Core Data for the KSDP Data Warehouse:
Core Data for the BCTS Warehouse
Reg Davis, R.P.F.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
rdavis@intref.bc.ca
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Or
• “How I spent my winter constructing an
information highway through Middle-Earth.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
We will touch on ...
• Several definitions of “core data”.
• The non-map-type information and other
tasks.
• BCTS’ use of the Kootenay Spatial Data
Partnership (KSDP) data site, and some
suggestions from our (my) view
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Background
• Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd is under
contract to provide planning support to the
Kootenay Business Unit Office of B.C.
Timber Sales (BCTS)
• Support includes:
– producing Forest Development Plan (FDP)
amendment packages
– creating a “data warehouse” for BCTS
– preparing for the transition from FDP to FSP
(Forest Stewardship Plans)
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Definitions of Core Data
• KSDP: Data that appears as features on the
FSP map, as defined in the legislation (?)
• BCTS: Data that is needed to prepare a
Forest Development Plan Amendment
(FDPA) or, in the future, a Forest
Stewardship Plan (FSP) and successfully
obtain the District Manager’s approval.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
A Minimal Definition
• The “core data” for the KSDP might be
interpreted as only those features that
appear on the FSP map, such as:
–
–
–
–
–
–
BCTS Timber Sale Licence blocks,
roads under BCTS road permit,
forest development units (FDUs),
ungulate winter range polygons,
community watershed polygons (CWS) and
areas where logging is prohibited by statute such as some of the Wildlife Habitat Areas
(WHA).
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
... A Minimal Definition
• The “FSP map” might not even include:
– other roads - those that would connect the
dangling bits of road under BCTS road permit
– contours and streams (background, orientation)
– private land
– operating area boundaries, etc
• These are not required, but it would be
logical to put them on the map as well.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
The FDP Map Is Not Going Away
– BCTS will use the FSP map and also retain the
FDP map as an “operational map”.
– They feel that the FDP map is still required to
find the wood on the ground.
– It is probable that other licensees will follow a
similar course.
– The new combination of FSP and FDP is more,
not less of a mapping workload than the FDP
map by itself.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Core Data
• There are different interpretations as to
what is required on the FSP map.
• Views range from “required by law” to
“required by common sense”.
• And the FDP map data will still be
required, so
• The list of “core data” starts to increase,
maybe to 12 or so covers.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
More Core Data
• An FSP or an FDP Amendment contains:
– text (*);
– map;
– RPF signature
– (*) The text is also part of the plan. It includes or
references the required assessments and the
licensee’s forest management strategies
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Four of the Required Assessments
– Equivalent clearcut area (ECA), road densities as
per the IWAP Guidebook, or as per the
“watershed report card” in the KBLUP
Implementation Strategy document
– Ungulate winter range (UWR) status
– Biodiversity seral stage status (mature plus old;
old seral, old growth management areas (OGMA),
mature management areas (MMA) )
– Patch size status
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
District Manager Approval
• The DM approves an FDPA map and text,
and the RPF signature ensures that the legal
objectives are met.
• Each FDPA or FSP “package” is typically
comprised of four parts:
– text, map, and RPF signature (submitted), and
– the supporting information that ensures
compliance (not submitted)
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Expanded List of Covers
• If one includes the covers that are required
to provide the features on the FDP or FSP
map, as well as those required to complete
the assessments in the supporting
information, then the list of “core layers”
easily expands to 35 (and counting):
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
... 35+ Covers
• VRI (or veg, forest cover), TRIM, other licensees’ cut-blocks;
other licensees’ roads; DWS, stream classes, stream
features, riparian classes (multiple covers), points of
diversion for CWS and DWS; watershed sub-basins; H60
elevations; road features (barriers, bridges, etc..); planned
or existing road deactivation; old BEC, new BEC, old BEO,
new BEO, ownership or land status; operating areas;
operability; landscape units; district boundaries; recreation
sites; scenic areas, visual quality objectives; terrain
stability, OGMAs, MMAs, AOA, AIA, identified wildlife areas,
reserves, ...
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Data Partnership Covers
• There are currently 26 (*) covers for each
TSA on the KSDP web site:
• BEC, CWS, LU, POD, Caribou, DWS, Parks,
Connectivity, BEO, BEC-old, Roads, Fire disturbance,
Composite FDP, Chart Areas, BEGR units, Identified
wildlife, OGMAs, Operability, Ownership, Riparianlakes, Riparian-wetlands, Scenic areas, Terrain,
UWR, VLI-existing, VLI-proposed
• (*) = some might be considered sub-divisions of a cover
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
So what?
