ESRI Conservation Program Resources:

Academia & Research

(ECP and CTSP members, sites of interest for mapping/GIS, scholarly papers and ESRI Conference Proceedings, and sites with public conservation and GIS data for downloading) (Under Construction)

(Legend: CTSP sites are coded "c" plus the year of the grant, (cs=software, cm=mac), ECP grantees are coded "e". Many groups, especially newer grantees, do not yet have their own sites and are colored green. Other new groups may be described or supported by other sites)

American Statistical Association .(1429 Duke St, Alexandria, VA, 22314-3415 USA. Tel 703-684-1221, 888-231-3473. Fax 703-684-2037. email: asainfo@amstat.org) The American Statistical Association (ASA) is a scientific and educational society founded in 1839 to foster excellence in the use and application of statistics to the biological, physical, social and economic sciences.

Archbold Biological Station, Lake Placid FL e91. (P.O. Box 2057, Lake Placid, Florida, 33862 USA. Phone: 863-465-2571 FAX: 863-699-1927 Email: archbold@archbold-station.org) Archbold Biological Station (ABS) was founded in 1941 by Richard Archbold, who lived at the Station and played an active role in its operation until his death in August, 1976....Archbold's GIS is directed by Roberta Pickert and conducts advanced research in Fire Ecology, Avian Ecology, Agro-ecology, Land Management and Research Management. The GIS lab operates on networked NT machines with two software systems (ArcInfo and ERDAS). Virtually all long-term ecological projects at the Station make use of this spatial-data technology....fire is a key component of both research and land management at the Station. Natural and prescribed fire are mapped in detail using GIS technology. A detailed 30-year record of fire history, plus ample opportunity to prescribe and conduct research burns, provides one of the finest research sites for fire ecologists anywhere in the United States.

Biological Dynamics of Forest Fragment Project (BDFFP) Manaus, Brazil, Anthropogenic Landscape Changes and the Dynamics of Amazonian Forest Biomass (Claude Gascon, Scientific Coordinator Associacao de Levantamento da Amazonas (ALFA) c/o INPA-Ecologia C.P. 478 69011-970 Manaus, AM Brazil Phone: 5592-642-1148 Fax: 5592-642-2050 E-Mail: pdbff@inpa.gov.br) . "Our study addresses the Large Scale Biosphere-Atmosphere (LBA) Ecology theme of carbon storage and exchange. We propose a combination of field studies and computer modeling to estimate above-ground biomass in continuous forest, forest fragments, and secondary forests of different types through time and relate these measures to remote sensing data from LANDSAT TM images for a modified landscape in central Amazonia....LANDSCAPE ANALYSIS: We will use detailed time-series remote sensing imagery of our extensive (20 X 50 km) research landscape in the central Amazon to produce a model of carbon dynamics as a function of identifiable landscape features (e.g. fragment size and shape, and the area and age of secondary forests). The procedure for the satellite analyses will be the following: (1) register all the thematic mapper images to a high resolution UTM map with precision GPS data from the field; (2) image to image registration will then be performed using the base map as the reference base; (3) an unsupervised cluster classification will be run in conjunction with a knowledge-based classifier to classify the 20 x 50 km proposed study area into the 11 categories above; (4) the resulting classification will field checked and corrected where necessary for each of the satellite images used in this study, based upon reference data collected in the field using GPS, photographs, field notes, and aerial overflights; (5) the resulting classification will be "vectorized" into an ArcInfo coverage and further edited where necessary; (6) additional GIS layers of topography, river courses, roads, and biological information, including biomass estimates for each time frame, will be coregistered with the satellite data and included into the GIS; and (7) the resulting combination of the satellite classification(s) from 1982-1984-1986-1988-1990-1992-1994-1996 will be used to extrapolate the biological data spatially over the landscape. "

BIN21 Virtual Library . (BIN21 Secretariat, Base de Dados Tropical, Rua Latino Coelho 1301, 13087-010 Campinas SP, Brasil, -Email: bin21@bdt.org.br -Fax: +55 19 2427827 -Tel: +55 19 2427022 ) BIN21 is the Biodiversity Information Network. It is an international organization designed to link and coordinate the activities of agencies and network information sites concerned with biodiversity. It was created to support the Convention on Biological Diversity and the Agenda 21 that followed the Earth Summit at Rio, June 1992. BIN21 maintains a library of pointers to network information resources relevant to biodiversity. BIN21 maintains detailed information about databases, and other network publications, that are registered with BIN21.

California State University Stanislaus BIOWEB. Biology Web Links Database . The purpose of this server is to consolidate existing WWW Biological Science teaching and research resources and to create and distribute original multimedia resources for the teaching of biology.

Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies, Univ. of Arkansas . (Center For Advanced Spatial Technologies, University of Arkansas, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701 General Tel: 501-575-2000 mailto:www@cast.uark.edu) "The Center for Advanced Spatial Technologies (CAST) was established at the University of Arkansas in September of 1991 in order to bring together the considerable expertise of a network of researchers with a long-standing history of GIS development at the University. " see: National Archeological DataBase, Native American Graves Protection and Repatriation Act (NAGPRA), Soils Atlas, GAP Analysis Program, Partners in Flight

Center for Conservation Biology, Stanford University e91 (Center for Conservation Biology, 441 Herrin Hall, Dept. of Biological Sciences, Stanford University, Stanford CA 94305-5020, tel: (415) 725-5585 fax: (415) 723-5920 email: aweiss@bing.stanford.edu). The Center for Conservation Biology was established in 1984 to develop the science of conservation biology, including its application to solutions for critical conservation problems. Projects in: Biodiversity, Environmental Policy, Conservation Policy, Human Population Issues, Tropical Program, Geographic Information Systems Laboratory, Tools for Conservation Projects (Links)...GIS Lab Projects: Jasper Ridge, Kirby Canyon, Spring Mountains, Tropicos, Nevada, Masoala, Calakmul, Jatun Sacha. see also: Economic Scene: How Much Is 'Environmental Capital' Worth? By PETER PASSEL . Great collection of maps of the Jatun Sacha Reserve, Ecuador, under: The Tropical Research Program : "The Tropical Research Program was established in 1989. The program is based on our belief that success of conservation plans depends on well-founded scientific research. The objective of the Tropical Program is to act as a catalyst for the development of locally directed, self-sufficient and scientifically credible projects. The Program began in 1989 in Costa Rica and has expanded to Madagascar, Guatemala, Ecuador, Mexico and Peru. "

Conservation Biology Institute, Or e98 . (800 NW Starker, Suite 31C, Corvallis, OR 97330 tel:(541) 757-0687 fax:(541) 757-7991 Email:consbio@consbio.org GIS contact: Jim Strittholt mailto:stritt@consbio.org) "Conservation biology is perhaps the fastest growing professional discipline in the natural sciences, yet its application to the solution of real-world problems has just begun. Born in response to biological crisis, conservation biology is mission-oriented and multi-disciplinary. Although some conservation problems can be addressed adequately within the disciplinary bounds of the traditional, specialized sciences (e.g., botany, entomology, forestry, wildlife biology), complex problems require solution by broadly trained individuals representing a range of disciplines and skills...The Conservation Biology Institute will provide a mechanism for assembling expert teams of collaborators (scientists and non-scientists alike) who can apply their collective knowledge and experience to solving real-world conservation problems. " GIS PROJECTS: "1. Klamath-Siskiyou Conservation Plan -- Develop a GIS-based conservation plan for this 10 million+ acre ecoregion of southwestern Oregon and northwestern California. Draft report will be ready by May 1, 1999 with Natural Areas Journal article published in Autumn, 1999. 2. Pacific Northwest Assessment -- Develop a conservation biology summary for 40 ecoregions that make up the Greater Pacific Northwest including Alaska, Yukon, British Columbia, Washington, Oregon, Idaho, and parts of California, Montana, Wyoming and Alberta. Web report will be completed by August, 1999. 3. Redwoods -- Phase I of the project (a book being published by Island Press) is at the publishers now. Release of the book is scheduled for Autumn, 1999. Phase II (development of a conservation focal areas GIS model) has been completed for the northern section of the redwood range and is now being applied to the rest of the redwood region. Final report and products are expected sometime in April, 1999. 4. Carnivore Conservation in the Rocky Mountains -- This project considers conservation for the complete carnivore guild found within the Rocky Mountains (Banff-Jasper to Yellowstone). We are integrating carnivore habitat suitability GIS models for 10 species and looking at human disturbance within this region. Initial work is scheduled for completion by Summer, 1999 and we are waiting to hear about starting Phse II for 1999-2000. 5. Wolf Reintroduction Feasibility within the Adirondack Park, NY -- We have been working on a GIS-based wolf habitat feasibility model for the Adirondack Park region of Upstate NY. Interim products have been very well received with completion of the project scheduled for June, 1999. 6. Protected Areas Update -- We have been working for a year to produce a GIS data layer with subsequent analyses at the 1:100,000 map scale. Important difficiencies are being identified, particularly in the eastern US, from previous mapping efforts that use smaller spatial scales. Completion is scheduled for early Summer, 1999. 7. Forest Intactness Assessment -- Another GIS project that is attempting to evaluate the general forest conditions for the US using TM satellite imagery and 1:100,000 roads data. The eastern US will be completed by July, 1999 with the west being completed by January, 2000. 8. We have several more projects underway with several pending (including a conservation assessment in Costa Rica/Panama, Chile/Argentina, and parts of Europe)." see also: Conservation Assessment for the Northwest of North America .

