IRICC Meeting Notes

March 5, 2003

Attendees:

Stan Allen – Pacific States Marine Fisheries Council

Nancy Tubbs – USGS

Barb Seekins – NMFS

Duane Dippon – BLM

Richard Kang – NMFS

Carrie Wolfe – WA DNR

Cy Smith – OR DAS

Dale Guenther - REO

Next Meeting:

April 15

Future Topics:

- Update on National FGDC Hydro Standards – Ken Adee

- Oregon and REO Coordination on Restoration Tracking System – Doug Terra

- Coordination in delivering multi-agency data, and related issues

- StreamNet Demo, Stan Allen

- National map implementation for the PNW, Nancy Tubbs

Agenda Items:

IRICC and REO Futures Workgroup – Duane – The agency executives have decided to change the nature of REO. Agencies will continue to be represented; those representatives may not be collocated. REO is required to meet the ROD, and will maintain a director and support staff. This will be presented to the agency secretaries in the WO for a decision. IRICC and REO GIS support by the BLM and FS is a separate question. A task group of BLM and FS has been tasked with developing options for a future organization and support.

Question to group is what are your expectations for IRICC. Bill - the original charter for IRICC and REO GIS still stands, developing interagency data standards and data sets to meet ecologically based analysis is critical. An increased support by non-FS and BLM agencies is critical to success. Duane – support for clearinghouse and other projects is critical and will continue. Stan – having a dedicated full time staff, like REO GIS, focused on interagency issues is critical, rather than relying on part time support from agency personnel. Bill – EPA exec has strong support for the current situation. Nancy – desire to expand the scope to regional, rather than just NWFP. Carrie – the Clearinghouse is a critical component. Having a dedicated staff (REO GIS) to support that is critical. It is nice to have a central place to come to partner with other agencies. Good experience in working with other agencies. Duane – the nature of organizations change, and the organization of IRICC needs to reflect this. Cy – Need to solidify the organization of IRICC to the state councils. Would like to continue to use IRICC as a tool for coordination in the PNW. Communicating with individual agencies is important, as well as fed agencies using IRICC to access state agencies. Carrie - concurs. Need executive level backing and support. Bill – Understand that BLM and FS have internal issues to support, and that support may be pulled back in times of funding or issues (fire) impacts. Rich – Each agency has a set of customers or business needs, not clear if we have addressed those customer needs. Need to fully understand the customer needs. We may be focused on technical issues. In order to justify their existence, needs to meet their needs. Redefine mission. Cy – analogous situation in Oregon, and that I don't agree that we can expect the executives to hear about it when we're meeting user's needs. There's a disconnect between the users on the ground and the executives. The gap is too wide and we have to bridge that gap by letting the executives know from time to time about the mechanisms that are in place that facilitate putting data in the hands of users in a timely and efficient manner. Stan – challenge is in balancing individual home units needs with interagency needs. IRICC provides the needed forum. IRICC has had no budget and no resources. IRICC and REO GIS accomplishments are impressive given this. Cy – in tight times something like IRICC is an easy target. Rich – opportunity to review the CBCIS (Columbia Basin Combined Info System) data analysis survey. Barb – sounds like an education function. Bill – The REO GIS provides a critical function in developing data standards. Being neutral, not tied to a specific agency, they can provide the support needed to get the job done.

Rich – Review of the progress of the Salmon Data Management Team. See attached Power Point presentation for more information and web access.

Stan – Update on California coordination projects. Commission is considered a neutral source for coordination across agencies, including funding issues. It has grown from one person pulling together hatchery and other fish data, now includes habitat restoration project data in California. A new system is in place to track this information. Working with UC Davis and other agencies to bring their data in. Working with CALFED to bring in their data as well. Working with adaptive watershed improvement program. PSMFC help them complete projects. Working with fish passage forum, developing a passage barrier database. Working on marine habitat mapping project. Coordinating mapping projects across agencies. Working mapping hydrography for entire state for 1:100k LLID product. Conducting COHO surveys. Working on fish screen shop. Klamath estuary study, capacity analysis. Visit www.calfish.org.

Agency Updates:

Cy Smith – Pilot project for open GIS consortium to develop XML based system to serve distributed data sets. OWEB information strategy is being used as a model for other data sets other than natural resource data. Looking at portal technology to bringing data together.

Duane – BLM is actively moving data into SDE server. Western Oregon is done, now looking at eastside plans. Working with Region 6 on data standards and delivering data to users. A76 is kicking in an analysis on outsourcing IT support. FS will complete an analysis this year.

Barb – Working on critical habitat project, pilot project in Upper Willamette Steelhead ESU. Bringing together data, barrier data, watersheds, etc.

Nancy – Meeting with new boss on strategic mapping. A new geography Phd will be assigned to staff starting FY 04.

Stan – New DB manager positions coming open soon in Sacramento.

Bill – Natl environment education grant has been extended, looking to implementing. Visit www.epa.gov/neengprg. Would like to see this information captured and shared. EPA data exchange priorities seem to be focused on facilities. Involved with Columbia Basin analysis. Will demonstrate their ArcIMS applications to EPA in Oregon, collocated with DEQ.

Rich – Will go to production soon, getting user comments currently. RM&E is an emphasis element. Resubmitted proposal to pilot research monitoring in 3 states.

Carrie – Updates from last meeting still apply. Statewide GIS standards approved last month, covering metadata and projection. Portal development ongoing. ESRI will conduct demo project on statewide geography network system. Kickoff next week.

Dale, REO – Hydro Framework Clearinghouse is available for updating watersheds. A new data glich is still being cleaned up by ESRI. We expect this to be accomplished by 3/14. Baseline transportation project working closely with the monitoring team to develop a pilot project to test integrating the many existing data sets. Contractor has delivered a cost estimate, and will deliver product by the end of the month. REO Restoration project tracking system, IRDA, has been redesigned. Level of data is the same (who, what, when, where, and project cost info), but interface and data structure has been vastly simplified. The REO has issued a data call for the federal agencies for 2002 data. Reply due is April 2. Published FS report on 1998-2001 data. Will expand IRDA to meet range project tracking requirements for BLM, so IRDA will be used on BLM eastside as well. IRDA will be used to track a multimillion dollar culvert upgrade project in conjunction with FS, BLM, F&WS and NMFS.