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Global Strategy for Forest Information
Exchange 1
Eric Landis2
Craig Palmer3
Abstract-To address the need for improved access to forest information, a Global Forest Information Service (GFIS) is being developed under the auspices of the International Union of Forest
Research Organizations (IUFRO 4.02) by a consortium of international agencies. The mission of GFIS is to provide coordinated
worldwide access to forest information to assist meeting national
and international efforts in achieving sustainable forests. The
approach of the GFIS will be to improve communication between
forest information users and providers through the Internet. A few
of the benefits of a decentralized global information system include:
• Easier, user-friendly access to a greater amount of information
• Improved user needs feedback and quality assurance
• Better comparability of data sets
• Identification of information gaps and duplication
• Enhanced information dissemination for researcher
The organizational structure recommended for GFIS is the development of national or regional nodes that connect with existing
networks and institutions. A national node for the United States is
being proposed. The challenges in developing a forest information
system for North American nations will be discussed including
technical and management issues. Particular attention will be
devoted to the issue of improving the availability and quality of
forest monitoring information across North America.
Background to Il11proving
Information Access --------------------The importance ofimproving access to relevant and timely
forest information was formally recognized at the United
Nations Conference on Environment and Development in
1992 (UNCED, 1992). Since UNCED, initiatives for sustainable forests, including the various processes, protocols and
the Intergovernmental Forum on Forests have also made
calls for improving the availability of forest information
(CSD, 1997).
Ipaper presented at the North American Science Symposium: Toward a
Unified Framework for Inventorying and Monitoring Forest Ecosystem
Resources, Guadalajara, Mexico, November 1-6,1998.
2Forestry Consultant. 13875 NE Tangen Road, Newberg, Oregon 97132
USA. Tel. (503) 538-6683. e-mail: elandis®ix.netcom.com
3Harry Reid Center for Environmental Studies, University of Nevada, Las
Vegas, 4505 Maryland Pkwy, Las Vegas, Nevada, 89154-4009, USA. Tel.
(702) 895-1797. Fax. (702) 895-3094. e-mail: palmerc@nevada.ed
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
To date, attempts to meet the information needs of an
increasing number offorest stakeholders (Table 1) has been
characterized by the development of independently designed
and managed information systems. Examples of these systems are numerous. Rather than making information more
easily accessible, this independent approach has lead to
increased difficulty in locating and retrieving high quality
data and information.
Failure to coordinate the efforts of forest information
sources will continue to result in confusion for stakeholders
with regards to what information is available, where it is
located, and how it is retrieved. For information providers,
non-coordination will result in a continuation of underutilization of their data, non-comparability of data sets
across jurisdictions, and dedicating more time to assist
clients in locating and retrieving needed information.
Development of the Global Forest
Information Service ---------------------In response for calls to improve access to information, the
International Consultation on Research and Information
Systems in Forestry (ICRIS) has recommended the establishment of the IUFRO-sponsored Global Forest Information Service, or GFIS (ICRIS, 1998). The implementation of
GFIS will set a new framework for how forest information
will be disseminated and accessed.
The GFIS is a decentralized information system that will
improve communication between information users and
providers. Its aim is to improve the dissemination of, and
access to, existing and new information sources - not to
replace them. Representatives from a diverse group of interests have participated in the design and development of
GFIS since early 1996.
A key characteristic of the GFIS is that its organizational
design (Figure 1) allows it to be adaptive to different information needs and circumstances across geographic and
political boundaries and over time. Secondly, no single
institution or organization controls or manages GFIS - it is
a consortium-based initiative.
Each system within the GFIS remains semi-autonomous
in that it develops its own guidelines, or "collection policy,"
for participation. In the United States, a proposal to establish such a national system has been developed. This proposal is presented to serve as a model for establishing
national, regional or organizational systems that could be
linked to the Global Forest Information Service.
425
Table 1 - Current U.S. Information users and their needs (Adapted from USDA Forest Service, Strategic Plan for Forest
Inventory and Monitoring).
User group
Purpose of information
State and national lawmakers
Evaluating bills; drafting legislation
Up-ta-date stater-level and comparable
inventory data on variety of forest
attributes
State forest agencies
Developing policy proposals; public affairs;
evaluating compliance with C&ls
Private industry
Business transactions including resource
acquisition (land exchanges and purchase) &
processing schedules
Broad range of inventory data from plot
level to statewide; including summaries
and analysis
Principally up-to-date inventory
information at forest stand, forest and
county levels.