Conservation Imaging, Inc, Id, e98 . (121 Sweet Avenue, Moscow, Idaho 83843 U.S.A. Tel:208-885-3691 Fax: 208-885-3803 e-mail: altos@conservationimaging.org GIS Contact: Shannon Mann, Exec. Director: Philip Tanimoto ) . "Conservation Imaging has two primary purposes. Our primary purpose is to implement credible landscape-scale research with direct conservation applications. Our second primary purpose is to assist other nonprofit institutions with their data development and research needs.....We use geographic information systems (GIS) to support sustainable stewardship of the earth. This requires a careful, interdisciplinary approach that includes a keen understanding of socio-economic context. ...We also provide technical expertise for conservation projects and nonprofit institutions....We use the following activities as conservation tools: Vegetation/land use classification and quantification Wildlife habitat mapping Protected area analysis and design Ecological modeling Satellite image processing Archaeological site mapping and modeling Integrated GIS data development and support...We have been working with state-based and regional data sets produce by the various state-based Gap Analysis Programs and have been supporting the completion, review, and standardization of the GIS data products. Our principal product from this activity to-date is our Northwest Regional Land Cover Classification, which is a 30-meter raster Grid of the combined areas of the states of Idaho, Washington, and Oregon, containing an enhanced value attribute table (.vat) that is standardized to a common classification system for the three-state region. This product is being distributed free of charge over the Internet via anonymous ftp from ci.moscow.com /pub/outgoing/northwest/nwxwalk.tar.gz...The second project is a project to quantify the effects of logging and road building on landslides in the Clearwater River Drainage of Idaho- which study will make a strong statement about historic management practices on the Clearwater National Forest. The third project is a study of the "Mayan Highlands" of eastern Chiapas, Mexico, and western Guatemala. It will begin with a land cover classification across approximately 25,000 square miles of diverse, montane habitats including desert, sweetgum, pine, and oak forests, as well as cloud forests. "

Consortium for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESIN) . (Center for International Earth Science Information Network, 61 Route 9W, PO Box 1000, Palisades, NY 10964, Phone: 1-(914) 365-8988, FAX: 1-(914) 365-8922, email: ciesin.info@ciesin.org ) CIESIN was established in 1989 as a non-profit, non-governmental organization to provide information that would help scientists, decision-makers, and the public better understand their changing world. CIESIN specializes in global and regional network development, science data management, decision support, and training, education and technical consultation services. CIESIN is the World Data Center A (WDC-A) for Human Interactions in the Environment. Extensive collection of Data Resources for download, including China Data Collection (Fundamental GIS layers; administrative boundaries; agricultural statistics, 1949-92.), Global Population Database (Population data on a 20 minute by 30 minute grid for more than 100 nations; includes urban density circles. ), CIESIN Gateway (Locate environmental and socioeconomic data using this distributed international catalog of metadata resources.) , AR/GIS (Active Response GIS is a land use planning tool that combines GIS and group process management capabilities using a network of laptop computers)

Cornell University Biodiversity and Biological Collections Web Server . This WWW server is devoted to information of interest to systematists and other biologists of the organismic kind. Within these pages you will find information about specimens in biological collections, taxonomic authority files, directories of biologists, reports by various standards bodies (IOPI, ASC, SA2000, etc), an archive of the Taxacom, MUSE-L and CICHLID-L listservs), access to on-line journals (including Flora On-line) and information about MUSE and Delta.

Desert Research Institute, Reno , NV e93 . (Biological Sciences Center, Desert Research Institute, P.O. Box 60220 Reno, NV 89506-0220 tel: 702/673-7323 Email: wwwbsc@sage.dri.edu ) When the University of Nevada System was formed in 1968, the Desert Research Institute became an autonomous, nonprofit division of the system. Over its 34 year history, DRI has grown to be one of the world's largest multidisciplinary environmental research organizations focusing on arid lands....The Biological Sciences Center at the Desert Research Institute is a recognized leader in combining Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and remote sensing to address biological, ecological and hydrological problems both nationally and internationally. DRI is using aerospace remote sensing and GIS to map, analyze and characterize earth surface processes, and to compare spatial variability in land cover, ecosystem health, and hydrology.

Geo-Images project, UC Berkeley: (G. Donald Bain, Director of the Geography Computing Facility, University of California at Berkeley (dbain@socrates.berkeley.edu).)was conceived as a way of making images (mostly photographs) that are useful in teaching geography more widely available. see: Aerial Geography of Western North America, by Cherie Semans , Images of the California Environment, by G. Donald Bain . Images are linked into clickable maps and cover a broad variety of topics from economics to endangered species.

Helios Environmental Modeling Institute (HEMI),(Primary contact: Dr. Paul Rich HEMI 1616 Vermont Lawrence, KS 66044 Phone: (913) 838-9646 Fax: (913) 749-4988 email: tech@hemisoft.com ) provides a variety of advanced environmental modeling and measurement capabilities, as well as geographic information system (GIS) consulting services. HEMI is dedicated to making software developed for specialized academic purposes available to a broad audience at the lowest possible cost. HEMI has developed "Solar Analyst" which integrates several solar radiation modeling algorithms in ArcView GIS. Solar Analyst includes a hemispherical viewer and a viewshed map viewer, while coupling with an environmental model. The application is a specialized software product targeted at researchers interested in modeling physical and biophysical properties of forest and agricultural systems.Vertical Markets: Academic/Education, Environmental Analysis and Natural Resource Management

Hornocker Wildlife Institute, (Hornocker Wildlife Institute, Inc. P.O. Box 3246, University of Idaho Moscow, Idaho 83843-1908 Tel: 1-888-Tiger44 208-885-6871 Fax: 208-885-2999 email: hwi@uidaho.edu ) c95 . "Founded by Dr. Maurice Hornocker, our Institute conducts long-term research on threatened species and sensitive ecological systems. The Institute currently maintains twenty-two field projects on various aspects of wildlife ecology and resource management." see; A HABITAT PROTECTION PLAN FOR AMUR TIGER CONSERVATION.

Hudsonia Ltd., Annandale NY c95 . (Hudsonia Ltd. Bard College Field Station Annandale, NY 12504 USA Tel. 914-758-1881 Fax 914-758-5192) News from Hudsonia tackles the interface of environmental issues and natural history in a forthright, informative, attractive, and well-documented manner. The newsletter is unusual in that it addresses lay and professional audiences simultaneously.

Landscape Modeling . U Maryland site .

List of Environmental Conservation Hotlinks (ECHO), UC Davis ICE : Agriculture Air Biodiversity Data Management Ecology Economics and Sustainable Development Ecosystem Management Education Energy Environmental Advocacy Geography GIS: Geographic Information Systems Global Change Governmental Agencies Green Commerce Habitats and Ecosystems Internet Guides Internet Sources Laws, Regulations, and Standards Miscellaneous Multi-media Non-Governmental Organizations Organizations Protected Areas Publications and Documents Recycling Remote Sensing Software Systematics Technology Threatened and Endangered Species Toxic and Hazardous Materials Usenet Newsgroups Water Weather Zoos.

List of WWW Sites of Interest to Ecologists. As a service to students, teachers, researchers, and WWW surfers interested in ecology, this list was compiled by Anthony R. Brach (Missouri Botanical Garden & Harvard University Herbaria, U.S.A.). It was originally posted on ECOLOG-L in March 1995. HTML format is created and maintained by Jean Thioulouse (University of Lyon, France).

Man and the Biosphere (MAB) . (UNESCO-MAB, 1 rue Miollis, 75015 Paris, FRANCE Tel: (33-1) 45684054/93, Fax: (33-1) 45685832 email: mab@unesco.org) The MAB Programme is an interdisciplinary programme of research and training intended to develop the basis, within the natural and the social sciences, for the rational use and conservation of the resources of the biosphere, and forthe improvement of the global relationship between people and the environment.. U.S. MAB is an interdisciplinary research effort directed toward providing information for the solution of natural resources and environmental issues... DIVERSITAS. DIVERSITAS is a partnership of inter-governmental and non-governmental organisations to promote, facilitate and catalyse scientific research on biological diversity; its origin, composition, functioning, maintenance, and conservation. Its goal is to provide accurate information and predictive models on the status of biodiversity and the sustainability of the use of the Earth's biotic resources, and to build biodiversity science capacity world-wide.

