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

Management

Areas

 

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”