USDA Forest Service, USGS, BlM, other Intemal reports inc. RPA, FHM, reporting to
public agencies
public and Congress
Inventory data for all ecosystem
attributes; plot level to national forest
level; includes summaries and analysis
Research institutions
Conduct independent analysis for public and
private sectors
Detailed inventory data for all forest
attributes comparable across spatial and
temporal scales
Environmental organizations
Evaluate effectiveness of forest policy; develop
policy proposals; communicate to public sector
Detailed inventory data for all forest
attributes; includes summaries and
analysis
u.s. National Forest Information
Dissemination and Access System:
A Model
Goal and Objectives
The establishment a U.S. forest information dissemination and access system is in response to a national need and
desire for improving the accessibility to forest information.
IUFRO
GFIS
Steering
Committee
National
System
Figure 1.-Qrganizational Structure of GFIS.
426
Information needed
The goal of the U.S. system is to ensure the provision and
availability of relevant forest information by providing
user-friendly and interactive access to forest data and
information.
The objectives of the national system include:
• Provide a venue and means for improved communication among information users and providers
• Establish a system whereby relevant information sources,
at all levels, can integrate their data sets and reports
• Provide an information access system that meets the
information needs of current and future issues of forestry
• Enhance the quality offorest information and its comparability across data sets
• Provide a system that helps identify gaps in, and duplications of, data collection
• Enhance the capacity of information providers to disseminate their data and findings
To assure a successful implementation and long-term
operation, certain elements must be incorporated into the
process of establishing the system.
Key Operational Elements
The simplest and least costly way to ensure full participation is through the Internet. Thus, the proposed system is
envisioned as an Internet-based service having several key
operational elements. These elements include: a user-friendly
interface; an efficient search engine, an interoperability
protocol standard for linking multiple information sources,
a collection policy, an interactive feedback mechanism, and
a "push technology" component.
User-friendly interface-A well-structured interface
that allows access to data sources through thematic, geographic and/or user-occupational paths facilitates ease of
use. Users with well-defined information needs would be
USDA Forest Service Proceedinas RMRS-P-12. 1999
able to access the information they require through detailed
specification of criteria. Less informed users would be offered a number of carefully tailored options which would
help to define their area ofinterest and effectively limit the
breadth ofinformation to that most relevant to their immediate question.
information about the quality assurance program in place,
presentation and updating techniques, and institutional
information. Inclusion of such metadata would automatically expose the data to informal peer review by users, likely
to result in an upward trend in quality.
Dedicated search engine-A dedicated search engine,
through annotated metadata references, would access participating information sources. Having found the metadata
reference to the information required by the user it would
then be possible, in some cases, to extract the actual information - via a web page, ftp or gopher. As discussed in
Appendix B, internationally accepted standards for cataloguing the data and location would be used in the system.
Structure and Information Flow
Interoperability protocol-An interoperability protocol would allow databases to "talk to each other" dynamically
translating search commands to a commonly understood
format. This allows a query to be submitted to multiple
databases, transparent to the user. An existing interoperability protocol (Z39.50) is described in Appendix B.
Collection policy-Participation by data providers would
be determined by the collection policy. The policy would
comprise (1) a mechanism for identifying and labeling high
quality relevant information, and (2) an information management strategy to organize better the wide range of
national forest information. Typically, collection policies
cover:
• Types of eligible information resources
• Format for meta data entries
• Quality of eligible information resources
• Conditions for entering metadata and information resources
Content providers would retain full ownership of their
data and are responsible for selecting, assembling, maintaining and updating it.
Interactive feedback-The information user would be
linked to the information source(s) housing the meta data or
data they are accessing. This link provides an opportunity
for the user to give feedback about data needs, content,
quality, and other matters directly to the information provider. This element aims to encourage communication between the various stakeholders and information providers.
Push technology-Finally, the system is intended not
only to respond to information inquiries, but also would
facilitate proactive and directed information transmissions,
such as data set updates, announcements, and research
findings. Such "push" technology is becoming more common
on the Internet and can be subject to a filtering process (like
a "collection policy") to avoid unwanted or irrelevant
communiques.
Quality Assurance
The system would be responsible for the accuracy of
individual datasets. Data that is inadequate for one purpose
may be entirely suitable for another. The system, by including metadata requirements, would help filter out inaccurate
or questionable data. Metadata requirements may include;
data collection methods, definitions, monitoring methods,
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
The system can be compared in many respects to a dedicated forest library. It has a card catalogue, a collection
policy, a system to notify users of new acquisitions and other
events, and a user-friendly interface that serves as a librarian. It would not replace any existing or planned database or
information system, but would improve their availability,
provide coordination between them, and enable them to be
connected to a highly recognizable international information service in GFIS (Figure 2).
As with a library, there is no limit to the size of the
collection (or number of data sets that can be on the system).
The appropriateness of including an additional dataset in
the system is determined by the collection policy.