Middlebury College Environmental Studies Dept. (Middlebury, Vermont 05753 . Conservation GIS contact: Dr. Steve Trombulak, email:trombulak@middlebury.edu tel:802/443-5439 fax:802/443-2072 ) Research areas: "Theoretical concepts related to the protection and restoration of biological integrity, The development of a regional conservation strategy in northeastern U.S. and southeastern Canada following the approach advocated by The Wildlands Project, Incorporating education on critical thinking and scientific methodology into environmental science curricula " Don't miss: Trombulak, S.C. 1996. How to design an ecological reserve system. Wild Earth Special Paper #1: 1-19.

National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis. (735 State St., Suite 300 Santa Barbara, CA 93101-3351 Ph: (805) 892-2500 Fax: (805) 892-2510 Email: nceas@nceas.ucsb.edu) NCEAS was established in 1995 by the National Science Foundation, with additional support from the State of California and the University of California, Santa Barbara. NCEAS' focus is collaborative, basic and applied research on the structure and dynamics of ecological systems. NCEAS also organizes and synthesizes ecological information to facilitate its use by researchers, policy-makers and resource managers addressing important environmental issues...Selected Abstracts from the Synthesis in Ecology Symposium: (see below).Program Area: Kids do Ecology, .Worldwide Ecological Web Sites, NCEAS Ecological Data Archive, . .. Research Areas: Using Science in Habitat Conservation Plans, Individual-Based Models, Spatially Explicit Dynamic Models, "Data Assimilation" Techniques in Ecology, Meta-analysis Techniques, Siting and Design of Nature Reserves, Predicting Ecosystem Responses to Disturbance, Introduced Species, Synthesizing Ecosystem Ecology and Microbial Community Ecology, Effects of Episodic Climate Events on Ecosystem Function and Structure, Global-Scale Population Declines .

National Center for Geographic Information and Analysis (NCGIA) .(Department of Geography University of California, 3510 Phelps Hall, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, USA tel: (805) 893-8224 fax: (805) 893-8617 email: ncgia@ncgia.ucsb.edu ) NCGIA is a research consortium whose primary mandate is to conduct basic research in geographic information science and its related technology. There are three sites in the consortium: University of California at Santa Barbara, State University of New York at Buffalo, and the University of Maine. Don't miss: Empowerment, Marginalization, and Public Participation GIS . "GIS is alternatively seen as a powerful tool for empowering communities or as an invasive technology that advantages some people and organizations while marginalizing others. This is a critical issue which divides both academicians and thoughtful critics of society. "GIS and Society" is therefore one of the top GIS research issues facing this country, as determined by UCGIS, the University Consortium for Geographic Information Science. The NCGIA addressed the issue in Initiative-19 (March 1996) as well. In neither of those cases was there a successful merger of the two positions, merely an acknowledgment of the validity of the stance of the other. This initiative will examine the two-edged nature of the GIS sword by defining and executing research projects that involve researchers looking critically at the use of GIS by community groups or by others using the technology in ways that impact individuals and communities. " The NCGIA Specialist Meeting site includes the full text of a number of excellent papers .

NCGIA Buffalo Geography Resources on the Internet .(University of Buffalo, Dept. of Geography, Wilkeson Quad, SUNY at Buffalo, Buffalo, NY, 14261 Tel: 716-645-2722 Fax: 716-645-2329 email: webmaster@geog.buffalo.edu) The Internet can be a great tool for finding geographic information. Here are some of the ever-expanding resources available:

Oak Ridge National Laboratory (ORNL) . (Communications and Public Affairs, P.O. Box 2008, Oak Ridge, TN 37831-6266, tel: (423) 574-4163, email: mclaughlinmz@ornl.gov) Oak Ridge National Laboratory is a Department of Energy multiprogram laboratory managed by Lockheed Martin Energy Research Corporation in Oak Ridge, Tennessee.

Oklahoma State University Spatial and Environmental Information Clearinghouse (NSDI) .(Spatial and Environmental Information Clearinghouse 201 CITD, Stillwater Oklahoma State University Stillwater, OK 74078-3011. Tel: 405-744-8433 FAX : 405-744-7673, email: webmaster@www.seic.okstate.edu ) "As a unit of Oklahoma State University's Environmental Institute, the Spatial and Environmental Information Clearinghouse (SEIC) focuses on geospatial information and its application to complex spatial issues using geographic information systems (GIS), database management, and careful project design." see Geospatial Data for Oklahoma.

Organization for Tropical Studies, Duke University, Nc e97. (P.O.Box 90630, Durham, North Carolina 27708-0630 U.S.A Phone: (919) 684-5774 Fax: (919) 684-5661 email: nao@acpub.duke.edu) "OTS is a not-for-profit consortium of more than 50 universities and research institutions in the United States and Latin America dedicated to providing leadership in education, research, and the wise use of natural resources in the tropics. To this end, OTS maintains three field sites in Costa Rica : La Selva Biological Station, located in the Atlantic lowlands and recognized internationally as one of the premier facilities for rain forest research; Palo Verde Field Station, situated in the northern Pacific lowlands and known for its deciduous dry forest and freshwater marsh; and Las Cruces Biological Station, Wilson Botanical Garden, on Costa Rica's southern Pacific slopes, noted for its extensive collection of palms, bromeliads, and endangered plants from Costa Rica and elsewhere and its mosaic of fragmented premontane rain forests.

Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, Crested Butte CO e95 . (Taber Allison, Director, Rocky Mountain Biological Lab, P.O. Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224, Phone and Fax (970)349-7231 EMAIL: rmbl@gunnison.com) RMBL occupies the old ghost town of Gothic, at 9500 ft elevation in the Elk Mountains of south-central Colorado. Their GIS lab is still in the early stages but will eventually include spatial data at world, state, county and site levels.

Rutgers University, Nj . (See ECP remote sensing page for Grant Walton Center. For Dr. Scott Madry web info see Univ North Carolina and the private firm Informatics International . "Informatics International is a world-wide corporation dedicated to providing superior services in the integrated technologies of Geoinformatics: consisting of Remote Sensing, Geographic Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS) and related space systems"

Stanford Univerisity . Center for Conservation Biology, Ca e93 . (385 Serra Mall, Stanford CA 94305-5020 USA tel:(650) 725-5585 fax:(650) 723-5920 email: CONSBIO@bing.stanford.edu , GIS Contact: John P. Fay, email:jpfay@leland.stanford.edu ) "The Center for Conservation Biology was established in 1984 to develop the science of conservation biology, including its application to solutions for critical conservation problems. In particular, the CCB conducts objective scientific and policy research that is building a sound basis for the conservation, management, and restoration of biotic diversity, and the overall management of Earth's life support systems." ...Research Areas: Population, Biodiversity, Environmental Policy, Tropical Research Program. "Stanford University' s Center for Conservation Biology continues to conduct valuable research on a broad range of conservation issues. GIS is becoming an increasingly important component of those research efforts" GIS LAB PROJECTS: include Jasper Ridge, Kirby Canyon, Spring Mountains, Nevada, Masoala, Calakmul, Jatun Sacha . Don't Miss: Checklist of Online Vegetation and Plant Distribution Maps Compiled by Claire Englander and Philip Hoehn .

Stanford University GIS LINKS PAGE .

