Moving Toward Enterprise GIS in the USDA Forest Service

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Moving Toward Enterprise GIS in the USDA Forest
Service

• Susan J. DeLost
• USDA Forest Service
• Washington, D.C.

Image Courtesy of NGA
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USDA Forest ServiceHistory

• Established by Congress in 1905 as an agency in
  the Department of Agriculture
• 60 Forest Reserves covering 56 million acres

To provide the greatest amount of good for the
greatest amount of people in the long run.
Caring for the Land and Serving People
http//www.fs.fed.us
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Forest Service Organization

• National Headquarters in Washington, DC
• National Forest System
• 9 Regional Offices, 155 National Forests (600
  Ranger Districts) and 20 Grasslands in 41 states
  and Puerto Rico
• Manages 191 million acres of public land

• Research
• 7 stations, 50 field offices
• State and Private Forestry
• Fire Aviation
• Forest Health Protection
• International Programs

No NF lands in MA, CT, RI, NJ, DE, MD, IA, HI
or DC
30,000 employees nationwide
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Geospatial information is used every day across
the Forest Service

• Forest planning
• Forest heath protection
• Watershed restoration
• Fire
• Disturbance processes
• Habitat
• Recreation
• Transportation
• Research

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History of Enterprise GIS in the Forest Service

• 1980s, Pre-eGIS era GIS on a
  project-by-project basis, studies and reports
  (e.g. National GIS Plan)
• 1990s, eGIS First Steps Project 615, 1999
  Baltimore workshop
• 2000s, eGIS Progress Vision and Strategy,
  Implementation, Focus Areas

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Geospatial Executive Board Established in 1999
Charter Ensure that Forest Service geospatial
policies, programs, and related activities are
coordinated, compatible, integrated, and
responsive to FS business needs
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Geospatial Executive Board

• HQ Staff Directors
• Oversight and Coordination
• Corporate vision for an enterprise-wide FS
  geospatial environment
• Geospatial Advisory Committee

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Geospatial Advisory Committee
Charter Identify, monitor, and address issues
regarding the state of FS geospatial programs and
activities
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Geospatial Advisory Committee

• 28 Members
• Chairperson
• Rotating Members, 3-year term
• Standing Members
• Secretary (non-voting member)

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Geospatial Advisory Committee Focus Areas

• Vision and Strategy
• Technology Architecture Coordination
• Training and Awareness
• Standardized Geospatial Data
• Coordinate and Share Standardized Data
• Coordination of National Applications
• Mapping Requirements, Generation and Delivery

http//www.fs.fed.us/gac
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Goals/Accomplishments Vision and Strategy
Quality Forest Service geospatial information is
routinely available to internal and external
customers for efficient use

• Updating the Vision and Strategy
• Goals through 2008

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Goals/Accomplishments Technology Architecture
Coordination

• FS Enterprise Architecture
• Image Compression
• ArcSDE implementation plan
• Strategic ArcGIS Implementation Plan

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Goals/Accomplishments Training and Awareness

• Bi-annual Geospatial Workshop
• FS/BLM, Phoenix, April 18-22, 2005
• Centralized approach to Training
• New course development
• On-line course catalogue and registration
• 1300 FS employees participate yearly
• Centralized geospatial training website
• http//fsweb.geotraining.fs.fed.us

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Goals/Accomplishments Standardized Geospatial
Data

• FS GIS Data Dictionary
• Change management process
• Deputy Area GIS Data Administrators
• Pilot-test GIS Data Standards
• Resource Mapping Evaluation Toolset (RMET)

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Goals/Accomplishments Standardized Geospatial
Data
Resource Mapping Evaluation Toolset
(RMET) Inventory and Monitoring Program Plans
(IMPP) Budget Formulation and Execution System
(BFES) Performance Accountability System
(PAS) Department OMB Budget Language

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Goals/Accomplishments Coordinate and Share
Standardized Data

There is a need to coordinate and share
standardized data internally and externally with
our partners
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Goals/Accomplishments Coordinate and Share
Standardized Data

• Interagency Coordination
• FGDC-compliant Metadata
• On-line Users Guide
• Feature-level
• eFOIA Clarification

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Goals/Accomplishments Coordinate and Share
Standardized Data

• Serving Geospatial Data Over the Internet
  (Draft Guidelines)
• FS Geodata Clearinghouse
• http//fsgeodata.fs.fed.us

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Goals/Accomplishments Coordinate and Share
Standardized Data

• The National Map
• http//nationalmap.usgs.gov/
• Recreation.gov
• http//recreation.gov

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Goals/Accomplishments Coordination of Natural
Resource Applications

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Goals/Accomplishments Coordination of Natural
Resource Applications

• FSNRA Geospatial Strategy and Tactical Plan
• ArcGIS Implementation Plan
• Geospatial Interface getting data out
• FSNRA Geodatabase Tactical Plan (draft)
• FSNRA Forest Service Natural Resource
  Applications

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Goals/Accomplishments Mapping requirements,
generation and delivery

• Develop cartographic tools to produce standard
  maps from geographic datasets
• Ensure GIS data and metadata will support
  cartographic requirements
• Standard Symbology Team
• Mapping Migration Team

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Fitting all of the pieces together
As we move toward Enterprise GIS
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Enterprise GIS To Meet FS Business Needs
Unmanaged Recreation
Fire, Mortality, Insect/Disease
Invasive Species
Habitat Fragmentation
Forest Planning
Geospatial Activities
Healthy Forests
Urban Interface
Homeland Security
FS Business
Tied to Ground
Data Stewardship
eGIS
Standard Map Products
Geospatial Vision Strategy
Data Access
Business Requirements
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Questions?