Benefits of the System
The benefits of a coordinated forest information system
are many and apply to both users and providers of forest
information. While the total monetary savings acquired
with such a system is unknown, each benefit brings with it
a significant reduction in labor and/or materials. Appendix
A presents a case study for how one USDA Forest Service
monitoring program would benefit under such a system. The
benefits include:
Easier, user-friendly access to a greater amount of
information-With a recognized focal point for engaging in
information gathering, the user is relieved of the task of
conducting multiple data searches, adjusting to changing
interfaces, and can be more confident that all possible
sources of appropriate data have been located.
Reduction of dissemination burden and enhanced
profile for researchers-The system would assist researchers and other information producers "post" their data
so people can find it. Researchers would benefit as the
network broadcasts their fmdings bringing enhanced opportunities for recognition and funding.
Better organization and comparability ofdata setsIn the short-term, the system organizes "like" information
together. For example, "stand-size classes" can be retrieved
across multiple political or geographic boundaries. In the
long-term we can expect that data set compilers would
voluntarily "migrate" to common and accepted methodologies, standards, and terminology. Such "migration" can be
encouraged through the system's collection policy.
Improved user needs feedback to information providers-The system allows users to communicate their
information needs to providers. This provides a "built-in"
quality assurance and relevance component for the benefit
of both users and providers of information.
Identification ofinformation gaps and duplicationThe system will reveal what data exists and what does not,
427
USDA-FS
Forest Health
r----I~ Monitoring
USDA-FS
Forest
Inventory
Bureau of
Land
Management
National
Park Service
State Forest
Agencies
Other
Information
Sources
Data Sets
& Reports
Search Engine
-annotated links
...._U.....s_e_r_F_e_e_d.....
b_ac_k---j -interactive feedback
Peer Review
-push technology
-thematic, occupation
& geographic interface
Region
o
Netwrk
Data/Information
Info. Request
Country
& Feedback
Collection
Policy
IUFR04.02
Global Forest
Information
Service (GFIS)
Forest
Information
Information Users:
-Policymakers,
-Researchers,
-Industry,
-Env. Orgs., etc.
Region
A
B
Netwrk
Netwrk
Value-added
Products,
Reports, etc.
External products
- Reports/summaries
- Policy proposals
- Resource and
inventory statistics
- Newsletters
- Newsgroups
"
Internal products
- Reports/ summaries
- Analysis
-Resource and
inventory statistics
- Directives and land
mgmt. decisions
-Ate.
Figure 2.-Schematic diagram of coordinated U.S. forest information system with link to the Global Forest
Information Service.
428
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS·P-12. 1999
thus assisting researchers in determining where to focus
their attention; and policy makers and donors where to
devote additional resources.
Generation of value-added products-State Reports,
regional or thematic user groups, policy discussion groups,
analysis and summaries, brochures, and meetings are a few
of the spin-off products that can arise from a national forest
information system.
Forum. for discussion-A recognized access location
provides a focal point where forest specialists are given the
opportunity to discuss and exchange ideas on a daily, rather
than occasional, basis. These interactions can occur across
user and/or provider groups; e.g. policy makers - researchers.
Open access and peer review--Greater amounts of
information will be available to a greater number of stakeholders during the deliberative process prior to the drafting
of research proposals, legislation or regulations. This will
ensure fair and equal access to the "evidence" as well as
greater peer review of the data prior to any funding or
codification process.
International linkages-The system, with the appropriate interoperability protocol can be ''linked'' to the IUFROsponsored GFIS, and other national information systems.
This step would allow integration with multiple forest
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
information sites worldwide; and enhances the broadcasting of US forest information to a global audience. It also
assists users to conveniently access non-U.S. data sources
through a recognized U.S. gateway.
Literature Cited
Commission on Sustainable Development (CSD). Fifth Session. 725 April 1997 . Report ofthe Ad Hoc Intergovernmental Panel on
Forests on its Fourth Session. 20 March 1997 (E/CN.17/1997/12).
Inglis, K, 1997. Collection policy of the ENRM projects.
International Consultation for Research and Information Systems
in Forestry (ICRIS).7-10 September 1998, Discussion Paper on
the Impactoflnformation Technology: Better Access to Information on Forests. (ftp://iufro.boku.ac.atlicrisl)
International Consultation for Research and Information Systems
in Forestry (ICRIS).7-10 September 1998, Conclusions and Recommendations. (ftp://iufro.boku.ac.atlicrisl)
National Information Standards Organization (NISO) (U.S.), 1992.
ANSI Z39.50, information retrieval service and protocol: American national standard information retrieval application service
defmition and protocol specification for open systems interconnection. Version 2. NISO.
United Nations Conference on Environment and Development
(UNCED), 1992. Agenda 21, Chapter 40 Information for Decision
Making. NCONF. 151126 (Vol. III) 14 August 1992.