Tall Timbers Research Station, Fl e97 . (13093 Henry Beadel Drive, Tallahassee, Florida 32312-0918 Telephone:(850) 893-4153 x258 Fax:(850) 906-0837, GIS Contact: Leonard A. Brennan, Director of Research, Tall Timbers Research Station, Route 1, Box 678, Tallahassee, FL 32312 USA tel:904-893-4153 ext 229 fax:904-668-7781 email:brennan@bio.fsu.edu ) (see also under The Nature Conservancy in ECP Fire section) "Established 41 years ago as a non-profit scientific and educational organization, Tall Timbers continues to be recognized as a leader in land management, conservation activities, ecological research, and particularly fire ecology." GIS PLAN: ".....Tall Timbers is a small, private biological research station, founded in 1958. We focus primarily on game birds and threatened and endangered species and habitats of this high quality "Red Hills" habitat located in north Florida and south Georgia. We rely heavily on good maps not only for mapping and inventory purposes, but to seek out relationships between the many elements we study. We currently have a TNC heritage-style map system set up on paper USGS topographic quadrangle maps. We plan to move this into a digital system and use this information to better monitor species, habitats, and relationships in this area. We would like to expand the areas surveyed and inventories, and put into the system and the ability of our ornithologist, plant ecologist, research forester, land manager, and game bird researcher to use this information to see relationships between data that are currently very limited." OTHER Gis Projects: "Mapping and documenting environmental and cultural resources of the Red Hills geographical region of north Florida and south Georgia. Ongoing, long-term research on plants, arthropods and vertebrates in the southeastern coastal plain of the United States. "

University of Arizona, School of Renewable Natural Resources, Az e96 . (University of Arizona, 125 Biological Sciences East, Tucson, Arizona 85721 GIS Contact: Michael R. Kunzmann, Telephone: (520) 621-7282 Fax: (520) 670-5001 Email: mrsk@npscpsu.srnr.arizona.edu ) . "The School of Renewable Natural Resources provides instruction, research and extension in a range of disciplines related to renewable natural resources. The specific academic programs are: Landscape Studies, Rangeland and Forest Resources, Watershed Resources and Wildlife and Fisheries Resources." . . "Mike Kunzmann is a National Biological Service ecologist located at the University of Arizona Cooperative Park Studies Unit. Mike has numerous field-GIS related projects throughout the Desert Southwest. In conjunction with the University of Arizona's Advanced Resource Technology Program, Mike has been investigating the integrated use of Global Positioning and Geographic Information Systems (GPS/GIS) to automate data collection activities in the field. " . The Sonoran Desert Field Station is located at The University of Arizona. Established August 16th, 1973, it was originally one of five Cooperative Park Studies Units in the Western Region...The mission of the USGS Western Ecological Research Center Sonoran Desert Field Station (SDFS) is to work with others to provide the scientific understanding and technologies needed to manage the nation's biological resources. A fundamental part of this mission is to contribute to the development of a national partnership for sharing biological information."

University of California Berkeley Digital Libraries Project . (Dr. Robert Wilensky, Principal Investigator, Computer Science Division and School of Information Management and Systems, 721 Soda Hall, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720 TEL:(510) 642-7034 FAX:(510) 643-1534 email:wilensky@CS.Berkeley.EDU ) "The UC Berkeley Digital Library Project is developing the tools and technologies to support highly improved models of the "scholarly information life cycle". Our goal is to facilitate the move from the current centralized, discrete publishing model, to a distributed, continuous, and self-publishing model"

University of California Berkeley Web Gis Viewer Project: (Dr. Robert Wilensky, Computer Science Division and School of Information Management and Systems, 721 Soda Hall, University of California, Berkeley Berkeley, CA 94720 TEL:(510) 642-7034 FAX:(510) 643-1534 email:wilensky@CS.Berkeley.EDU ) "The GIS Viewer is is a tool that allows you to display and manipulate sets of geographical information...the GIS Viewer is designed along the lines of the "Multivalent Document" model. In general, multivalent documents comprise layers of information that are manipulated by behaviors, i.e., various user operations. You don't have to know anything more about multivalent documents to use the Viewer, but you can find out more about them, which often have more complex behaviors, by taking our document tour."

University of California Berkeley: Colin Brook's GIS Links Page . (by Colin Brooks, GIS Analyst Hopland Research & Extension Center, Integrated Hardwood Range Management Program 4070 University Road Hopland, CA 95449 Phone: 707-744-1270 Fax: 707-744-1040) Global but with special detail on Northern California .

University of California, Berkeley . Applied Environmental Geographic Information Science program .(AEGIS, College of Environmental Design, 202 Wurster Hall, The University of California, Berkeley, CA 94720-2000 email:aegis@ced.berkeley.edu . GIS contact, Dr. John Radke tel:(510) 643-5995, mailto:ratt@ced.berkeley.edu) "The mission of AEGIS is variously to creatively and innovatively research, manipulate, analyze, model and present GIS information and decision-support to a wide audience. More specifically, AEGIS seeks to apply innovative GIS solutions to environmental problems and issues that avail themselves to the GIS framework. The "Applied" in AEGIS reflects the direct "real-world" utility of the research efforts of AEGIS." Research Projects Page, includes: Riparian Land Use Buffers, Spatial Statistics and Vegetation Patches, Dynamic Planning . EXAMPLE MAPS: "GREATER SAN FRANCISCO BAY AREA 3-D RELIEF MAP , SIERRA NEVADA 3-D RELIEF MAP, EASTBAY HILLS FIRE HAZARD, TRINITY BIOREGION PROJECT Maps (Part of the Klamath GIS Project). BERKELEY POLICE DEPARTMENT GIS Sample Map, BERKELEY BIKE 3-D Perspective View, EMAP-the EPA's Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program maps ". see also: A Spatial Decision Support System for Urban/Wildland Interface Fire Hazards by John Radke . GIS LINKS Page .

UC Davis Information Center for the Environment - ICE. (Director: Dr. James Quinn, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, California 95616 USA, tel: (530) 752-4389 email: info@ice.ucdavis.edu ) . The Information Center for the Environment is a cooperative effort of environmental scientists at the University of California, Davis and collaborators at over thirty private, state, federal, and international organizations interested in environmental protection....Projects: ICE MAPS: Interactive Natural Resources Query System, is a web-based interactive map query system built from ArcInfo AML programs. Aquatic Diversity of California, California Rivers Assessment (CARA) , CEQA Support Project California , Ecological Restoration Projects Inventory (CERPI) , California Watershed Projects Inventory (CWPI) , Guide to California Programs for Biodiversity Conservation , John Muir Exhibit (has moved to the Sierra Club Web server), Man And the Biosphere (MAB) Species Databases, Species in U.S. National Parks , SEED Environmental Education .

UC Davis ICE MAPS : Interactive California Environmental Management, Assessment, and Planning System. (Director: Dr. James Quinn, One Shields Avenue, University of California, Davis, California 95616 USA, tel: (530) 752-4389 email: info@ice.ucdavis.edu ) "Welcome to ICE MAPS, an interactive, natural resources query system for the state of California. This system uses several Web techniques that allow you to query the GIS system and databases here at ICE. The results include maps and hyper-links to other sources of information related to your choices....The ICE MAPS data layers come from a number of different sources. Some GIS data sets were developed at ICE, while others are made available courtesy of state and federal agencies. In particular, the California Department of Fish and Game (DFG) contributed several of the layers. Many additional data sets are provided by the DFG through a license agreement with the Teale GIS Technology Center . Brief, descriptive meta-data for each data layer is available by selecting the name of the layer. From there, a full meta-data description from the source organization is accessible via another hyper-link....Layers Available: Administrative: Counties, California Department of Fish and Game jurisdictional boundaries, U.S. Bureau of Reclamation jurisdictional boundaries, California State Assembly Districts, California State Senate Districts, Biogeographical: CERES Bioregions, Hydrological: CalWater, California State Water Resources Control Board hydrological sub-regions, Major rivers , USGS Cataloging Units, Miscellaneous: Major cities, State highways, Major U.S. highways, Longitude-latitude grid ,USGS 1:24K quad boundaries, USGS 1:100K quad boundaries, USGS 1:250K quad boundaries. "UC Davis ICE House List California Programs for Biodiversity Conservation . : Good page of conervation links, some not found anywhere else.

UC Santa Barbara, Biogeography Lab . (Director, Dr. Frank Davis, Department of Geography, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106-4060, tel: (805) 893-3438 email: fd@geog.ucsb.edu or Dave Stoms, stoms@geog.ucsb.edu phone:(805)893-7655) "The Biogeography Laboratory conducts basic and applied research on the ecology, distribution, and conservation status of species and ecosystems. Research to date has focused on the integration of geographic information systems (GIS) and remote sensing methods for mapping and modelling at a regional scale vegetation cover types, wildlife distributions, and long-term vegetation change, as well as on methods for assessing the accuracy of vegetation maps." Projects include California Gap Analysis Project , a CD-ROM on Calif. Ecology published in ArcView Data Publisher, Sierra Nevada Network for Education and Research Page .

UC. Santa Barbara Biogeography Lab, IBM Environmental Research Program . "A Spatial Modeling and Decision Support System for Conservation of Biological Diversity...UCSB researchers are designing and testing a new prototype computational technology to address the complex problems of identifying and planning new nature reserves for conservation of biological diversity. The project is closely tied to the U.S. Biological Service's Gap Analysis Program and related efforts for multi-species conservation planning in southern California." Download Data: The UCSB IBM Environmental Research Program is doing a gap analysis of the intermountain sagebrush ecoregion. AVHRR imagery may be downloaded from this page. Maps: Intermountain Sagebrush Study Area, Vegetation Classification in SWECO, Reserve Selections in SWECO. The UCSB IBM ERP Related Publications is an excellent collection of papers in GIS based biodiversity analysis and landscape ecology.

