1. Information Management
Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Production:
Information Management
Acting Group Leader: Mary Miller

2. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Data & Processing:
We will be maintaining a 7 year cycle for most states
We are consistently ahead of schedule
5 year reports are rolling out the door!
FIVE completed in FY18
TEN expected in FY19
8 states have completed 2018 field work
2 of those states have been processed and sent on to the analysts for review and reporting
IM has been working with the Data Collection Group to get us closer to a fully digital method of collecting data on the plot for increased efficiency and accuracy.
* Bob will be going into that in detail, so I’ll leave you hanging on for the cliffhanger on that!

3. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Virtual Data Center
All of our databases, tools & products now housed at USDA’s Virtual Data Center (VDC).
Security protocols at VDC are much more stringent and fluid.
Continue to have to rewrite/rework a number of tools & products.
We’ve finally made some headway with figuring out to deploy web apps in this environment, so hopefully we will start having more success with web-apps serving both internal and external clients going forward.
One USDA
Oracle 12c migration
SECURITY
The CIO has continued to change requirements and it’s become more difficult and time consuming to function in their environment.
One USDA
One USDA is a big push right now … many things in FS are having to conform to USDA methods and standards.
The move to USDA VDC was part of One USDA
In terms of CIO, those services are actually being transferred to USDA CIO. Recently had quite a battle trying to keep a number of our folks that work with FIA apps from being absorbed.
Not sure if this may cause any other issues going forward.
Oracle 12c
USDA and the VDC are moving to Oracle 12c. The original date was December, but they had a few issues with a patch to our 11g version in November that is required for the 12c migration and are still trying to get back on track. FIA spent a considerable amount of time over the past 6 months or so preparing for the migration, so I’m hopeful that when it does happen it will go as smoothly as possible.

4. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Nationalization
Resource levels and customer needs are really pushing us in the direction of greater nationalization with how we do our work and how we present the results of that work.
National Operations (NatOps) Team has been created to direct many of our new projects.
A few of our significant NatOps projects:
National Ownership Management System (NOMS)
Universal National Information Management System (U-NIMS)
UNIMS Geospatial Reference Library
Web Modernization
(NatOps)
Previously referred to as iTeam
Will use project management tools for developing stronger, less quick-fix tools and products.
NRS is very supportive of Nationalization … we end up pioneering most of the national processes anyway.
With challenges we face re: budget/staffing – sharing the work across regions and developing national methods/solutions is the way forward
NOMS
Creation of a single, national, shared database for storage and retrieval of plot ownership information.
This will allow us to see owners and their plot relationships across station boundaries for improved data consistency and single source data access.
UNIMS
A replacement for the current NIMS database that stores all of our P2 data.
Purpose is to provide for better and more streamlined storage of existing data (currently stored in NIMS), as well as future data for new protocol designs and studies that are not supported by NIMS.
I will talk more about UNIMS in a later slide.
UNIMS Geospatial
For FIA, this will mean that all of the layers will be stored in one place instead of scattered across hard-drives and servers, all using the same layers for consistency, and those layers will be easily available for all to use.
For external users, this will mean that some of FIA’s data layers (not all – some layers are inherently internal) will be available for folks such as yourself to use through ArcGIS on-line (AGOL) or data.gov
I will talk more on this one in a later slide.
Web Modernization
I will talk more about Web Modernization in a later slide

5. Enable enhanced metadata support.
Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Database - UNIMS
Replacement for the current NIMS, which cannot support our expanding designs and protocols
Provide for better and more streamlined storage of existing data (currently stored in NIMS), as well as future data for new protocol designs and studies
Enable enhanced metadata support.
A more structured approach utilizing modern design principles will allow for a more flexible, scalable, and long-lived system
Bullet 1:
I mentioned this last year as we were about to get started with the project
Also stressed last year and will reiterate again that this is not FIADB … this is NIMS.
NIMS is the internal transactional database used for data processing while FIADB is the presentation database
Bullet 2:
NIMS was designed to meet the very specific need storing our P2 type plots, and was proving to be too inflexible to meet our new requirements for a data management system.
We are seeing a rapid expansion of protocol designs and studies (with more likely coming down the line) that cannot be loaded into the current NIMS, such as Urban & Interior Alaska
We are just a year into the project and although we still have a ways to go, we are already able to store protocols other than P2 and even data for some current pilot projects: Urban, Interior Alaska, Ground Truth Ice ad Trees Outside Forest.
We still have a way to go for full processing functionality of these, but we are moving along at a good pace.
Next release expected in January will be adding ability to move data between UNIMS and several of our applications (critical for getting our collected data into UNIMS for storage and out of UNIMS for analysis).
Bullet 3:
We are trying to focus on maintaining documentation and detailed metadata describing field protocols, plot footprints, and post-field compilations as we design the new system
This has been a barrier and burden for most projects in the past, so we are keeping up with it from the start. We won’t need to rely on the memory of one or two people to know what’s going on in our system. Helpful as we start to see some of our long term folks starting to retire!
Bullet 4:
Throughout the redesign, we are trying to stay focused on making sure that UNIMS doesn’t just meet our current and near-future needs, but hopefully those that we don’t even know about yet to give it the longest life possible!

