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Examples of Innovative Information
Management for Reporting Forest Data and
Information 1
Adam Fenech 2
Abstract-Today's readily available technologies allow for some
innovative handling, management and presentation of forest data
and information. The Internet is no longer simply an electronic mail
exchange and provider of text documents. In Canada, the Internet
is now being used as a training tool, a tool for submitting
environmental observations or measurements to a database, as a
data management tool, and as a tool for reporting information to
decision-makers in real time. This paper will detail the specifics
about the Canadian examples - the SIIMAB Biodiversity Database,
the Ontario Forest Health Co-operative Database, the MacKay
Phenology Database and the Frogwatch-Ontario Website.
The EMAN Co-ordinating Office of Environment Canada
has extended the normal uses of Web sites as providers of
text documents by using readily available technologies for
the Internet. These include using Websites as a training
tool, a tool for submitting environmental observations or
measurements to a database, as a data management tool,
and as a tool for reporting information to decision-makers in
real time. This paper will detail the specifics about the
Canadian examples - the SIIMAB Biodiversity Database,
the Ontario Forest Health Co-operative Database, the
MacKay Phenology Database and the Frogwatch-Ontario
Website - followed by a technical explanation about how
these Websites work.
The SI/MAB Biodiversity Database
and Website _ _ _ _ _ _ _ __
The SIIMAB Program
In 1986, UNESCO MAB and the Smithsonian Institution
joined to create SIIMAB with the express purpose of
developing a protocol for surveying and monitoring
biodiversity in a global network of forested areas under
different management regimes. Over the years, SIIMAB has
fostered a network of permanent, long-term biodiversity
monitoring plots and associated sponsors, researchers and
land managers who are dedicated to the conservation of
biodiversity.
The vegetation protocols have been adopted at nearly 200
research sites in 23 countries, facilitating the transfer of
comparable data, and providing a framework for data analysis
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.
2Adam Fenech is with the EMAN Co-ordinating Office, Environment
Canada, 867 Lakeshore Road, Burlington, Ontario, CANADA L 7R 4A6
Phone: (905) 336-4411, Fax: (905)336-4499, e-mail: adam.fenech@Cciw.ca
460
and dissemination. Other protocols are being developed,
tested and implemented in conjunction with the vegetation
monitoring. The vegetation protocols survey SIIMAB plots of
one hectare in size divided into 25 quadrats of 20 metres by
20 metres. Each tree is located, tagged, identified (by species),
evaluated (by condition) and measured (height and diameter
at breast height).
It is envisioned that the protocols will enable users to
integrate scientific research methods and analysis with
strategies for getting the resulting information into the
hands of a wider range of users - in particular, decisionmakers and resource managers involved with issues of
sustainable use and conservation of natural resources.
The Objectives of an SIIMAB Database
and Dynamically-Linked Website
Several concerns/needs led to the development of the SII
MAB Biodiversity Database - (1) a central archive was
required for the data in order that the results of the labourintensive efforts in establishing SIIMAB plots were not lost;
(2) a queriable database so that analysis between sampling
years at plots, and analysis between plots was available to
researchers; (3) a compilation of the meta-information about
the plots was needed to answer questions such as where are
the plots located worldwide? What species are found by plot,
by world biomes, by country, worldwide? Who do we contact
at each site for more information?
Additional concerns/needs were added in order that the
data and information available from the SIIMAB Biodiversity
Database was accessible to researchers, decision-makers
and the general public including: (1) providing the methods
for establishing the SIIMAB biodiversity monitoring plots
and applying the vegetation protocol; (2) allowing for the
submission and handling of data from a remote user over the
Internet; (3) reporting back to the public on the results of
establishing the biodiversi ty plots especially "canned" means
for viewing summaries and basic statistics of the plots; (4)
reporting back to communities and other groups with respect
to a "canned" analysis for each of the SIIMAB biodiversity
plots.
The Dynamically-Linked SIIMAB
Biodiversity Database
The SIIMAB Biodiversity Database (see www.cciw.ca/
simab-data/ for the test Website), a Website with pages
dynamically linked to the database stored at the CCIW
server, was established in 1997 (see Figure 1). At the
moment, maps of the plots can be generated (see Figure 2),
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
species lists can be compiled (see Figure 3), and basic
statistics (see Figure 4) can be automatically generated on
the basis of plot, country (see Figure 5), world biome (see
Figure 6) and globally (see Figure 7). Only 25 (17 Canadian)
ofthe 200 surveys in existence worldwide are in the database
at this time. The public find it particularly relevant to
compare sites in Canada with those on other continents
including South America, Africa and Asia. The ability to
track change within plots, and to compare different plots is
being developed as an overall analysis package. The Website
also respects data ownership by providing a password
protected editing function (see Figure 8) on the Website to
allow data owners to edit their own data.