University of California Natural Reserve System .(Natural Reserve System, University of California, 1111 Franklin Street, 6th Floor, Oakland, CA 94607-5200 Phone: (510) 987-0150 Fax: (510) 763-2971 Director: Alexander Glazer mailto:alexander.glazer@ucop.edu) ...Each of our 33 sites is assigned to a UC campus, and together they comprise nearly 119,000 acres, representing a relatively pristine cross section of California's diverse natural habitats. See: .List of Reserves & Contacts . Map of Reserves . Search .

UCNRS Ano Nuevo Reserve (Steve Davenport, Long Marine Laboratory, Institute of Marine Sciences, 100 Shaffer Rd., Santa Cruz, CA 95060 tel:(831) 459-4771 sldaven@cats.ucsc.edu ) Don't miss the Wild Elephant Seal Cam! "The weather-proof camera and transmitter are solar powered and installed at North Bight Beach – an area that we usually don't get to visit until September or October. The images are transmitted via radio to the Lumber company at Davenport and then phone line to the server. " GIS WORK: "Large-scale maps and aerial photographs; breeding records of pinnipeds continuous from 1967, extensive bibliography of published research, and plant surveys."

UCNRS Bodega Marine Reserve, Bodega Bay , CA e93 . ...The Reserve includes 132 hectares (326 acres) of University-owned land bordered on the north and south by State Park lands, on the east by Bodega Harbor, and on the west by the Pacific Ocean.

UCNRS Hastings Reserve . (Mark Stromberg, Reserve Manager, Hastings Natural History Reservation, 38601 East Carmel Valley Rd., Carmel Valley, CA 93924 Phone (831) 659-2664 Fax (831) 659-3649 Email: stromber@socrates.berkeley.edu ) "The Hastings Natural History Reservation lies in the foothills of coastal central California's Santa Lucia Mountains." Their database holdings include several GIS layers. GIS NEWS: "GPS will help on-site researchers to map known nesting sites of acorn woodpeckers, western bluebirds, and orioles; create grids and transects for small mammals; and enhance the reserve's computer-based geographic information system (GIS). The neighboring Oak Ridge and Boekenoogen ranches also made contributions toward the GPS purchase; they plan to use it, in cooperation with reserve management, to pinpoint common property boundaries. "

UCNRS James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve, Idyllwild CA e91 . GIS Work: Library, maps, synoptic collections, tree-core samples, and photographic archive cross-referenced on microcomputer. see: James Reserve goes "virtual" after 30 years (by Jana Shaker): "Incorporating species inventories based on nearly 100 years of biological investigations, augmented by concentrated data collection over the past 12 years, the James Reserve homepage will emulate on the Internet's World Wide Web the actual physical reserve and surrounding natural and human environments. Utilizing a database comprised of nearly seven gigabytes of computerized information, the electronic reserve will provide scientists, students, and agencies -- such as the California Department of Forestry -- fingertip-access to text, multimedia, and data files that translate the San Jacinto Mountains, the town of Idyllwild, and nearby mountain communities, into high-resolution detail, literally to the level of individual plants...it will include access to the complete geographic information system (GIS), remote-sensing imagery, biodiversity accounts, reserve user profiles, and reserve research publication bibliography that currently reside at the James Reserve. It will also include an electronic reservation calendar, e-mail post office, and topical discussion area. " GIS and FIRE ECOLOGY NEWS:(by Tim Stephens) "At the James San Jacinto Mountains Reserve, vegetation and fire-history data have been integrated into the reserve's geographic information system (GIS). This enables resident reserve director Mike Hamilton to use the GIS to assess the fire risk at different sites and plan fire management strategies (see Transect 12:1). Property owners in the neighboring town of Idyllwild can also use the GIS to assess their own fire risk and take appropriate fire prevention and safety measures. "

UCNRS Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve . ( Coast Route, Big Sur, CA 93920 Phone: 831-667-2543 Director: John Smiley, E-mail: jsmiley@cats.ucsc.edu ) "Set in the Santa Lucia Mountains along the Big Sur coast, the Landels-Hill Big Creek Reserve encompasses several miles of rugged ridges, which flank the Pacific Ocean and descend to a rocky shoreline."" GIS for FIRE PLANNING (From Transect 16 #2): “It became clear at our first meeting after the fires that this area has not been adequately mapped,” explains Smiley. “Those of us who live here know where the roads are, but emergency personnel don’t have that intricate knowledge of the region.” That knowledge is crucial for emergency evacuations, putting out fires, and attempts to save homes. So Smiley volunteered to coordinate an effort to map Big Sur, from the Palo Colorado Canyon to Monterey County’s southern border. As Big Creek’s reserve manager, Smiley had already begun creating maps on exotic plants and weed management. But the road and topography maps are woefully incomplete. Road damage from the storms put the project on hold this past winter and spring, but today it continues. Smiley is using ArcView, a geographic information system (GIS) software, to map the Big Sur region. His goal is to create a “run book” that fire emergency personnel carry with them on their trucks. “The run book will contain maps and information on whether a house exists along the road, whether there are water sources, such as tanks or swimming pools that firefighters can draw upon, and local contact information.”

UCNRS Santa Cruz Island Reserve (Contact: Lyndal Laughrin, Reserve Director, Natural Reserve System, c/o Marine Science Institute, University of California, Santa Barbara, CA 93106 Phone: 805/893-4127 Fax: 805/893-8062 Email: donnam@msi.ucsb.edu . Alternate URL) "Santa Cruz Island is the largest of the California Channel Islands, which lie off the coast of southern California. It is also the largest site in the UC Natural Reserve System (NRS.)...Direct management of the reserve's resources is the responsibility of The Nature Conservancy (TNC), which owns the 60,784 acre property comprising the reserve." The UC Field station there also includes a large GIS lab. see Research Reports and Publications . GIS is used in Terrestrial Zoology, Terrestrial Biology, Anthropology, . . Dr. Lael Mertes of UC Santa Barbara oversees the ongoing development of the Reserve's GIS system, and has developed the "Computational Methods for Watershed Analysis" course in ArcInfo, which may be out on CD.

UCNRS Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory, Mammoth Lakes CA e93 . GIS Work: Long-term flow and temperature records for Convict Creek and long-term flow data for most nearby streams; climatic data, including windspeed and direction, air temperature, relative humidity, solar radiation, precipitation; maps; bibliography of on-site research; synoptic collections.

University of Connecticut, Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology . (Department of Ecology and Evolutionary Biology, U-43 University of Connecticut, Storrs, CT 06269-3043 Tel: (860)486-4059 Fax: (860) 486-6364 E-Mail: kent@darwin.eeb.uconn.edu ) "Graduate education and research are the foundation on which we must build long-term conservation efforts. Research provides the data necessary for wise decisions, while graduate education provides the skilled professionals necessary to implement them."

University of Kansas . GIS and Environmental Modeling Laboratory, Ks e95 . (University of Kansas, Lawrence, KS 66045 USA tel: (913)864-7769 FAX: (913)864-7789 . GIS Contact: Dr. Paul M. Rich, Associate Professor, e-mail: prich@oz.kbs.ukans.edu ) "GEMLAB focuses on basic and applied research in bioinformatics using geographical information system (GIS) technology, data integration, and computer modeling. Applications: Map-based analysis, database development, and model development, such as those of GEMLAB, play an increasingly important role for land management, planning, conservation, study of biotic implications of climate change, and basic ecological research. " GIS PROJECTS: .Brunca GIS Project: "Development of a geographical information system (GIS) database for the Brunca Region, Costa Rica" (focus on Las Cruces Biological Station, Golfito Field Station, and vicinity). . . . .-Flint Hills-Osage Plains Ecoregion GIS Project: "Development of a GIS database for the Flint Hills-Osage Plains Ecoregion". . . . -Geospatial Data Clearinghouse Project: "Establishment of National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse (NGDC) nodes for geospatial data concerning biological resources in Central America and Mexico". . . . . -Habitat Modeling Project: "GIS-based biophysical models of habitat". Helios Project: "Development of integrative solar radiation models". . . . -RMBL GIS Project: "Development of a geographic information system (GIS) database for research, education, and management at Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory (RMBL)". . .See also: Helios Environmental Modeling Institute (HEMI): "provides a variety of advanced environmental modeling and measurement capabilities, as well as geographic information system (GIS) consulting services." Products: The Helios Suite of Software . . -HemiView - software for the analysis of hemispherical photographs, now available commercially from Delta-T Devices, Ltd. . . -TopoView - software for calculation of insolation maps from digital elevation models (DEMs). [Order Now] . . -Solar Analyst - software providing solar simulation tools accessible through ArcView GIS, including capabilities of TopoView plus many enhancements. Available in 2000.

University of Miami, Rosenstiel School of Marine Atmospheric Sciences e94 . Center for Marine and Environmental Analyses, GIS Lab. (4600 Rickenbacker Causeway, Miami, FL 33149-1098, tel: 305/361-4000 fax: 305/361-4711 email: resdean@rsmas.miami.edu) projects: Ecological Risk Assessment, Ecological Sustainability, Ecosystem and Landscape Modeling, Hurricane Andrew.