• So the list of covers that are “core” is
longer than those being posted to the
KSDP site, and much longer than those
required as features on the FSP map (in
my opinion.)
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Experience with the KSDP
– Interior is passing data to other contractors on
behalf of BCTS. About 3 man-days of effort
were expended in the last 2 weeks referring
contractors to data web-site(s), finding and
retrieving data, posting data, cutting CD’s, etc.
– Anything the KSDP can do to help, the better.
– 26 out of 34+ covers is helpful, more will be
appreciated.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
However....
• Downloading some GIS data is only the
first step.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Pre- and Post-Logging Reports
• The signing forester wants pre- and postlogging reports to evaluate compliance.
– Hence, an automated process is required that
will allow changes to be made in one or more
covers (usually the block file) which is then
inserted into an automated processing stream
to generate land-base status reports for a
minimum of both pre- and post- logging
timeframes.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Pre- and Post-Logging Reports
• So we are developing the automated
routines, reports and standardized inputs
(layers and logic)
• This requires much more than just the
source covers as the exist on the KSDP
web site.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Additional Work
• We also have to:
–
–
–
–
clean, reformat, and upgrade the covers
update the covers as new information arrives
acquire supporting information & data
define the BCTS business standards and
integrate that into the data
– A few examples follow.
• KSDP help with any of this will be
welcomed.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Clean, Reformat, Upgrade
• Reformat covers
– Standardize the cover names, attributes and
attribute values so they work easily in a
programming environment.
– minimize the data file size, shorten wasted fields
space, extract attributes to Look Up Tables (LUT)
and add primary and foreign keys
– add required attributes, such as over/under 80%
slope into the caribou cover
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Clean, Reformat, Upgrade
• Create new covers
– create standard TSA- or LU-sized covers from
tiles (of different names, extents, etc.)
– Add business area requirements such as
multiple status fields to meet the assessment
requirements.
– Create annotation such as TRIM elevations,
UWR management unit labels, etc
– Derive snow depth zones for the new ungulate
winter range guidelines
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Acquire supporting info
• Acquire all the previously mentioned laws,
regulations, higher level plans etc:
– Higher Level Plan Order (HLPO)
– District Manager Instructions (DMI)
– Koot. Boundary Land Use Plan Implementation
Strategy (KBLUP IS)
– South Rocky Mountains Management Plan
(SRMMP) In this case the D.P. web site needs a
separate SRMMP column
– guidebooks and relevant policy statements, ...
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Acquire supporting info
• Acquire:
– GIS symbol files, meta-data, data dictionaries,
guidelines and rule sets
• Develop programs:
– GIS aml’s, overlays, reporting processes
• Gather permissions, procedures, forms to
get access to government data sites
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Acquire supporting info
• Translate the guidelines
– The official guidelines are confusing or open
to interpretation. In some cases they simply
have mistakes.
– Example: New GAR-type UWR in Arrow:
• Start by gathering any non-published technical
documents, e.g. the Fretwell allocation algorithms.
• Clarify the UWR reference to “vegetated”. This required
several weeks of questions and answers, and then
documentation of the technical rules for evaluating the
guidelines.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Net land-base files
– Many planning, and some resource guidelines
are assessed against a net land-base file, such
as those from TSR. An example is the
allocation sequence in the “Fretwell Reports.”
– Important forest licensee strategies such as
operating area negotiations are primarily
based on net-land-base files.
– So, net land-base data files and associated
documentation are also required.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Net land-base files
– Acquiring the TSR-resultant file is all that may
be needed. But, important attributes are often
lacking.
– We want to be able to re-create the data file, if
necessary, using fresh data.
– But the details of the data processing is not
explained in the official reports (TSR Analysis
Report, TSA Data Preparation Report.) ...
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Status as of this point
• There is a long list of data and
information, and then tasks that require
completion prior to being able to complete
an FDP (or FSP) “package”
• The package, not just the FDP / FSP map,
can then be submitted to the DM for
approval.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Proof of KSDP Value
• Interior staff have been downloading
covers from the KSDP site, and pointing
other contractors to it. This has reduced
our workload.
• Tembec and BCTS are working towards
populating the cells in the cover matrix for
the East Kootenay area.
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
Points for Discussion
– Will someone standardize, clean, upgrade and
update the KSDP covers?
– Include the background information as well as
the covers on the KSDP site?
– Post “VRI” and “fc1/FIP” forest cover as well
as all the TSR input covers?
– Make data available in both Albers and UTM?
– Partnership agencies get access to the DP site,
not contractors. Is there a better way?
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
The End
• Of the old. And so begins a new era?
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.
By the way....
Who are the orcs?
Google says...
Interior Reforestation Co. Ltd.
Cranbrook, B.C.