Harvesting Information to Sustain our Forests
David Maier
Many thanks to Lois Delcambre, Tim Tolle and
the rest of the team for slides
April 19, 2002
Project Factoids• Duration: 3 years• Funding: NSF (Digital Government, SGER, REU), US Forest
Service, Bureau of Land Management, National Park Service• Participants:
– Adaptive Management Areas (Tim Tolle)– Oregon Graduate Institute (Lois Delcambre, David Maier, Patty
Toccalino, Fred Phillips, Niki Steckler, Marianne Koch)– Portland State University (Len Shapiro)– UNLV (Craig Palmer)– Natural Resource Information Specialist (Eric Landis) – Federal Agencies: Forest Service (Northwest Region), PNW
Research Station, Bureau of Land Management, National Science Foundation, Fish and Wildlife Service
• Location: Western Washington, Oregon and California
Adaptive Managementof Forest Lands
Monitor:Gather
Information
ContinuousManagement
Evaluate(LessonsLearned)
Act
Plan &Set
Directions
Adaptive Forest Management Portal
• Make information developed by and relevant to AMAs available and easily searchable by a range of users– Forest scientists– Resource managers
• Are concentrating on documents– USFS does well with GIS data– Not as great interest in base data as in interpretations and
analyses of that data
• Series of portals– toy portal– test portal– prototype portal– deployed portal
What We Need to Build the Portal
Technology piecesTry to use existing systems as much as possible
• Net-accessible document storage– Hope that ultimately most document producers will maintain
their own repositories– But need a separate document manager short term and for
“orphan” documents– Browser-based upload is good
Document Identification
Half-life of a URL is 63 daysWhat can we pass out to users that is a reliable reference?
• Digital Object Identifier (DOI)• Publishers assign, public resolution services
• Limitation: Can only give DOIs to own works
• Handles• Basis for DOIs
• Limitation: Have to run your own resolution service
Notional Architecture
DocumentProxies
Metadata++PortalPages
ExternalRepository
InternalRepository
DocumentRegistration &
Upload
DocumentAcceptance
MetadataProvisioning
Search &Browse
Beyond the Basics• Full-text keyword search
• End-user Collection, Linking, Annotation: Capture added value from efforts of users– All documents (or document fragments) on stream restoration and
bull trout– Forward links from analysis to restoration plan– Maybe even “recombinant documents”
Beyond the Basics: Geographic Selection
Regions Documents
Metadata++
Search & Browse
geographic terms& relationships
ARC-IMS(?)
GISData
Map-basedterm selection
selectedterms
Development of Additional Technology and Domain Knowledge
• User Scenarios• Controlled vocabularies• Metadata model• Support for metadata attachment and metadata-
based browsing• Exploiting structure within documents.
Other work underway– Inhibitors and promoters of information sharing in
organizations– Portal business models– GIS interface
Requirements
Interviews Workshops
Focus groups
Target User: Natural resource
manager
Target Information: Documents
Articulation of domains of interest… Identification of controlled vocabularies
Evaluation of controlled vocabularies Identification of cross-references
Identification of functional relationships
1. Gathering Knowledge
Multiple CVs for a domain, cross-referenced Similarity search
Multiple thesauri – with distinct relationships Metadata attachment, Search, Knowledge
Entry, Knowledge Browsing, …
2. Building Knowledge
Management
Technology
Scientific evaluation
of controlled vocabularies
Requirements Interviews
User scenarios
Planning, Training, Staffing, Developing Excitement
3. Deploying Knowledge
Management Technology
Using technology, managing information, expanding knowledge base, … 4. Using Knowledge
Management Technology
Study of facilitators and inhibitors
to information sharing
across agency boundaries
Government Partner Responsibilities
Academic Team Responsibilities
Legend
Requirements InterviewsWorkshops
Focus groups
Target User:Natural resource
manager
Target Information:Documents
Articulation of domains of interest…Identification of controlled vocabulariesEvaluation of controlled vocabularies
Identification of cross-referencesIdentification of functional relationships