The primary objective of the Forest Health Data Cooperative is to establish' what information is presently
available that can contribute to our understanding about the
health of Ontario's forests including: (1) compiling a list of all
forest survey plot locations by ecozone, forest region and
administrative district; (2) listing basic information on each
plot, e.g.; purpose, vegetation type, variables measured,
years assessed; (3) listing other plot locations where forest
related studies occur e.g., soils, biodiversity, birds, etc.; (4)
listing other associated datasets such as climate or water
data. The expected results of the project are a database of
plot locations, contacts and basic plot information; and a
database of forest studies occurring in Ontario.
The Ontario Forest Health
Co-operative Database and
The Dynamically-Linked Ontario Forest
Health Co-operative Database
Website ___________
Ontario Forest Health Monitoring
There are a number of agencies in the province of Ontario
who collect data on the health of forested ecosystems - the
Canadian Forest Service (CFS), Environment Canada (DOE),
the Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources (MNR), the
Ontario Ministry of the Environment (MOE) and others. The
Canadian Forest Service maintains the Acid Rain National
Early Warning System (ARNEWS) plots initiated in 1984 as
a national program to detect early signs of air pollution
damage to Canada's forests; the North American Maple
Project (NAMP) plots which monitor sugar maple tree
condition based primarily on crown dieback and crown
density; historical plots with data from the Forest Insect and
Disease Survey (FIDS); and other tree species specific
networks such as Oak, Maple, Jack Pine and SprucelFir. The
Ontario Ministry ofNatural Resources maintains numerous
Forest Health plots in Maple and Oak stands throughout
Ontario as well as numerous growth and yield plots. The
Ontario Ministry of the Environment maintains numerous
plots for dendro research. Environment Canada co-ordinates
several SIIMAB biodiversity plots throughout Ontario. Other
groups such as universities and non-government agencies
also maintain monitoring or research networks on forest
health.
While the separate, unintegrated, single-purpose, sample
plot networks mentioned above are necessary to meet
individual scientific or policy related goals, information
must be obtained at a larger scale to meet many obligations
of the various agencies with respect to providing the
knowledge to adaptively manage resources sustainably and
to meet provincial and national obligations such as the
environmental assessment and criteria and indicators
Objectives of the Ontario Forest Health
Co-operative Database and DynamicallyLinked Website
The Ontario Forest Health Data Co-operative was
developed as a way of obtaining and storing information
from existing sources on the health of Ontario's forest
ecosystems.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
An operation similar to the SIIMAB Biodiversity Database
has been established for the Ontario Forest Data Co-operative
(see www.cciw.ca/Forest-Health/ for a test Website),
whereby a database of meta-information about monitoring
plots (their location, the variables measured, contact names
and information, responsible agency, etc.) is dynamically
linked to a Website (see Figure 9). The Website presents
maps of Ontario showing locations ofthe monitoring sites as
red dots (see Figure 10) - dots which when "clicked" by the
mouse then bring up the detailed meta-information about
the monitoring site (see Figure 11). This allows the public,
teachers, students, community groups, and, more
importantly, other researchers know the specifics (who,
what, when, where and why) about forest monitoring
activities in Ontario. Currently, monitoring sites from the
Canadian Forest Service, the Ontario Ministry of Natural
Resources and Environment Canada are accessible from the
Website. Other agencies including Conservation Authorities,
Naturalist Organiza tions and Universities will be pressed to
have their monitoring sites and metadata included in the
database.
The Mackay Phenology
Database
.
--------------------------------------------------------------------------------
The Mackay Phenology Records
From 1891 to 1923, an influential inspector of schools in
Nova Scotia, Dr. A.H. McKay, recruited a number of
knowledgeable teachers around the province to have them
and their students observe 100 natural occurrences each
year, and report them iIi a standard manner. McKay was an
acclaimed botanist whose lichen collection and publications
are part of the Nova Scotia Museum of Natural History
resources. The records from his environmental observation
project are also part of the Nova Scotia Museum collection,
and are a valuable source of data but not in their original
form. There are 20 thick volumes of records, of which 6 are
summary volumes, which contain all the basic data. The
summaries contain approximately 800 large ledger-type
pages, each containing date of occurrence of 100 phenological
events at approximately 200 communities in Nova Scotia.
About 65 of these observations are first and widespread
461
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USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
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Figure 6.-SI/MAB biodiversity plot summaries compiled by major
world biome from database and displayed at website.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
463
Figure g.-Ontario forest health database website.
