from each user, in the form of a question and answer, while they are still accessing Digimap with their Athens-based login credentials. For example, the user may be asked “what is your favourite place?”, to which the reply might be “New York”. From the date of implementation of this facility, all Digimap users have been asked to complete this process when they log in. This additional step is only required once, not once per Collection, but must be completed before access can be gained to the service.

Stage 2
The second stage of the linking mechanism occurs when a user logs in with a new set of (UK federation-based) credentials which have not yet been registered with Digimap, and will only occur if the user has completed the first stage of the process with their previous account details. With these new credentials the user is guided through an abbreviated form of the Digimap registration process. If the details submitted by the user (surname and email address) match an existing set of details, the user will be asked to confirm the answer to their chosen question (as per stage one). Assuming the question is answered correctly, the two registration records will then be linked and any personalisation within Digimap will be available to the user under their new login credentials.

This process is not able to catch all new account holders, since it relies on users submitting a surname and email address for their new login credentials which are identical to those they submitted using their previous (Athens) credentials. For example, an email address submitted with Athens credentials as user@student.institution.ac.uk will not match an email address submitted with the same individual’s UK federation credentials as user@institution.ac.uk, even though both addresses may function, and may reach the same person. We also understand from our site representatives that some users don’t always spell their surnames the same way!

Those users who do not log in with their Athens accounts and complete stage one of this process will not be able to link their existing account to any new account. Such users will need to register their new UK federation accounts in the usual way, and will not be able to retain any personalisation which existed with their previous account. Those users who already have both Athens and UK federation accounts registered with Digimap will not be able to link personalisation information between the two. However, logging in with a new Shibboleth account will allow users to link to a previous Shibboleth account.

This information has previously been published in EDINA Newsline (June 2008). An email with this information was also sent to all users on 12 June 2008.

Class access to Digimap

ecls/ / Access

From 1 August 2008, when Digimap will be accessible via the UK federation only, it will no longer be possible to register a class to use Digimap under a single username. All access to Digimap will be by individual registration only.

UK federation rules do not permit more than one individual to access any resource under the same set of credentials. In addition, institutions subscribing to any Digimap Collection (except Historic Digimap) must assert “user accountability”. This means that the institution is able to trace activity in any given session to an individual. Clearly this is not possible if user identifiers (which are used to authenticate sessions within online resources) are shared between a group such as a class.

If you are a student, and need to register individually rather than using a class account…

Online registration is straightforward. Go to http://edina.ac.uk/digimap and click the Login (UK federation) button. If there is only one login button visible, click on it. Choose your institution from the drop-down list and enter your username and password if requested. If you are already registered for a Digimap Collection you will gain access to it when you click on the Collection banner. If you are not already registered for your chosen Collection, you will be asked to complete the online registration form. Please fill this in carefully, making sure your email address is correct. When your application has been processed you will receive an email to this effect.

If you are a member of staff wishing to give your class an exercise to do with Digimap…

You will need to make sure that all members of your class are registered individually with the Digimap Collection they need to use. This means they will each need their own username and password, and will need to register online as above.

Please note that it can take 2 working days to process applications. At busy times of year (September, October, November), and if an application needs to be queried, it may take longer than this. The processing time will also depend on the response time from the user. If you need to ask members of a class to register as individuals, please bear this timescale in mind.

Training Needs Survey

ecls/ / Consultations, Training & Events

EDINA strives to provide face-to-face training for Digimap which is appropriate, comprehensive and meets the needs of site representatives in supporting Digimap. To this end, we are conducting a training needs survey, in order to establish how to improve the training we offer for Digimap. The results of the survey will inform a review of current training and will assist us in improving what we offer.

The survey is online and should not take more than two or three minutes to complete. Please click the link below. We welcome your views.

