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ICT Tool Design

Evan Fedorko et al, WVGISTC

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Outline

• What is it?• Why is it needed?• How does it work?• Summary and Conclusions

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What is it?

• Interagency Coordination Tool• Agencies in question: WVDNR, FWS (WV) and

NRCS (WV)• Coordination in question: Potential impacts on

populations or habitat of endangered species due to NRCS funded on-the-ground projects

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Why is it needed?

• NRCS funds farmers (and others) to implement new projects on their properties

• ESA compliance is required• Currently a bottleneck

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Requirements

• ES data must remain confidential• Secure website• Must be intuitive and easy to repeat• Must provide a format that meets specific specs• High uptime for multiple users• Users need to review previously generated

content• Admin/user differentiation

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Enter the ICT Tool!

• Capabilities:– User management system– Spatial analysis engine that answers complex,

dependent inquiries via geoprocessing– ES report generation system– Document tracking and review– Metadata tracking*

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How to ICT

• Log In

• Launch the ICT

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How to ICT (2)

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…and in return:

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How Does It Work?

• Web front end, user management and report management system (.NET); Arc Server mapping application built in Flex; Python scripting for geoprocessing

• Geoprocessing explained:

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How… continued

• Several types of endangered species data. This is NEVER VISIBLE in the tool.

• Two types of vector data, point and polygon; each is checked independently.

• Raster habitat suitability data; checked via buffer and spatial statistics.

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Quick and Dirty

1. Large buffer to note all species in the area

Bald Eagle nest

SheepnoseMussel bed

Indiana Bat

Running BuffaloClover

Bald Eagle nestIndiana Bat

Bald Eagle nest

SheepnoseMussel bed

142. For each practice and each species, run a buffer.

Indiana Bat

Bald Eagle nest

SheepnoseMussel bed

3. Sheepnose mussel + Fence (382) = 400 meters

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Indiana Bat

Bald Eagle nest

Bald Eagle nestINCLUDE

4. Bald Eagle + Fence = 200 meters

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Indiana Bat

Bald Eagle nest

Bald Eagle nestINCLUDE

Indiana Bat + Fence (382) = 1 meter

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Report Query

• So for Fence (382) we have only the Bald Eagle; query tables and get:

• B11 = This practice may have a beneficial effect if implemented near bald or golden eagle nesting sites or eagle habitat and where appropriate buffers are maintained, enhanced or constructed.

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Full AnalysisUser input

Find all local species

Execute prac/spec buffers against points Execute prac/spec

buffers against polygonsExecute buffer check against each habitat model

Check if certain practices are > 17 acres (Indiana bats)

Determine report type – species/interactions,Species/no interactions, no species

Compile codes

Query codes for report content

Organize content into XML for report generation

Flex

ArcPy

Python

Generate Report

.NET

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Notable features

• Suite of web map features; address locator, nav tools, lots of bg data, etc.

• User management and authentication system• Each user has access to a report management

system• Dynamic – easy to implement new species, new

recommendations, new spatial data, etc.• Fire and forget• Fast performance (avg time is ~8 minutes)

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Conclusions

• Geoprocessing can greatly streamline permitting (and similar processes).

• Complexity of analysis isn’t necessarily a limiting factor…

• …so long as the client has a strong grasp on that complexity!

• Confidentiality of data can be maintained.