Figure 10.-0ntario forest health map automatically drawn from
database.
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464
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12, 1999
flowering dates of common plants; about 15 fields record
migrant birds; and the remainder record dates of events
such as frogs calling, weather and agricultural activity.
Objectives of the Mackay Phenology
Database And Dynamically-Linked
Website
By digitizing these records, and putting them into a
database, maps could be produced detailing the ecological
changes of Nova Scotia in the early 20 th Century; and the
database and summaries of the data made available to the
public through the Nova Scotia Museum andEMANWebsites.
An added objective was the reinstatement of a community/
school-based observation program similar to the MacKay
observations.
The Dynamically-Linked Mackay
Phenology Database
Frogwatch Ontario
Frogwatch-Ontario is an educational program of frog and
toad observations that contribute to scientific databases in
Ontario. By listening to frog and toad mating calls, schools
and communities can record and submit observations in
monitoring the health of Ontario's wetlands.
The Objectives of the Frogwatch-Ontario
Website
The Frogwatch-Ontario Website required several
capabilities to be handled by the Internet including: (1) a
presentation of the methods to be followed by the publici
community/school in observing amphibians; (2) a training
mechanism to test observer abilities in identifying mating
calls of Ontario's frogs and amphibians; (3) a data reporting
capability that would allow observations to be reported over
the Web or using an automated telephone answering device;
(4) a queriable database ofhistorical and current observa tions;
(5) an ability to map, at different resolutions, historical and
current observations in real time.
The MacKay Phenology Database Website (see
www.cciw.ca/MacKay-data/ for a test Websitehs similar to
the Websites of the SIIMAB Biodiversity Database and the
Ontario Forest Health Database whereby a database of
phenological observations (wildflowers, birds, weather and
agriculture) are dynamically linked to a Website (see Figure
12). The Website presents maps of Nova Scotia showing the
timing of phenological observations (see Figure 13) as the
"green wave" of Spring flows over the province.
The Frogwatch-Ontario Website (see www.cciw.ca/
frogwatching/ for a test Website) is similar to the other
Websites above, but integrates the aspects of providing
training (see Figure 14), submitting data (see Figure 15),
and reporting back observations in real time (see Figure 16).
The Frogwatch Ontario Website
The Technical End _ _ _ _ _ __
While this information is about amphibians, itisimportant
to show the computer capabilities created for this Website
that could be applied to forest health information
management.
A Brief Introduction to Web Servers
1.
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A Glossary of Computer Terms is provided as an
introduction to the technical section.
Clients and servers-Some computers function as
information sources-the servers-while other computers
act as sinks-the clients. The client's computer makes
requests to the server computers and the server computers
respond with the requested information. The computers
involved can be at a substantial geographical distance from
each other, and are connected through some communication
link (e.g. telephone lines, satellite).
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The web-The Web is the totality of information stored
on server computers around the world who are connected to
the Internet. Information at the servers can be easily retrieved
and displayed to a client whose computer is also connected
to the Internet.
Web browser-Web browsers are commercially available
software programs used by client computers to make
communication linkages to servers around the world, and
retrieve and display information on a client's computer
screen. Some examples are Netscape or Microsoft Explorer.
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Web document-Web documents are the text and
graphics of information that are stored in server computers
around the world. The language for communicating Web
Figure 12.-Parameters of MacKay Phenology website.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
465
MacKay Records Database
Figure 13.-Dynamic map of phenologies from MacKay phenology database automatically drawn from website.
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database.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
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documents from the server to the clients is Hyper-Text
Markup Language or HTML.
(a request or a message), and additional instructions about
the types of responses that can be processed.
HTML (Hypertext Markup Language)-Hypertext
Markup Language or HTML as it is known, is a set of
commands embedded in a Web document (text data) which
controls how the text is displayed by a Web browser.
Basic Web Server Operation
Hyperlink-A hyperlink is a code contained in Web
documents that can cause actions to be performed on behalf
of the client either automatically as the document is loaded
on the client's computer, or upon selection by the user (in the
latter case, the hyperlink usually has human-visible
attributes distinguishing it from other text in the document
- for example, a button).
Hypertext Transport Protocol (HTTP) or
Transmission Control ProtocollInternet (TCPIIP)HTTP and TCPIIP are two sets of communication 'rules' that
govern access to the information stored on various Web
servers around the world connected to the Internet. TCPIIP
describes how connections may be made between client and
server computers, while HTTPdescribes the communication
'language' used on the connection.