University of Minnesota Dept of Fisheries & Wildlife e92 . (200 Hodson Hall, 1980 Folwell Avenue, St. Paul, Minnesota 55108-6124, Phone: (612) 624-3600, FAX: (612) 625-5299 email: webmaster@fw.umn.edu. GIS Contact: James L. David Smith Associate Professor, Phone: 612-624-5369 e-mail : dsmith@forestry.umn.edu, GIS Contact: Anup Joshi, email: joshi002@maroon.tc.umn.edu)..."Our status as one of the nation's top fisheries and wildlife programs is built on a foundation which includes:...Analysis of populations, communities, and ecosystems, particularly through computer modeling and Geographical Information Systems (GIS)..See: Landscape analysis of tiger distribution and habitat quality in Nepal (James L. David Smith Associate Professor, Department of Fisheries and Wildlife Conservation Biology Program ) GIS STATUS: The ArcView grant will be to establish a spatial data base to be used in assessing the status of tigers in Vietnam. I helped organize a Sub-regional Tiger Workshop in Hanoi and an International Tiger GIS Workshop in Bangkok. Our goal is to develop a GIS for mapping tiger distribution and to use this GIS as a tool to introduce spatial resource analysis and planning to the other 2 organizations. Dr. Anup Joshi who was an instructor at the Bankok Tiger GIS Workshop and I will provide field training and participate in the tiger survey....The Vietnam Tiger Assessment Project is a joint venture between the Vietnam government and the University of Minnesota. It is one of 3 tiger projects that I am involved with (Thailand, Nepal, Vietnam). The Vietnam and Nepal projects were recently funded. The Thailand project was initiated with ESRI help in 1995 and has resulted in the Thailand Tiger Action Plan that was presented at the Tigers 2000 meeting held in Dallas. There is a Tiger Conservation Website that was developed as a part of this project. It is in English, Chinese, and Thai and uses ArcView Map Server." Check out the interactive Tiger Status Maps of Thailand, Cambodia/Lao PDR/Vietnam,

University of Montana EOS Training Center . (University of Montana, Missoula MT 59812 tel: (406) 243-6220 fax: (406) 243-4510 . GIS Contact, Andy Weiss, Technical Coordinator, email:adw@ntsg.umt.edu ) "The mission of the center is to take the data stream from EOS-AM1 Terra that is going up on July 28 (If it doesn't blow up on launch) and develop derivative products (mainly from the MODIS 1km instrument) that are useful to land managers, researchers, and educators, training materials in how to access and use these data, and making it accessible via the net, CDROM, or magnetic media. "

University of North Carolina . Dept of Anthropology (301 Alumni Hall, Chapel Hill, NC , GIS Contact, Dr. Scott Madry ) (see also under private research firm Informatics International )

University of Rhode Island Cooperative Extension Service. (Department of Natural Resources Science, 9 East Alumni Avenue Suite 5, Kingston, RI 02881 tel: (401) 874 5054 email: maps@uri.edu GIS Contact: Dr. Peter August ) "Bringing the tools of modern technology to the citizens and environmental decision-makers of Rhode Island: Rhode Island Geographic Information System (RIGIS) Data, Global Positioning System (GPS) Base Station Files...Major Categories of GIS Data (as ArcInfo Export Files with matching metadata files): Annotation, Open Space (Recreation and Protected Lands), Boundaries, Parcels / Properties, Cultural, Raster Images, Demographic, Soils, Economic, Transportation, Facilities, Utilities, Geology, Vertical Elevations, Hydrography, Wetlands, Land Use/Land Cover, Hazardous Materials, Natural Resources (Ecology), Zoning."

University Consortium for Geographic Information Science. .(University Consortium for Geographic Information Science, 43351 Spinks Ferry Road, Leesburg, Virginia 20176-5631, Phone: (703) 779-7980, (888) 850-8533, FAX: (703) 771-1635 E-mail: execdir@ucgis.org ) . "The University Consortium for Geographic Information Science (UCGIS) is a non-profit organization of universities and other research institutions dedicated to advancing our understanding of geographic processes and spatial relationships through improved theory, methods, technology, and data. UCGIS membership is open to all U.S. academic and research organizations that meet the membership criteria listed on the Membership page.

Utah State University Department of Geography and Earth Resources .(Logan, Utah, 84322-5240 Tel: (435)797-1790, fax (435)797-4048l email: doug@nr.usu.edu ) see Remote Sensing and GIS Laboratories . Very useful set of GIS & DEM tutorials : GENERATING CONTOUR LINES FROM 7.5 MIN DEM FILES, by R. Douglas Ramsey. IMPORTING USGS 3-ARC SECOND DTED INTO AN ARC LATTICE, by R. Douglas Ramsey

UK Institute of Terrestrial Ecology, Natural Environment Research Council . The Institute of Terrestrial Ecology will develop long-term, multidisciplinary research and exploit new technology to advance the science of terrestrial ecology, leading to a better understanding and quantification of the physical, chemical and biological processes of the land.

(Legend: ESRI User Conference Papers list the title, then in parentheses "paper" or "abstract" plus the year. Other web-located papers list title, author if known, and excerpt.)

Applying the MCLP Model to Select Reserves: Using the ArcInfo GIS (UCSB Biogeography Lab). The focus of this research activity under the IBM ERP was to take operations research techniques that were well known in the literature on facility location, and to apply them to optimal reserve selection. The model utilized was the Maximal Covering Location Problem (MCLP). The application of the MCLP to selecting reserves has been outlined by Church, Stoms, and Davis (1996) in Biological Conservation. The difference between the Church et al. application and this research was that this application of the MCLP to reserve siting was carried out entirely within the ArcInfo Geographical Information System. ESRI has recently debuted a location modeling capability as a resident tool within the ArcInfo system.

ArcInfo GIS Applications and Models for the Conservation of Fossil and Cultural Resources at the Petrified Forest National Park, Arizona . (by Michael R. Kunzmann, Gary L. Christopherson, Craig A. Wissler, D. Phillip Guertin, and Tom N. Potter. Contact: Michael R. Kunzmann, Ecologist National Biological Survey Cooperative Park Studies Unit University of Arizona, Tucson, AZ 85721 (602) 621-7282, FAX (602) 670-5001) "The Petrified Forest National Park in northern Arizona was created to preserve the mineralized remains of Mesozoic Forests commonly known as the "Petrified Forest." The park is not only rich in plant fossils, but is an important site for Triassic vertebrate fossils. The park contains important archeological resources, including some of the most important rock art sites in the southwest, and several rare, endangered, and threatened species. The Advanced Resource Technology Program at the University of Arizona, in cooperation with the National Biological Survey and National Park Service, has been developing a GIS database and applications for the park to address its unique problems. This paper will review the Petrified Forest GIS program, including database and application development. Database development has included the collection of field data using global positioning systems. Examples of GIS-based applications include an erosion sensitivity model to assist in the monitoring of diverse fossil and archeological sites and an archeological site probability model, both developed using ArcInfo GIS software."

A COMPARISON OF SPATIAL EXTENT, ACCURACY, & LANSCAPE PATTERN IN CURRENT FOREST RESOURCE MAPS OF THE APPALACHIANS (Peter Leimgruber, William J McShea, & Gary Schnell, Contact: Smithsonian Institution, Conservation and Research Center, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630 GIS Lab tel:540-635-6543 FAX:540-635-6506 Courses: Chris Larson (larsonc@crc.si.edu)" Forest-managing agencies in the Appalachian Mountains of the eastern United States have extensive spatial databases that are frequently used for landscape studies and management, but there is little information on the accuracy and usefulness of this data...Our results demonstrate the need to evaluate the accuracy of spatial databases prior to their use in landscape studies or forest management."

LANDSCAPE INFLUENCES ON MIGRATORY BIRDS & SMALL MAMMALS (Bill McShea, Peter Leimgruber, Contact: Smithsonian Institution, Conservation and Research Center, 1500 Remount Road, Front Royal, VA 22630 GIS Lab tel:540-635-6543 FAX:540-635-6506) "Funded by the Warm Springs Ranger District of the George Washington National Forest, this project examines the landscape and microhabitat features that determine the distribution of small mammals and migratory birds within the Forest Service's extensive holdings on this mountain in Highland and Bath Counties in Virginia. Forest stand information in a GIS was used to select over 350 sample points across the landscape, which are being censused for birds, small mammals, and bats."

Beyond Mapping: Using Gis For Natural Resource Assessment And Analysis (1995 ESRI Conf. Paper, Edith Read &Jennifer Gough: Psomas Associates) We present three diverse examples which show how GIS can be applied to relationships between hydrological and biological resources.