USDA Forest Service, 1998. Strategic Plan for Forest Inventory and
Monitoring. (http://www.srsfia.usfs.msstate.edulwo/strategy.htm)
429
Appendix A: Case Study: How the U.S. Forest Health Monitoring Program
Can Benefit With a Coordinated Information Dissemination and Access
System ______________________________________________________
The Forest Health Monitoring (FHM) program was
established in 1990 to monitor status and trends in the
ecological condition of the nation's forests. The USDA Forest
Service and State Forestry and Agriculture agencies annually
conduct FHM monitoring activities in cooperation with
other federal agencies and several universities. During the
1998 field season, forest monitoring measurements were
taken at over 2000 plots in 27 states. Approximately 150
different parameters were measured on each plot detailing
forest productivity, diversity, tree condition, soil condition
and evidence of air pollution effects. In addition, extensive
aerial and ground surveys were conducted to identify the
extent and severity of insect and disease damage in forests.
The FHM program conducts comprehensive quality
assurance activities to ensure that data are comparable in
all regions of the country and of high quality. An information
management system supports all FHM activities from field
data collection to data distribution.
As a participant in the U.S. Forest Information
Dissemination and Access System, the FHM program and
its clients would derive many specific benefits. A primary
benefit would be that more users would become aware of
availability of FHM to assist in answering their forest
information requests. This is a consequence of the overall
system becoming the principal point of contact (one stop
shopping) for those requiring forest information as well as
the service the system provides in searching all of its data
bases for specific thematic and/or geographic requests for
information. In addition, the system will have a feature to
"push" or notify users of data availability and the publication
of new reports.
430
It is important to recognize that the FHM program itself
would be a client to the system. FHM analysts frequently
need to access other databases in the development ofregional
FHM reports. These databases include forest inventory, soil
inventory, air quality, water quality data as well as other
types of information. The overall system would assist in
providing access to these data just as it would to others
potentially interested in FHM data. The use of a common
format to access these data along with the accessibility of
meta-data describing monitoring information from these
other programs would be extremely valuable to FHM
analysts.
As with most monitoring programs, the FHM program is
currently giving consideration to the question of how to
make its data more accessible on the Internet. By
participating in the development of a shared system, the
FHM program can reduce its own specific cost of developing
its own system including hardware, software and
programming costs. All website development costs,
maintenance and updating expenses could be shared among
the many different monitoring programs participating in
the system.
Participation in the development of a common system
would provide the FHM program with many opportunities to
interface with other forest monitoring programs. This
interaction would not only occur at the national level, but
would continue at the international level due to the
participation of the U.S. system in the development of the
Global Forest Information System. This would be ofparticular
interest to the FHM program as six other countries currently
have FHM programs and several others are considering
adopting the FHM system of forest monitorin
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
Appendix B: Improving Access Through the use of a Common
Interoperability Protocol (Adapted From ICRIS, Better Access to
Information on Forests)
ANSI Z39.S0
Appropriate Datasets for Inclusion
An essential requirement for accessing information in a
multidisciplinary environment is the adoption of a common
protocol specifying how to express a search and return
results. Any client software using the protocol can then
search any database which also recognizes it. One such
protocol is defined in the international standard ISO 10163,
better known as ANSI Z39.50, developed in the library and
information communities and widely adopted at
international, national and local level for a variety ofpurposes
including full-text searching, spatial searching, natural
language processing and abstract pattern matching (National
Information Standards Organization, 1992). It has been
implemented in the 'Global Information Locator Service'
which is already used by a number of environmental
information organisations world-wide and could provide an
appropriate basis for any national system. This protocol
enables databases to be interoperable. That is to say that
diverse databases can talk to each other dynamically
translating search commands to a commonly understood
format. This allows a query to be submitted to multiple
databases, transparently to the user; the result coming back
to the user will be presented as if only one database had been
queried. These databases would normally be catalogues
containing metadata.
The initial selection of datasets would be determined
partly by the willingness of the provider to offer the common
access protocol (many already have Z39.50 gateways) and to
supply metada ta describing the dataset in an agreed forma t.
These requirements are relatively trivial; no change to the
database structure or existing access methods is required.
Most suppliers are likely to welcome the higher profile for
their data that such an additional "side door" to their
data sets would provide. Technical standards and relevant
subject areas would be defined in a collection policy statemen t.
Types of data supported may include:
• Forests mapping and assessment
• Sample plot data
• Coordinated research studies
• Forest statistics
• Bibliography
The system should also be capable of "trawling"
automatically for relevant new sites and identifying those no
longer functioning, to ensure the system is kept constantly
up-to-date.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
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