Uniform resource locator or URL-A URLis an address
that tells a Web browser on a client's computer where to find
information at a server computer connected to the Internet
somewhere around the world. The URL contains both the
TCPIIP 'dialing instructions' (the name ofthe server computer
that holds the information), the information to be conveyed
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
The first action occurs to establish a communication link
at Figure 17). A client using a Web browser on his
computer issues a URL address specifying a request for
information. The client may have typed the specific URL
into the Web browser, or a hyperlink (such as a button saying
"fetch me the information") in an already loaded document
may have been selected. The URL in the example is http: / /
www.cciw.ca/page.html and contains the following
information: the Web browser wishes to establish a HTTP
transaction (http://)with the server computer at the Canada
Centre for Inland Waters, in Canada (whose address is
www.cciw.ca) to retrieve the document identified as "/
page.html".
The Web browser passes the address information to the
TCPIIP layer, which, together wi th other layers of protocols,
establishes a connection (communication channel) with the
Web server at CCIW. Once the connection has been made,
the request for the document is passed over the
communication channel. When the server receives the
request, it begins an internal process ( at Figure 17) to
locate the requested information among its many information
sources at the Web server. The information takes the form of
a simple file somewhere on the server machine's disk, and
when found, it is read by the server ( ) and written to the
467
User
The Internet
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Request
.htrnl pages
Web SerV'er
Internal Process
Web Server
Internal Process
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Figure 17.-8asic web server operations
communication channel as the response to the client ( ),
together with some information about the meaning of the
data in the response (the response is to be interpreted as
HTML and displayed on the screen, for example).
When the response arrives at the client, the browser software
interprets it and may cause the text to be displayed on the
screen ( ). At this point, the initial transaction is complete
and the server may choose to break the connection with the
client.
It is possible there might be a hyperlink embedded in the
response from the Web server. This hyperlinkrepresents the
URL of a graphical image ( shows the place the image
should appear on the page). The browser will recognize this
occurrence and will automatically initiate another
transaction across the communication link to try to retrieve
this obj ect. In the diagram shown as Figure 17, represen ts
the request for the image item whose URL, or address, is
http://www.cciw.ca/image.gif
Another process will be started when the request for the
image reaches the Web server to read the image from the
server's disk . The data in the file will be sent over the
communication channel to the client , which will display it
468
to the client's screen
once it is received. Once again, the
channel may be closed at the server's discretion.
The process of opening the connection, requesting a file,
receiving the response and drawing it to the screen is
repeated as often as necessary to fetch the entire page and
its images, although many browsers have the ability to
establish several communications channels with the server
simultaneously to reduce the time taken to load the page.
Simple CGI Program
For the process described above as Basic Web Server
Operation, only the Web server software running the server
machine has been involved. It is possible, however, to have
the Web server cause another program to be run and to have
the output from that program sent back to the client as a
response, rather than the contents of a file on the server disk.
Most Web servers implement a scheme called the Common
Gateway Interface or CGI, as a connection between the
running Web server process and another program producing
the output.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
Figure 18 reveals a similar transaction to that shown in
Figure 17. Step ,the request and step the Web server
internal process are similar. Step shows the Web server
process starting another program, ,the CGI program
which produces an output routed to the channel back to the
client . The Web browser is unaware the data was produced
by a program, rather than copied from a file, and if the
content is correctly formatted, it is dutifully displayed on the
client's computer
Basic Data-Driven Operation
A more sophisticated example of a CGI program is
presented in Figure 19, the Basic Data-driven Operation.
The CGI program to be executed by the server is a complex
routine that produces HTML formatted text from the
"template" files from the server disk and performs database
operations directed by special commands in the templates.
This text, when sent back to the browser, will be displayed
on the client's computer as if it were a simple file from the
first example.
This mechanism allows the the format and content of the
HTML response to be computed on demand, based on the
data in the database and the logic of the commands in the
template files. In addition, the user can supply input to the
process with some optional data transmitted with the initial
request.
The initial request ,when handled by the Web server
process ,creates and runs the CGI program (called w3msql at ). This program reads the template file, in this case
"page.html" as specified in the initial request, from the
server disk at . The program examines the file and locates
any commands requiring database access and executes
them ( ). The results ofthe database operations are formatted
into normal HTML code and written to the channel back to
the client ( ) where they are displayed on the client's
computer screen ( ).
Dynamic Graphic Content
This mechanism generates many ofthe data-driven images
found on the SIIMAB, Forest Health, Frogwatch and MacKay
Web Server
Uaer
,
The Internet
r
Web Server
Request
.hlml·resp<>nse
lnt&rnal Process
<» ...
CG1 Pro8l'atn
(Slotted l)y
Wtb Server)
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Simple CGI Program
Figure 18.-Simple CGI progam.