Characterizing Error in a Presettlement Vegetation Map (1995 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Tim Haithcoat, Eric Compas) ...General Land Office survey notes were used to reconstruct the presettlement vegetation of a portion of the Current River watershed in the Missouri Ozarks.

Classifying topographically similar landscape units using digital terrain surfaces and multivariate analysis within a geographic information system (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Richard H. Odom, Dr. Stephen P. Prisley)...Topographic and plant community characteristics were measured at 400 plots located on the Westvaco Wildlife and Ecosystem Research Forest, a 8,430 acre tract near Elkins, West Virginia. Forest community types were identified by analyzing species abundance and basal area data using community classification and ordination techniques. A discriminant function was then developed that described the correlation of these forest types to topographic gradients in the landscape.

Decision Support Tools for Natural Resource, Nature Conservation and Environmental Management in South Africa (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Mike Adam and Dean H. K. Fairbanks)...This paper describes a number of the GIS management tools developed by Environmentek over the last year. These tools include, the Conservation Management System a catchment/reserve level fire and alien weed management tool, the National Nature Conservation Information System, a national level decision support tool, the Open Areas Management System...

Developing a Natural Resource Database for Geographic Information System, Khaled M. Hassouna, Special Report submitted to the Faculty of the Virginia Tech in partial fulfillment of the requirements for the degree of Master of Forestry, March 13, 1997 Blacksburg, Virginia, Dr. Richard G. Oderwald, Co-Chair Dr. Robert H. Giles,Jr., Co-Chair Dr. Gerald H. Cross . "Geographic information systems ( GIS ) are an effective tool for land management. By studying the land formations and land cover of a site, much information about the tree and animal species inhabiting a site can be estimated."

Ecoregions of Alaska (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, E.F. Binnian, A.L. Gallant, J.M. Omernik, M.B. Shasby)...A map and set of descriptions of 20 ecological regions (ecoregions) of Alaska have been produced as a framework for organizing and interpreting environmental data for State-level inventory, monitoring, and research efforts. The map was derived by synthesizing information on the geographic distribution of environmental factors such as climate terrain, geology, soils, hydrology, and vegetation.

Evolution of a Regional Vegetation Prediction Model (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Steven Zubalik and Dr. Jan Henderson)...For over fifteen years, Dr. Jan Henderson has been collecting forest plot data and developing a model to predict climax vegetation using physical determinants (e.g., slope, aspect, elevation, precipitation, temperature, topographic moisture, and cold air drainage) in the North Cascade Mountains in Washington State....This paper describes the theoretical basis for the model, provides an overview of how the model functions, and highlights some of the technical problems to be overcome in expanding this GIS application...

Geographical Information Systems, Remote Sensing Techniques, and GPS-based Field Verification Methodologies for Mapping Vegetation Change at Chiricahua National Monument, Arizona. (1996 ESRI User Paper, Michael R. Kunzmann, Susan M. Skirvin, Peter S. Bennett, and Craig A. Wissler) . Professional management requires accurate and comprehensive information of park resources. Perhaps the most basic information for managing natural-resource areas is a thorough knowledge of vegetation, an undisputed resource of scenic beauty, wildlife habitat, and overall ecosystem function. Rapid vegetation changes in Southeastern Arizona ecosystems have been well documented (Nichol, 1937; Reynold and Bohning, 1956; Hastings and Turner, 1965; Bahre, 1991). To assess vegetation change at Chiricahua National Monument, an ArcInfo-based GIS has been developed as well as a revised Brown, Lowe, and Pase vegetation classification system. The GIS and vegetation classification systems in conjunction with numerous remote sensing methodologies and computer-based automated field mapping techniques, have been indispensable tools in the process of creating an up-to-date vegetation map. The new vegetation map coupled with GIS analysis provides a means for making informed management decisions about the relative extent and nature of vegetation changes between 1939 and the present. The new vegetation map will also (1) serve as a baseline dataset for monitoring the effects of natural fires and prescribed burning programs, (2) serve as an aid in the evaluation of potential wildlife habitat, and (3) be used to assess the possible impacts of human activities.

GIS Based Ecosystem Indicators for National and Subnational Assessment (1995 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Bruce A. Wilcox, K. Shawn Smallwood )...A general framework and some specific applications are presented for applying DCW and land cover data sets to simple models for assessing biotic integrity (or health) and vulnerability of ecosystems and biodiversity at the regional scale.

GIS for Environmental Management: A Hierarchical Database Structure (1995 ESRI Conf. Paper, R. Douglas Ramsey, Kimberly Patraw, Brian Biggs, Allan Falconer, Tom Van Neil, Merland Halisky, Richard Spencer)...Ecosystems function across many scales. However, resource managers must often use data at whatever scale is available. To provide the resource manager with data that can be used to evaluate these systems at various scales and to place local information in a regional context, a database has been generated at Utah State University, Department of Geography and Earth Resources. The database can be used to address environmental management problems at multiple scales. It brings together information gathered by the U.S. Geologic Survey, the National Biological Service, and the Utah National Guard to place ground based information in a local, regional, state, and national context.

A GIS framework for modelling wildlife species distributions (UCSB Biogeography Lab, Allan David Hollander) "Maps of wildlife species distributions are a fundamental display of data in biogeography, and increasingly GIS methods are used to develop models of distributions. This dissertation examines some of the major issues in constructing predictive maps of species, focusing on the capability of GIS to relate environmental factors to distributions through logical or mathematical inference. "

GIS in the Grassroots: The Role for Universities . (R. E. Sieber, (current address see under State University of New York) . Center for Urban Policy Research, Rutgers University, Suite 400, 33 Livingston Avenue, New Brunswick, NJ 08901 tel:908.932.3133, ext. 522 Fax 2363 ) "Geographic information systems (GISs) have diffused throughout a broad array of institutions, from universities and local governments, to industry. These organizations recognize the capacity of GIS for spatial data management, presentation, and analysis; at the same time they acknowledge the considerable technical and organizational costs of GIS implementation. The tremendous growth in GIS usage and spatial data production has not gone unnoticed by grassroots groups, who find information systems increasingly accessible for analyzing complex socio-political and environmental issues. Given the fragile resource base of these groups, however, they frequently struggle with system adoption and spatial data acquisition....The paper builds upon a literature review, survey research and case studies to answer questions of academic involvement in GIS adoption by grassroots groups. Initially, the literature on citizen use of IT is linked with the literature of GIS implementation to construct a theoretical and methodological framework. Using this framework, case studies of environmental organizations in California were conducted over a two-year period. The research identifies GIS applications and implementation models for five cases. This paper focuses on the involvement of universities in those case studies. By acknowledging conflicts and understanding constraints, recommendations are made for university support of GIS diffusion in the grassroots." The groups discussed include The Nature Conservancy--Lanphere Christensen Dunes Preserve, The Greenbelt Alliance, Trinity Community GIS .

Global and Local Spatial Statistical Analysis In A GIS Environment: An Example From A Semi-Arid Landscape (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Barbara Bell and Arthur Getis, Ph.D)...The purpose of this paper is to share the results of recent exploration of 0.5 meter resolution remotely sensed landscapes using global and local spatial statistics in a GIS environment. An example is taken from ADAR imagery of semi-arid shrubland and grassland vegetation communities of the northern Chihuahuan desert of New Mexico.

The Global Demography Project (1995 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Waldo Tobler)...Thus it makes sense to assemble the terrestrial arrangement of people in a comparable manner. This alternative is explored here, using latitude/longitude quadrilaterals as bins for population information. This data format also has considerable advantage for analytical studies.

Global Positioning Systems, Geographical Information Systems, and Field Mapping Techniques to Support the Development of a National Biological Information Infrastructure Node at the USGS-BRD Cooperative Park Studies Unit, University of Arizona (by Michael R. Kunzmann, Ecologist, USGS-BRD Cooperative Park Studies Unit, National Biological Survey) "The development of a National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) at the USGS Biological Resources Division’s (USGS-BRD) Cooperative Park Studies Unit (CPSU/UA) is part of a large national USGS cooperative effort to make ecological data and related natural and cultural resources information readily available to land managing agencies and the public. A goal of the NBII is to establish a framework to create a distributed "federation" of ecological information Internet nodes relying on a network of state partnerships and cooperators. Concomitantly, efforts to collect important ecological data are becoming increasingly dependent upon Global Positioning (GPS) and GIS. The use of these technologies and integrated field mapping products such as GeoLink are increasing our ability to map and manage ecological landscape more efficiently and effectively in a distributed CPSU/UA-ART NBII program. "

GRID-Based Multivariate Analysis of Vegetation Distributions in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada: Integrating Canonical Correspondence Analysis and GIS (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Andrew D. Weiss, Stuart B. Weiss, and Alisya T. Galo)...Canonical Correspondence Analysis (CCA) and workstation ArcInfo GRID are used to analyze vegetation distributions in the Spring Mountains of Southern Nevada....CCA generates ordination axes that are linear combinations of environmental variables, and calculates the centroids and tolerances of the species or communities within ordination space. GIS is used to project the values of the ordination axes across geographic space, and to classify the landscape into probability or abundance surfaces for each species or community.

