CSU/NPS Project Final Report
Project Title:
Guidance & Technical Support to Natural
Resource Program Center (NRPC)
Principal Investigator Name:
Dr. Jim Loftis
Colorado State University – Department of Civil
Engineering
Address:
Department of Civil Engineering
Colorado State University
Fort Collins, CO 80523-1372
Federal Project Manager:
Tim Goddard
NPS Task Order #: CSU-056, CSU-062,
CSU-068, CSU-077, CSU-059, CSU-083
CSU Account #: 5-31707
Office Phone: 970-491-2667
Office Fax: 970-491-7707
Office Email: loftis@engr.colostate.edu
Additional Federal Project Staff:
Joe Gregson
Mike Whatley
Marianne Tucker
Project Objectives:
 Provide support to the Natural Resource Program Center (NRPC) to facilitate the ability to
efficiently research IT solutions and provide applications and database services for a
multitude of natural resource stewardship programs.
 Provide knowledge and experience for database management and Web application
programming and deployment techniques and methodologies.
Project Activities:
 Provide support to the Systems Management and I&M branches in researching, designing,
developing, and maintaining data management and reporting systems.
 Provide research and analysis support, computer programming, database analysis, and
application deployment for division systems.
 Assist with developing integrated approaches for ecosystem management based on a
thorough understanding of the principles and concepts of natural resource data models and
distributed database applications.
 Assist with evaluating current technologies and recommend programs and techniques that
will allow NRPC to remain in the forefront of natural resource information management
technology.
 Assist NRID staff to develop and administer secure service-wide databases and
applications used to manage natural resource information for more than 265 units of the
National Park System (NPS).
 Assist NRID staff to research, develop, document, and maintain programming code for
applications including but not limited to the Research Permit and Reporting System
(RPRS), Natural Resource Management and Assessment Program (NRMAP), NPSpecies,
NatureBib, and Dataset Catalog.
 Assist NRID staff by researching, developing, and assisting in the delivery of IT system
content training and user support (including training classes, planning seminars, phone,
and e-mail support).
Project Accomplishments:
 Assisted NRID staff research, develop, and operate Java and Visual Basic programming
code for service-wide client and Web applications.
CSU/NPS Project Final Report
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Researched, designed, and deployed Oracle objects, distributed relational database
management systems, Structured Query Language (SQL), Procedural Language SQL
(PL/SQL), Java database connectivity (JDBC), Open database connectivity (ODBC), and
object-oriented database technologies.
Converted, created, and integrated multi-source datasets after researching needs,
capabilities, and constraints.
Researched Webserver administration requirements and emerging technologies and
assisted in the operational administration of Webservers.
Developed user interfaces using HTML, DHTML, CFML, XML, stylesheets, and
Javascript.
Evaluated and recommended emerging technologies to improve and maintain Web-based
data management.
Enhanced the effective interpretation of natural resources and related stewardship
activities to a wide and diverse audience through the design and delivery of web-based IT
solutions.