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
469
Uler
The Intemet
~
Request
"Web Server
Internal Process
COl Program
......_(V_31M!"~m.s_
.. _q_l)_ _
~ Database
.html re.sponse· <1) .
(text data)
Basic: Data-driven Ope~ation
Figure 19.-Basic data-driven operation.
data portions of the EMAN Web Site. As far as the browser
is concerned, it functions in a similar way to the "Basic Web
Server Operation" described above. In the server, however,
the images are generated dynamically and then referred to
by CGI-generated HTML hyperlinks.
As all HTTP transactions do, this one begins with a
request from a Web browser (see at Figure 20). The Web
server determines that a CGI program is to be started to
handle the request ( , and ). The CGI program performs
some database operations to retrieve the data necessary to
generate the images ( ), then creates an image file on the
server disk, using a unique name ( ) which contains the
graphical content representing the data. The CGI program
then writes HTML text to the channel back to the browser
( ), including a hyperlink referencing the newly created
image file. The HTML is rendered to the browser screen ( ),
and the hyperlink for the image is recognized ( ). This
causes another transaction to be initiated ( ) to fetch the
image, and this is satisfied in the usual manner by the
internal server process (
): the image is fetched (
) and
sent back along the channel (
) to the browser, where it is
).
displayed visible on the client's computer screen (
470
Form Data Submission
Requests sent to a Web server may be accompanied by
auxilliary information to be used in completing the request.
Database operations for maintaining a mailing list might
require the entry of a name, address and telephone number,
for example. The diagram shown in Figure 21 illustrates the
process of sending user defined information, commonly
referred to as "form data", to a server. HTML defines objects
used in the construction of"forms" . Some, called "text boxes,"
provide space on a page for a user to type information using
the browser's keyboard. Another object HTML defines is
called a "Submit Button." It signals the browser to encapsulate
all the information in the text boxes in a request to be sent
back to the server computer.
The steps in processing this information begin with the
request for an empty form page to be displayed on the
browser screen. This is usually a simple operation such as
that shown previously in Figure 17. The user is presented
with several places to type information, and is expected to
provide it by typing on the keyboard. As shown at on the
diagram, the user has already completed the 3 fields Name,
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
We. Server
User
The Internet
~
r
Request
...-----.0
Web Server
Internal Process
CGI Prograrn
.html response
.-----.@
~/e b Sef\"el'
Inter! ,t Process
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Dynamic Graphic Co.ntent
Figure 20.-Dynamic graphic content
Address and Phone. At this point, it is a simple matter of
clicking on the oval submit button (here labelled "Update")
which begins the process of sending the data to the server.
The browser begins by making a connection to the server
(http://www.cciw.ca) and requesting the process "/cgi-bin!
data-op" be run ( ). The user data is also sent as part ofthe
request: each text box field content is sent preceded by its
name and separated by a delimiter. Thus the Name field
from the form is transmitted as "name=Joe", while the
Address field is sent as "address=123+First" and a "&"
character as a delimiter is placed between them. (The space
which is present in the address data has been replaced by a
"+" sign, and specific others are replaced with other encodings,
as certain characters are not allowed in the transmission.)
The Web server receives the request at and causes the
requested CGI program to be run ( ). When this program
begins, it reads the auxilliary information from the
communication channel and saves it in its own storage area.
Based on the data sent by the user in the form fields, the
program will perform its programmed operations at
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999
perhaps checking for duplications, or that all information is
complete, and will then use the information in some database
operation ( ). Once the operation is complete, a HTML
response is generated, perhaps containing error messages or
other results of the operations.
This response is sent to the browser through the
communications channel and ends up as a display on the
user's screen, signifying the end of the operation.
Note: Not shown on the diagrams are any internal
maintenance utilities of the Web server which look after
deleting these transient files at some specified future time.
Conclusions -----------------------------There are many applications for ready available Internet
technologies, be it for training, data submission direct to a
database, data management, or for reporting information
over Websites in real time and formats easily accessible to
decision-makers and the general public (i.e. maps, charts).
471
UHr
The Imemet
Web Server
~
Web Server
®Requ:.st
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hnp1i
. .calce,r
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llla'da1a-op ..
Internal Process
L.,;
Addt.ts$1123 Firstl
PhoM 1321-1234
(
Upd:.rt.a
)
I
AudllLaty In'or-matlcm
llalle-Jo!3&
addr~123+r1rst&
phone-321-12:34&
auhlll:1t-Upde,te
.0
C GI Program
(4 • •op)
Form Data Submission
Figure 21.-Form data submission via the website directly into a database.
472
USDA Forest Service Proceedings RMRS-P-12. 1999