6. UNIMS Geospatial Reference Library
Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
UNIMS Geospatial Reference Library
Working with EDW to define a new Reference Library
Will store Authoritative geospatial layers used by FIA
Work with Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW) to acquire and manage the best available data for each layer
Regular snapshots from EDW captured on established schedules for each layer
Capture metadata for each layer
Stored in an Oracle schema in Oracle SDO Geometry format
Enable geospatial work within the Oracle Database while still able to be visualized in products like ArcMap
Bullet 1
Didn’t make sense to try to store in UNIMS … Enterprise Data Warehouse (EDW)
Lucky to have Dave Green working with us. Dave was previously the EDW Program Manager, so he pretty much knows everything there is to know and is helping us get this project on track very quickly
Bullet 2
Like I said before – folks using different versions of data layers that are scattered all over the place, and we have no real historical reference for layers that were used in past analyses.
This will allow for better consistency. All of the layers will be stored in one place and will be easily available for all to use.
Bullet 3
Basically they will capture, assemble and document the layers and deliver them to FIA
Add historical reference components so that when looking back in time we can go back the appropriate data layer for that time period – EDW has wanted to do this for years
END
Project moving fast! We presented our ideas to the EDW in October and got great feedback. Our first actual proposal for 6 GIS datasets goes before the board in January.

7. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Tools & Reporting
RPA
The RPA Forest Resource Assessment data comes from the FIA program, so the RPA and FIA datasets are effectively the same.
EVALIDator now has a radio button that allows the user to implement the RPA definition of forest land.
The data was and is still summarized to the condition level and stored in the RPA Plot Summary Database.
An Excel Visual Basic Application is used to generate the reports needed for the assessment.
The entire National FIADB can be downloaded from the FIA DataMart.
NRS has been the RPA database steward for the past two reports. Pat will be here to see us through the draft of the next RPA report.
Bullet 1
- In the past, data for the RPA Forest Resource Assessment came from a variety of sources.
- The one major difference being the definition of forest land. About 60 million acres of FIA forest land is deemed woodland by the RPA program and is excluded from the forest land base by implementing a filter.
Bullet 5
The download also includes the Desktop EVALIDator that will run against the PostgreSQL FIADB database to generate FIA and RPA forest land estimates.
Bullet 6
The National Ops Team has identified someone to step in to ensure not only the completion of the next report but a passing on of Pat’s knowledge to the next region to maintain the RPA dataset.

8. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Tools & Reporting
DATIM
For tabling, spatial intersections, developing monitoring plans.
9.1 is in Production will be available at the end of year/begin of January.
With 10.0, all log-ins will be done using eAUTH.  
Much overlap has existed in FIDO/EVALIDATOR/DATIM. We continue to move forward with incorporating functions of FIDO and EVALIDATOR into DATIM … would be nice in future to only have one app to focus on.
Bullet 1
NFS and FIA collaborative effort.
Tool developed initially for National Forests to support them with their assessments and forest plans. FIA has been partnering on this application for a number of years.
It does table-making, spatial intersections and assists users with developing monitoring plans.
Bullet 3
With 10.0 we are finally solving our login issues.
When DATIM was first designed, it was not meant to be available externally so we’d been working to resolve those external limitations.
Internally, we were using Active Directory for FS users but that was deemed a security violation.
So with 10.0, all log-ins will be done using eAUTH.
Internal FS staff have level 2 eAUTH accounts, and external users can got to a web page to self-authenticate for level 1 eAUTH.
It is NOT necessary to log in to use DATIM – but it does allow for more advanced, role-based actions – including the ability to save reports to the DATIM database.
End
With DATIM we are looking towards the next generation FIA analytic tool; one tool that works well rather than several that sort of do the same thing, but each one does some part better than the others.
I’ve only touched on some highlights here … Scott Pugh will be doing a demo of DATIM later.

9. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Tools & Reporting
EVALIDator
EVALIDator will be around for several years; will eventually go away.
Working to incorporate EVALIDator capabilities into DATIM. DATIM is already using the EVALIDator API’s.
Exists as both a desktop and web application.
NUTS - National Urban Tree Statistics
Web application for generating population estimates from the Urban FIADB.
Will deploy once the Urban FIADB is pushed to the production server.
FIDO
No longer available.
EVALIDator
- Problems deploying web applications to production server have been resolved.
NUTS
Hopefully summer of 2019, but things like the Oracle12C migration and staff availability might set up back a few months.
FIDO
Mapping output is one of biggest FIDO capabilities not yet added to DATIM, but DATIM will have new functionality in form of dynamic graphs/charts in 10.0

10. Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
Spatial Data Services
FIA continues to receive an increasing number of MOU requests. Customers want the actual FIA coordinates.
Cloud Technology
Google Earth
ESRI Massive Raster Processing project
The Spatial Data Services group is lead by PNW (Tom Thompson).
Bullet 1
FIA is being recognized more (cited in acknowledgements) and other potential customers take notice of us as a data source.
MOU’s have become a larger part of what SDS can offer and this type of request will continue to grow. If you need actual locations you’ll have to enter into an agreement.
We are looking at other agreement types instead of an MOU but access would basically remain the same. The agreement type we are looking at is called Material Transfer Agreement, MTA. Instead of an MOU, Security Plan and individual Non-disclosure agreements we might have just the MTA and a Security Plan.
Bullet 2
- VERY PRELIMINARY
There is emerging cloud technology that allows spatial data processing to be done on super computers involving enormous spatial datasets that in the past limited the user’s capability.
The use of FIA actual coordinates in the cloud violates FS policy, so SDS continues to work on levels of security for processing FIA plots in the Google Earth Engine cloud. Techniques such as replacing plot ID’s (CN, State, County Plot, etc.) with randomly generated user ID codes and creating a percentage of dummy plots are some of the ideas we are looking at.
Esri Massive Raster Processing project – (from Hobie) The Forest Service seeks to build and demonstrate the utility of a cloud-based raster processing environment in order to stay at the forefront of forest inventory, monitoring, and analysis globally. Raster data products, like Landsat time-series stacks, are fused increasingly with forest inventory data to yield improved estimates of critical attributes (e.g., carbon stocks and forest age). A two-factor authentication system will be implemented. The Esri contract is overseen by the Forest Service CIO.
Bullet 3
- I think most are aware that Liz Burril passed leadership on to Tom over a year ago, but wanted to make sure everyone was aware.

11. Web Presence Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
NRS is responsible for both the regional and national sites.
Coordinated with analysts for better and more timely posting of annual reports & associated tables.
Will be working to add more interactive content, such as story maps
Will be working with the Community Engagement Team to improve some of our pages … visually, functionally, and with more relevant content.
Bullet 1
Our national and NRS FIA sites are coded in an older format that does reflect the USDA suggested look and feel, and more importantly does not support new requirements for Mobile devices and 508 compliance.
Content is fractured, not well indexed, and is not easily searchable.
WILL
Really just in the initial stages of trying to get this project up and running ….

12. Staffing Northern Research Station – Forest Inventory & Analysis
MIDAS is critical to our collection of data. The main developer will likely retire in 4 -5 years, so we will be looking at options for coverage.
Using our staff with added resources for additional support for NIMS and UNIMS work.
Web-based app skills would be helpful.
Thanks to Dennis’ creativity, able to retain most of staff (IM and in other groups) with move of Newtown Square office to Wisconsin.
Main concern with IM is the amount of work keeps increasing and staff remains the same.
Bullet 1
The One USDA effort is actually impacting this so we will need to put some thought into the best way to move forward with filling this type of position.
Prior to the One USDA impact, we needed to consider time to get all of the access/permissions needed but that aspect is being covered under contract now.
May look to using more of our UNLV/SUU support contract for this, but unsure at this time.
Bullet 2
We were struggling with a single person to support these efforts.
We’ve been able to add 2 long term temps that have provided a significant amount of help.
Also have an additional Database architect through the NatOps team, which has been critical for UNIMS.
Last
- We will have to continue working with the NatOps team to fill in, especially with anything that is inherently national in scope.