3 NPS GIS Case Studies

1
3 NPS GIS Case Studies

• Present experiences on planning a GIS program in
  a
• park, program or regional office and how data has
  been integrated across
• program areas and park divisions.
• The Journey is much more Important that the
  Destination
• We are more similar than different.

2
Overview

• Yellowstone- Big Park/Corporate Data with GIS
  culture in place
• Pinnacles National Monument- Little Data
  Organization, Started Documenting Layers with
  metadata, established GIS plan
• Appalachian Highlands Network- Preaching Best
  practices for Parks and Documenting select
  natural resource layers, Interacting with Park
  Staff and GIS people.
• Overview to how I saw things, types of projects
  I worked on. Data Requests, metadata strategy,
  establishing connections with park people.

3
Memories

• Tried to see things as they were/are
• Not as I wish they were or Romanticizing the
  experience
• What happened good and bad from a GIS
  perspective?
• The more connections we establish, the better
  off we are-Bill Clinton

4
My First NPS Job

• GRYN stationed at Mammoth, WY
• Cartographic Tech, GS-7 Term

5
Yellowstone Center for Resources

• Lots of specialists, well-funded
• Wellorganized GIS data
• System in place for metadata
• Corporate structure
• Available to all YELL employees, fast-connection
  within the YCR

6
With Big Staffs, Order and More Order

• GPS check in Check Out
• SOPS and Documentation
• Strict Metadata Requirements for Corporate Data
• Metadata Guide
• Time for field personnel to create metadata at
  end of field season
• Intuitive directory structure for finding data

7
Staff and Resources

• 3 full-time Employees(One full-time IT)
• At least 5 seasonal employees
• GIS lab available to support the entire park
• 2 or 3 Big HP Plotters

8
Who used this data

• Fire
• Ungulates(Elk, Bison, Antelope, Bighorn Sheep)
• Wolf- Pack Home Range
• Lynx- Habitat Selection
• Fisheries(Lake and Cutthroat Trout)
• Thermophile Inventory
• IM Cooperators, USGS, USFS, Universities
• Interpretation

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Connections

• Fisheries-Whirling Disease(NRDT-Geodatabase)
• 303D Stream Maps
• BigHorn Sheep Telemetry
• Antelope Telemetry
• Abandoned Mine Lands NRDT Database for BICA
• Data Mining, SMSS metadata for GRTE

10
Lessons Learned

• Success did not come overnight
• Determination
• Relevance and Cooperation
• IM was learning from an already good situation
• Carrots with other divisions/YCR programs
• Sticks with directly supervised staff
• Programs not working with GIS did not have as
  good data management/practices

11
Leaving Yellowstone June 2002

• Ill be back

12
Pinnacles National Monument

• California!

13
GIS Team of One Specialist

• Decent base layers, decent structure
• No Metadata, Boundary from where?
• Little GIS culture
• Small Park with Big things happening
• Condor Re-Introduction
• Feral Pig Eradication
• Exotic Plant team, Vegetation Monitoring

14
Metadata 1st Priority

• 15 layers documented with XML
• Posting to Data Store
• Rousing clapping at Resources Meeting
• What then?

15
Seasonal Training

• GPS/GIS Overview
• GPS Units
• Field Exercises in Data Collection and Field
  Navigation
• Created shapefiles
• GIS training hands-on
• Analysis

16
Projects and Achievements

• Developed GIS plan, Metadata Mandate
• Updated Park Map for Super and LE Rangers
• Condor Release Site Viewshed Analysis
• Park Fire Model-ESRI Conference
• Wilderness Updating
• RMAP, 1st Park Completed
• AMBAG participation
• Aerial photography for Park
• GIS Day at Local School

17
Lessons Learned

• Planning and scoping is best recipe for getting
  quality results
• Make yourself available, helpful, personable and
  approachable
• Listening and Working with other divisions proved
  invaluable to the perception of GIS and of
  Resource Management
• E-mail can be dangerous and can affect your park
  perception, opinions need to be expressed through
  proper channels
• Treat people the way you would like to be
  treated-Tom Leatherman

18
Leaving Pinnacles October 2003

• Adios, Amigos!

19
Appalachian Highlands Inventory and Monitoring
Network

• Not always looking at a computer

20
What is our Network Role for GIS Data?

• If we create it, or assemble it from cooperators,
  we metadate it
• We assist the parks in GIS and make
  recommendations for quality data stewardship
• We do not do their work for them, though I have
  led documentation efforts

21
GIS Drive for Network Server

• Copies of park layers
• Some duplication of layers that do not have
  frequent updates
• Interim and draft information and works in
  progress are stored on this server
• Final layers/ Geodatabases are given to parks
  with metadata

22
Outreach to Parks

• Assisted to get GIS data documented with XML
  files for BISO and BLRI
• Provided training and guidance on NPS metadata
  editor
• Provided demonstrations of NPspecies, Datastore
  and NatureBib to GIS users and resource managers

23
Like it or Not

• Little Park Data has metadata(always a last
  priority)
• Can connect remotely, not fast or ideal
• Parks do not have a Corporate strategy
• Some park communication with the Network about
  new data they aquire
• Varied stream of products to parks(not everything
  at once)
• Data flows from APHN to the Parks

24
Some APHN Products

• Revised APHN Network Map
• Data Request of buffered Species Data
• SE NPS Units Map for CESU
• OBRI mapping of Cobble Bars from Aerial Photos
• BLRI Mapping of Poaching Arrests
• BISO Reptile and Amphibian Maps
• VegMap use for BISO Fire Planning

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Similarities(In Closing)

• Connections, especially IT
• Valuable Tool that Generated ideas and new ways
  of looking at old problems
• Some Base Layer Structure
• Help with divisions other than Resource
  Management helped buy-in and justification for
  Resource Activities and Projects
• GIS for me Evolved into Data Management,
  everywhere I went progressed more in this
  direction

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Differences

• Documentation of Datasets
• Varied ways to make data discoverable
• Lots of Staff Use, Little Staff Use
• Requests and Documentation much more with
  network, more creativity and opportunity to
  explore with a park

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Food for Thought

• Its about the journey more than the destination,
  the journey will prove to be the most important
  part of your job
• And not making the same mistake 3 times
• Good to write down procedures for a complex GIS
  operation
• Every contact with another person is an
  opportunity to exceed their expectations. Lets
  make sure we do! -Paul Anderson, SERO Regional
  Director

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• Attitude is Everything

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• What dont you understand?