Requirements Interviews
User scenarios
1. Gathering Knowledge
Requirements InterviewsWorkshops
Focus groups
Target User:Natural resource
manager
Target Information:Documents
Articulation of domains of interest…Identification of controlled vocabulariesEvaluation of controlled vocabularies
Identification of cross-referencesIdentification of functional relationships
Requirements Interviews
User scenarios
1. Gathering Knowledge
AFIDkeywords.doc
mistletoesroot diseasesrots and decaysfoliage diseasescankersrustsseedling diseasesbark beetleswood borersdefoliatorsseed and cone insectsshoot and twig insectssucking insectssilvicultural treatmentsthinningsalvagesanitationpruning
esa_terms.xls (excerpt)ActActionAction AreaAffect/effectAnticipated/allowable/authorizedApplicantBest available scientific & commercial dataBiodiversityBiological AssessmentBiological opinionCandidate speciesCandidate Conservation Agreement with
AssurancesCITESConferenceConservationConservation measuresConservation plan
Conservation recommendationsConstituent elementsCritical habitatCumulative effects (ESA)Cumulative effects (ESA)DelistDestruction or adverse modification
of critical habitatDirectorDistinct Population SegmentDownlistEarly consultationEcosystemEffects of the actionEndangered speciesEnvironmental baselineESA
climate_terms.xls (excerpt)CLIMATE - TERMSABSOLUTE TEMPERATUREADVECTIONADIABATICAIR MASSALBEDOANEMOMETERANNUAL FLOODANOMALYARIDITYASPECTBARBAROMETERBIOCLIMATICBOWEN RATIO
BPI PANBULK DENSITYCLASS A PANCLIMATOLOGICAL
OBSERVATIONCONVECTIONDAILY MEANDAYDEGREEDEGREE DAYDEWDEW POINTDROUGHTDRY BULB THERMOMETEREVAPOTRANSPIRATIONFETCH
Provinces
Multiple CVs for a domain, cross-referencedSimilarity search
Multiple thesauri – with distinct relationshipsMetadata attachment
SearchKnowledge Entry
Knowledge Browsing…
2. Building Knowledge ManagementTechnology
Knowledge Management TechnologyComputer Science Team
• Thesaurus++new version of Metadata++
• MetaData eXtract (MDX)semi-automated assistance for finding keywords
• Superimposed Schematicsconceptual browsing & searching of individual documents
Thesaurus++: Terms & Relationships
Thesaurus++: Terms & Relationships
synonym relationships
Thesaurus++: Terms & Relationships
functional relationships
similarity search!
Building Blocks for Thesaurus++
• Z39.19 Standard for Thesauritermsrelationships:
broader-term-narrow-term (hierarchy)synonymassociative relationship
• Dublin Core metadata fieldsCreator, Date, …
Thesaurus++
Broader-term-narrower-term
• Exploited by the search (on user request)– If you attach a narrow term…attach all broader
terms as well– If you search for a term…search for all narrow
terms as well
Thesaurus++
Broader-term-narrower-term
• But some users want a hierarchy that is upside down … compared to someone else’s hierarchy!?
• Can this work? Yes…we support multiple thesauri
Climatologist PerspectiveForester Perspective
[Atmosphere] – [Air Quality] – [Air pollution] – [smoke]
Attachment Relationship using Climatologist Perspective
D1
[Vegetation Management] – [Air pollution] – [smoke]
Attachment Relationship using Forester Perspective
D2
Documents with Attachment Relationships
[Atmosphere] – [Air Quality] – [Air pollution] – [smoke]
Search Trail specified in climatologist perspective
Search: Blue terms wild card, black terms mandatory
Shows the attachment path for the document
Templates for Metadata Entry
Location
Climate
Keywords
Soil
Hydrology
Planning
Authorizing Location
Knowledge Management TechnologyComputer Science Team
• Thesaurus++new version of Metadata++
• MetaData eXtract (MDX)semi-automated assistance for finding keywords
• Superimposed Schematicsconceptual browsing & searching of individual documents
MetaData eXtract
• Metadata attachment may take some time
• MDX helps by suggesting terms from Thesaurus ++
• Results are suggested to the user … interactively
The district silviculturalist at the McKenzie Ranger District on the Willamette National Forest is working on an EIS for a timber sale located within the upper McKenzie watershed. During the scoping process, the silviculturalist and rest of the IDT identified two areas in particular where the objectives would be to promote and accelerate the development of late successional characteristics over time.