Click here for the Digimap Training Survey

If you have comments you would like to make but can’t find an appropriate place in the survey to do so, please phone us, or email the EDINA Training Officer on edina-training@ed.ac.uk

New cartography for geology maps

ecls/ / New Features

The Geology Maps facility in Geology Digimap has been greatly enhanced by upgrading the technology. The maps now use a transparency technique to represent rock types in colour, rather than hatching. The result has been much clearer maps, more closely matching their paper counterparts printed by the British Geological Survey. It also makes it easier to see the underlying context mapping, as well as identifying which rock types overlay which. Below are some examples of the new colour scheme.

Old and new versions, clearly labelled

The previous version of Geology Maps is still available for those who have become accustomed to it or have created training courses based upon it. This version is clearly labelled “old“. It will be withdrawn at the start of the next academic year (2008/9) when we hope everyone will be enjoying the benefits of the new maps.

New style cartography, using transparency

Old style cartography, using traditional hatching methods

Historic Digimap: licence and consultation

ecls/ / Access, Consultations, Digimap News

Reminder of new licence agreement
A new, three-year sub-licence is now available for Historic Digimap, the service offering historic Ordnance Survey maps and data from the Landmark Information Group. Current subscribing institutions will be contacted directly to ensure continued access from 1 August 2008 onwards. The new licence will run from 1 August 2008 until 31 July 2011. Full details, including subscription forms and costs, can be found on the JISC Collections website at: http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/catalogue/coll_digimap_historic.aspx

Trials
In addition, 30-day trials are offered to those from institutions wishing to assess the service prior to subscription. Please contact the EDINA Helpdesk on edina@ed.ac.uk to request such a trial. You can read more about Historic Digimap on the EDINA website at: http://edina.ac.uk/digimap/description/historic_overview.shtml

Consultation on additional datasets
JISC Collections are currently running a consultation for the purchase of additional datasets for Historic Digimap. Among the suggested purchases are the GOAD Fire Insurance plans and historical town plans.

Representatives from existing institutions and others interested in the Collection are invited to complete the short survey at their earliest convenience. This can be done online, and should take only a few minutes to complete:

http://www.jisc-collections.ac.uk/consultations/new_agreements/historicdigi_cons

Click the link to the “online response form” in the Introduction.

Access to Digimap from 1 August

ecls/ / Access

Access to all EDINA services, including the Digimap Collections, will be via UK Federation authentication only from 1 August 2008. This can be done either directly through the UK Federation or by using the OpenAthens gateway services.

EDINA has established from publicly available lists that there are some institutions which have not yet indicated which authentication system they will be using from 1 August 2008.

If your institution is not able to authenticate users with one of these methods by 1 August 2008, users at those institutions will lose access to the Digimap Collections. EDINA is not able to provide any alternative means of access, therefore we would urge you to consider which authentication system is most suitable for your institution’s needs.

Further Information
You may find the following links helpful:
UK Federation support information
More about OpenAthens
JISC news on UK Federation
Options for access to EDINA services

If you have any questions about access to Digimap, or would like to discuss the implications of this change further, please do not hesitate to contact us. You can reach us by email on edina@ed.ac.uk or by telephone on 0131 650 3302.

Asking for help

ecls/ / Help

The EDINA Helpdesk endeavours to provide a quick reply to all enquiries. An initial response time of one working day is our goal, with an aim to resolve queries completely within 5 working days. However, every effort is made to answer user questions more expeditiously.

Digimap service users can significantly improve the speed with which their queries are resolved by providing detailed information about their problem. The more you tell us, the quicker we can help you find a solution.

What information to include
You should consider submitting as much information as possible, including the following:

  • your full name and your institution
  • which Digimap facilities you are using (e.g. Classic, Hydrospatial Download or Geology Maps)
  • which data you are using (e.g. Land-Form PROFILE or 1:625,000 BGS data)
  • which location (coverage) for the data in question (e.g. place names, tiles, co-ordinates)
  • which web browser you are using (e.g. Internet Explorer, Firefox, Opera)
  • the full text and URL of an error message, if appropriate and possible
  • perhaps a screenshot, especially for webpages displaying error messages
  • a detailed description of the problem, and the steps taken which led to it

Submission of these details with your query will make it easier for EDINA to identify and respond to the problem quickly and have you back on track.