Hierarchical representation of species distributions for biological survey and monitoring. Stoms, D. M., F. W. Davis, and A. D. Hollander, 1996. in GIS and Environmental Modeling: Progress and Research Issues, GIS World Books, Ft. Collins, CO, pp. 445-449. (UCSB Biogeography Lab)

High-Value Natural Resources Identification Using GRID (1995 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Ailing Hsu, Greg Charest)...The final goal of this project was to identify high-value natural resources so local, state, and federal agencies can develop a resource protection management plan based on information provided by this analysis. Criteria used in this analysis included unfragmented natural land, undeveloped lake shorelines and river banks, high-value wetlands, rare and endangered species habitat, old growth forest, and other wildlife habitats. USGS 1:24,000 road coverages, land use data derived from Landsat TM images, and census data were used to derive fragmentation information. Ranking criteria for unfragmented natural land included size, habitat type, and population density.

Insolation, Precipitation, and Moisture Maps for a Virginia Geographic Information System, Scott Donald Klopfer, U of Virginia 1997 Master's Thesis, Fisheries and Wildlife Science, Dr. Robert H. Giles, Jr., Committee Chair . "Climate information is valuable in understanding the ecology of systems affecting wildlife. This information is often unavailable at the landscape scale. This study evaluated the applicability of several climate factor estimates at the landscape-scale, and illustrated the usefulness of estimated climate factors in ecological investigations....Landscape-scale estimated climate factors were used in 2 case studies. The first used logistic regression to examine the importance of climate factors to the observed distribution of 21 select forest cover-types in Virginia. The second compared the observed climate characteristics for the distributions of 3 species of terrestrial salamanders in Virginia. Winter temperature was the most important climate variable in determining forest cover-type distribution. Several differences in the climate characteristics of the 3 salamander distributions were observed and discussed. The conclusions of this study were that landscape-scale climate factors can be accurately estimated, and the estimates may be helpful in ecological investigations."

Land Condition and Vegetation Trend Analysis Using ArcView Version 2.1 and Avenue (1996 ESRI Conf. Paper, Kimberly Patraw, Tom Van Niel, Jim Long, John Crane, and Allan Falconer )...A land condition trend analysis (LCTA) package has been developed for the Camp W. G. Williams Army National Guard installation in Utah which contains a set of tools written in Avenue. These tools analyze vegetation and land characteristics such as cover, bare ground, canopy structure, fuel load, and species distributions. The tools perform the analyses using tabular data (vegetation transect data, floristic survey, and fuel inventory) in combination with spatial data (environmental, military, utility, and cultural layers) to produce tables, charts and statistical data.

Mapping Current Land Cover In Virginia, virtual slide show presentation by Dr. Dave D. Morton, The 3rd Annual Wildlife Society Conference GIS Symposium, October 2, 1996 Cincinnati, OH ."Throughout this GIS symposium and throughout the wildlife literature, land cover maps are used for a variety of purposes. What I would like to present here are the methods and procedures I employed to create a current, consistent, statewide land cover map."

A MODEL FOR EVALUATING PUBLIC PARTICIPATION GIS PROGRAMS (by Michael Barndt University of Wisconsin-Milwaukee and the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee . Prepared for Varenius Specialist Meeting – "Empowerment, Marginalization and Public Participation GIS", October 15-17, 1998, Santa Barbara, CA ) "This discussion will be drawn from observations of the role of GIS as a tool supporting urban neighborhood revitalization. Progress in this arena has been restricted by - limited resources, small local organizations with nonprofessional staffs and boards, the degree of "distance" between grass-roots organizations and government or business sectors and fundamental political differences among many players. Opportunities for GIS tools to overcome these limitations are often overstated. A number of models for community information and community research activities – often including some degree of GIS – have emerged over the last decade. Universities have sponsored many of these programs. A number of others have been demonstrations funded by foundations. In Milwaukee, the Nonprofit Center of Milwaukee Data Center program began as a more independent entrepreneurial model. Most of the initial funding came from community clients. "

Reserve selection as a maximal covering location problem. Church, R. L., D. M. Stoms, and F. W. Davis, 1996. Biological Conservation, in press. (UCSB Biogeography Lab)

New Horizon for Biological Field Stations and Marine Laboratories . (Lohr, S.A. et al. 1995.. Rocky Mountain Biological Laboratory, Miscellaneous Publication No. 3. 36 pp. (available from Susan Lohr, RMBL, Box 519, Crested Butte, CO 81224). "Field stations and marine laboratories (FSMLs) have been contributing to scientific research and education for more than a century. Although suffering chronic funding problems, scientists working at FSMLs have produced major contributions quietly and consistently. Their discoveries in many cases are huge, although the facilities where the work was done are in general small in size and impoverished instrumentationally. After reviewing examples of scientific discoveries that have taken place at FSMLs, one marine laboratory director remarked: "These facilities have already done an amazing amount for this nation and deserve much greater recognition and support"."

San Jacinto Mountain Forest Stewardship GIS: The ArcView Mac Solution (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Michael P. Hamilton)...Slowly, over decades, biological field stations accumulate significant regional ecological and environmental databases that become invaluable for understanding, protecting and managing natural and biological resources. For the past 12 years, the James Reserve has become the center for ecology-based information resources pertinent to the land management issues facing the government agencies and private property owners throughout the San Jacinto Mountains (Riverside County, California). Recently, under the umbrella of Forest Stewardship, our primary ecological information management interface has been constructed using ArcView 2.1 for the Power Macintosh. This new system incorporates and integrates all of our previous work ranging from ArcInfo coverages, macGIS raster maps, satellite and airborne video, laserdisc multimedia images and movies of local biodiversity, species lists, long-term data sets, and researcher field notes. Application areas which utilize these information resources now include wildland fire pre-attack planning, forest stand management, wildlife habitat assessment and modeling, rare species studies, fire hazard abatement on private property, and research planning. Over the next year, much of this information will be made available over the World Wide Web with an interface designed to allow a user to construct and order a custom CD-ROM.

Scaling from Trees to Forests: Analysis of a Complex Simulation Model , Douglas H. Deutschman,* Simon A. Levin, Catherine Devine, Linda A. Buttel . "The advent of high-speed computing has facilitated a revolution in the modeling of ecological systems. Models can now explicitly represent the complex interplay between the local environment and each individual in the community."

A Spatial Modeling and Decision Support System for Conservation of Biological Diversity (UCSB Biogeography Lab, Frank W. Davis, David M. Stoms) "The goal of this project was to design and test a prototype Spatial Modeling and Decision Support System for Conservation of Biological Diversity. The project is closely tied to the USGS-Biological Resources Division's Gap Analysis Program and to related efforts at multi-species conservation planning in southern California and the Sierra Nevada."

A Strategy for Managing Geographic Analysis and Cartography In a Major Ecological Research Project (1996 ESRI Conf. Abstract, Paul Cote and Stephen Ervin)...In the course of two years of work on a biodiversity research project involving 15 gigabytes of data, 12 ecological models carried out against 10 projected land use scenarios, 150 final maps and countless drafts, we have developed a system for organizing our data, analysis processes, and cartographic production.

Systematic reserve selection in the USA: an example from the Columbia Plateau ecoregion (UCSB Biogeography Lab, Frank W. Davis, David M. Stoms and Sandy Andelman) "We describe a systematic conservation planning approach for identifying a set of areas that meet specified goals for biotic representation while balancing the dual objectives of efficiency (minimum area) and site suitability. The approach was applied by The Nature Conservancy (TNC) to a regional planning exercise in the Columbia Plateau ecoregion of the northwestern United States."

UCSB IBM ERP Related Publications : excellent collection of papers in GIS based biodiversity analysis and landscape ecology.

Wilderness Quality Mapping in the Euro-Actic Barents Region (1995 ESRI Conf. Paper, David Henry and Even Husby )...Wilderness Quality is assessed in terms of remoteness and naturalness. The concept is based on the fact that it is possible to have a continuum of values across the landscape ranging from urban to pristine. Ideally four separate indicators are measured. Three indicators have been measured to date; remoteness from settlement, remoteness from access and apparent naturalness. The fourth indicator, biophysical naturalness, has yet to be measured, but will form part of a future data acquisition exercise.

Center for Conservation Biology Data Resources, Stanford University e91 .

All text by the respective organizations/authors, January 2, 1997

Web layout & design: Charles Convis ESRI Conservation Program. January 2, 1996