IRICC Meeting
Attendees:
Future Meeting Date: March 4 and April 15.
Proposed Future Topics:
IRICC and REO GIS Futures Workgroup Duane and Kim
Update from Stan Allen on California Projects.
Update from Rich Kang on their new support services.
Update National FGDC Hydro Standards - Ken Adee
IRICC meeting format - All
Oregon and REO Coordination on Restoration Tracking System Doug Terra
Update on RIEC and REO Futures. In order to maintain a high level of interagency coordination at the executive level the Regional Interagency Executive Council (RIEC) has decided to maintain the current organization of agency executives, as well as coordination with the Intergovernmental Advisory Council (IAC), which include state and county representatives providing advice to the RIEC. In order to staff these councils, and to look for opportunities to increase efficiencies/reduce costs, the RIEC tasked a workgroup to outline options for the future role of the REO. Related to this decision are the BLM and FS to accomplish some or all of the IRICC and REO GIS functions. Since the implications of these options will have significant impacts on the FS and BLM, a separate workgroup of these agencies has been formed to develop and research options. This group met 2/10 with their Directors and Branch Chiefs in order brief them on their assignment, and to develop an initial direction for the workgroup. A timeline has been developed as well as an initial set of options. This has been proposed as a topic for the next IRICC meeting.
To better understand the nature of the interagency coordination issues and needs, the following feedback was provided by the IRICC members:
Issues related to IRICC
- Being able to readily access data from the forests/districts.
- The F&WS has a small GIS component. The coordination of dataset that REO GIS has provided has been important.
- The organization that prompted the initial IRICC and REO GIS charter have not changed.
- The development of these large data sets is extremely time consuming, and best handled by a central, independent source.
- The past IRICC projects have been funded and staffed ad hoc/voluntary, which has significantly slowed progress.
- The public has benefited greatly from IRICC and REO GIS accomplishments.
- Agencies need to increase their support for interagency information issues.
- Regulatory agencies need to do a better job at getting data requirements out for meeting their goals.
- State Framework efforts have been identifying their needs.
- IRICC has been a positive influence. Appreciate the regional effort in developing dataset. Focus needs to go beyond NWFP boundary. Hope this sharing continues. Data flow of agency data needs to be better. IRICC could be used to develop/support this distribution.
- Lacking an REO GIS, increased funding by agencies to meet interagency info needs will be needed.
- In California there is a different set of agencies coordinating on different projects. Having an IRICC has helped with this coordination.
- A list of base layers needed should be posted, and those available should be posted on the internet. Consolidating this information is needed.
- IRICC has been helpful in coordinating agency datasets between agencies.
- Consolidate, coordinate, communicate and fund interagency information projects is needed.
- Bottom line, it is valued but a lot more work is needed.
Baseline Roads On 12/11 a workshop was hosted in order to determine the feasibility and need for an integrated interagency dataset. Represented were most of the federal agencies as well as states of Oregon and Washington. Several comments that came to light include the following: Density is an issue. Data accuracy is always an issue, but developing this and highlighting the density issue is important. Detailed Strategy paper needed. A snapshot is nice, but incorporate into a clearinghouse so its dynamic is needed. Pilot needed. REO will complete a pilot and develop the strategy paper.
BLM At Natl BLM managers meeting last week. Signed acquisition contract with ESRI. The bureau is moving a server based technology. Have enterprise GIS in development, which focuses on corporate data. Duane is on project with E. Oregon to inventory District Plans and GIS data available to support them. Then will develop data standards for Eastern Oregon.
Barbara - Concentrating on critical habitat. Will use 5th fields to determine which areas are in critical habitat.
Kim R6 - New Regional Forester, Linda Goodman. Jim Golden is Deputy. IRM has been re-organizing for the last year. Employees will be placed in new IRM positions starting next month. Will be advertising jobs not filled through laterals. One of new features is a data standardization team, dealing with FS national standards. Implementing SDE starting on several eastside forests. New Clearinghouse web site at GSTC.
Bill Handout pamphlet on Natl Information exchange network. Help coordinate EPA data with State. Looking at making water quality info more available. Look to add habitat and spp info in the future. Grants available for states and tribes. www.exchangenetwork.net . Will be testing the serving of data to managers of a variety of datasets.
Rich Team is now 10, adding a few grad students and volunteers. Re-organizing, will not serve just salmon but serve the entire Center. Last year focused on 1) NMFS status database, including historical info. Able to server this up via internet. Tracking reference documents a big issue, now have it interlinked. 2) Collaborative tools, team room for partners to work together, developing a unique application. 3) Published interim report of the Centers spatial needs. No going through phase on pilot. Bringing all individual info together, order to develop a baseline of all analysis information. BPA has sent a link as to all their data which is available. (RICH, Can you provide this?). Look at buying an interface template. Have need for project data along streams. Please let Rich know if you have any available. Seven new servers are being set up to serve data. Password protected access.
Bob Dave Blakeman retired. Not sure if position will be filled. Bob represents the 5 N. Calif. Forests, coordinating information. NHD hydrography is under contract for most of California. (Stan Allen mentioned a project is in place to link/convert this to LLID). Will be cleaning up watersheds. Converting legacy fauna data to new NRIS system. Implementing a new activity tracking system (FS natl system). Some focus on roads/trails implementation. Bob will continue participate in IRICC.
George Finished Colmbia Basin Bull Trout critical habitat mapping. Available on their regional web site. Executive leadership has been shifted, current regional executive will the executive director of REO. More Bull Trout critical habitat for western Washington will be developed. Columbia basin will go final. Dan Avery is organizing VBA training here in Portland. Looking for additional participants.
Dave Started 12/3, so in a steep learning curve. New division manager is promoting reorganization. Eagerly looking to budget announcements. Working a lot on the hydro project. West side will be done in June. Transportation is now hold until the hydro is complete. ArcIMS is also available to download section/township data. ArcGIS is available, but implementation plan is under way.
Dale REO has been working with Forest Service Region 6 in developing a comprehensive report on aquatic restoration data. This reports highlights accomplishments from 1998 2001, with regional summaries and summaries for each basin in Oregon and Washington. Printed copies are available, as well as online at www.reo.gov/restoration. The data call for 2002 restoration data will go out to the federal agencies in February. The FWS, NMFS, FS and BLM are working together on a multimillion dollar project to upgrade/replace culverts. REO will provide support in tracking these projects as they are completed. Culvert locations have been loaded into IRDA. The Hydro Framework Clearinghouse is going through final testing. The latest enhancements have been installed and the testing focuses on these. We expect to go live in late February.