Both areas are located within Douglas-fir forest types; one within a Western hemlock/dwarf Oregon grape plant association, or potential vegetation type, and one in a riparian reserve that has a plant association of Western hemlock/Oregon oxalis......
McKenzie Ranger District
Willamette National Forest
Douglas
-firWestern hemlock
potential
vegetation
What is a match?
• Mackenzie Ranger District
• Willamette National Forest
The district silviculturalist at the McKenzie Ranger District on the Willamette National Forest is working on an EIS for a timber sale located within the upper McKenzie watershed. During the scoping process, the silviculturalist and rest of the IDT identified two areas in particular where the objectives would be to promote and accelerate the development of late successional characteristics over time.
Both areas are located within Douglas-fir forest types; one within a Western hemlock/dwarf Oregon grape plant association, or potential vegetation type, and one in a riparian reserve that has a plant association of Western hemlock/Oregon oxalis......
•Western hemlock/dwarf Oregon
grape•Western Hemlock•Western hemlock/dwarf
Oregon grape-salal•Western hemlock/dwarf Oregon
grape/Oregon oxalis
Exact matches are important…
But what about partial matches?
Standard Metadata
PathTerm
Region 5 Location/USFS Lands
Klamath Forest Location/USFS Lands/Region 5
ContextTerm
Douglas Fir ...within Douglas-fir forest types; one ...
McKenzie Ranger District ...silviculturalist at the McKenzie Ranger District on...
Woody debris …per acre and amount of downed woody debris left in the stands would…
Thesaurus++ Terms
AMA PORTAL PROJECT PRESCRIPTION SCENARIO
Tim TolleAuthor
Title
::
Attached Metadata
MDX Suggested Terms
Knowledge Management TechnologyComputer Science Team
• Thesaurus++new version of Metadata++
• MetaData eXtract (MDX)semi-automated assistance for finding keywords
• Superimposed Schematicsconceptual browsing & searching of individual documents
Schematics: Decision Letter
Schematics: Review Letter
The Appeal Decision Schematic
loc desc
issuer
address
role
title
respondentFor
1:*
0:*
1:1 0:*
0:*
1:1
1:1
1:1
1:1
0:1
1:1
1:1
1:1 1:*
name
AppealDecision
date
Appeal
result
id num
concern
Issue
cover Decision
DecidingOfficer
response
Determination resolve
ReviewingOfficer
Appellant
behalf
Organization
status desc
review
request
regard
name
name
title
respondentFor
name
desc order
define
0:*
0:*
1:1 1:*
1:1
1:*
Part of a Populated Schematic
Decision (D1)Appeal
Decision (AD1)cover (c1)
datelocissuerconcern
(n1)
Appeal (A1)regard (r1)
define (d1)
Issue (I1)
Part of a (different) Populated Schematic
Determination(D1)
resolve(r1)
Issue (I2)
Appeal (A1)
define (d1)
define (d2)
define (d3)
Determination(D1)
resolve(r1)
Issue (I2)
Determination(D1)
resolve(r1)
Issue (I2)
Querying a Superimposed Schematic
Issue [AppealDecision(id="1570-1-0032-10").concern(order=1)] The decision violates the Federal Advisory Committee Act (FACA). The illegal advisory committee played a central role in influencing the Forest Service Decision.
Issue [AppealDecision(id="1570-1-0032-10").concern(order=2)] The decision significantly reduces hunting opportunity and habitat for deer and elk.
Issue [AppealDecision(id="1570-1-0035-13").concern(order=1)] The District Ranger's decision is not in accordance with the legal requirements of the National Environmental Policy Act, the National Forest Management Act, and the Forest and Rangeland Renewable Resources Planning Act.
Issue [AppealDecision(id="1570-1-0038-19").concern(order=1)] Current stand condition is not adequately addressed, impacts on soil quality are not addressed, and that impacts to various species are not considered, including several late successional species, survey and manage species, and management indicator species.
“For Appeal Decisions made in the last two years, what Appellant Issues were raised for Decisions
concerning the Mount Hood National Forest”