Contact Us
The EDINA Helpdesk is staffed between 0900 and 1700 hours, Monday to Friday. You can contact the Helpdesk by email on edina@ed.ac.uk or by telephone on 0131 650 3302.

Further Emergency Maintenance: 30 May

ecls/ / Service Availability

All Digimap services will be unavailable between 0900 and 1100 hours on FRIDAY 30 May 2008. This is to enable EDINA to fix a further critical problem with the machine which hosts Digimap. Full service will be restored as quickly as possible and updates will be posted on this site, and on the Digimap login page as and when they are appropriate and available.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

Emergency Maintenance – 29 May

ecls/ / Service Availability

All Digimap services will be unavailable between 0900 and 1100 hours on THURSDAY 29 May 2008. This is to enable EDINA to fix a critical problem with the machine which hosts Digimap. Full service will be restored as quickly as possible and updates will be posted on this site, and on the Digimap login page as and when they are appropriate and available.

Apologies for the inconvenience caused.

OS MasterMap replaces Land-Line

ecls/ / Data Changes & Additions, Digimap News, Help

Land-Line data is being withdrawn in August 2008.

After 1 August 2008 you will need to use OS MasterMap Topography layer instead of Land-Line data. Land-Line is the most detailed data available through the Data Download facility within Digimap’s OS Collection. It has been replaced by OS MasterMap Topography layer, which is equally detailed and available through the MasterMap Download facility.

Two OS MasterMap Layers, Topography and Integrated Transport Network, have been available from Digimap’s OS Collection since September 2007. These layers are available through the MasterMap Download facility. You can read more about OS MasterMap data on our OS MasterMap website and within the Digimap Help pages. Look in the sections under MasterMap Download and Data Information.

There are several software packages available which make the process of loading and viewing the OS MasterMap in GIS applications quite simple, more simple than using Land-Line data, in fact. These are in addition to ‘built-in’ converters supplied with the most recent versions of ArcGIS (Productivity Suite), MapInfo and AutoCAD software.

Viewing data
If you wish to simply view the OS MasterMap data (rather than undertake any spatial analysis, querying or manipulation), there is a simple viewer produced by Snowflake Software. It is called the OS MasterMap Viewer and can be downloaded for free (upon registration) from the Snowflake website.

MapInfo

The following applications are free and will load OS MasterMap, fully represented, into MapInfo:

  • OSM2MIF written by Nigel James at the Bodleian Library. This can be downloaded from the Bodleian Library Map Room website: http://www.bodley.ox.ac.uk/guides/maps/translat.htm
  • InterpOSe (Digimap Edition) from Dotted Eyes. This is available free of charge on registration with Dotted Eyes. It includes full OS MasterMap styling, and will convert data to various file formats, including Shape, TAB, mid/mif and DWG/DXF.

ArcGIS

The following applications are freely available:

  • Productivity Suite 1.1. This is freely available to those licensed to use ArcGIS through Eduserv Chest. It contains MapManager and will convert OS MasterMap to Geodatabase format and comes complete with a number of layer files for representation (details can be found in the local installation folder of Productivity Suite). You will need a special Athens username and password to access the software download area. This should be available from your local Chest Representative or ESRI Technical Contact.
  • InterpOSe (Digimap Edition) from Dotted Eyes. This is available free of charge on registration with Dotted Eyes. It includes full OS MasterMap styling, and will convert data to various file formats, including Shape, TAB, mid/mif and DWG/DXF.

AutoCAD

  • InterpOSe (Digimap Edition) from Dotted Eyes. This will convert OS MasterMap to DXF and DWG and has a template file (.DWT) for representing the data using OS style. InterpOSe can be downloaded for free from Dotted Eyes website on registration there.

There are other packages and resources available which are detailed on our OS MasterMap website. Ordnance Survey also provide information about software which will read OS MasterMap data.

Instructions on using MapManager 9.1 and InterpOSe are included in the Digimap Help pages. Look in the section labelled “Using Data with GIS”. If you have any questions about the information provided here, please contact the EDINA Helpdesk on edina@ed.ac.uk or 0131 650 3302.