Design and Analysis Tools for Inventory and Monitoring (DATIM)

Project Description

The DATIM project is a cross-deputy area effort sponsored by the EMC Director and the R&D’s National Inventory and Monitoring Application Center (NIMAC). The DATIM core team is comprised of both R&D and NFS staff members from resource inventory and forest planning programs. The DATIM project will develop two separate IT applications that integrate existing national applications and make use of commercial software that is part of the agency software library. There will be two modules of tools in the total DATIM package: DTIM and ATIM.

1. Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (DTIM) will assist national forests and grasslands in determining what potential monitoring questions can be answered based on available data. If estimates of current conditions and trends based on available data are inadequate, then DTIM helps the user cost-effectively determine the additional sampling needed to meet their unique precision and cost objectives.
2. Analysis Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (ATIM) will enable employees to analyze vegetation data (including FIA and Regional supplements) to derive estimates of current conditions and trends on the Forest and surrounding landscapes. The tool could also be used to track trends in vegetation diversity trends at a broad scale for monitoring climate change effects.

In summary DATIM will:

• Help Forests cost-effectively implement monitoring and evaluation direction in the new forest planning regulations.
• Help Forests and Regions improve monitoring designs and data analyses by developing nationally consistent tools thereby making more efficient use of the hundreds of millions spent by the agency on monitoring each year.
• Help national forests and grasslands better document their monitoring needs, thereby enabling the agency to better communicate monitoring objectives and funding needs.
• Be integrated with existing corporate applications and datasets.
• Be useable in multiple program areas including forest planning, inventory and monitoring design, and national and regional monitoring efforts.

Field Evaluations (as of June 2011)

To date, the DATIM Core team has sponsored numerous two-day field evaluation sessions with Forest and Regional Office staff in every Region except Region 2. Project design and business requirements were modified in response to feedback received during these field reviews. The Team has been working closely with a nationally contracted development team to ensure the final set of tools meet their exact specifications and field-level user needs. Most recently, members of both teams have participated in many joint “storyboard” WebEx sessions designed to ensure the user interface and tool capabilities will meet national and regional requirements and standards. Additional sessions are planned for the next several months until the first official release of the ATIM in March 2012.

Two prototype models have been released and tested by field-level users. Coordination is ongoing with other existing applications such as NRIS Tools and FVS to ensure compatibility and cross-migration of input data and output tables. More Details and background about the DATIM project can be found in the most recent PowerPoint presentation, Design and Analysis, Tools for Inventory & Monitoring: DATIM (.pdf, 2.4 MB) and in the Overview of the DATIM System.

Status

DATIM is currently in the last month of the Development Stage of the Pilot One Production System. This Stage is scheduled for completion in early March 2012. Pilot One includes these components:

• Oracle 11G database installed on Windows 2008 Server
  • DATIM Proxy DataMart schema, populated with representative data
  • DATIM Data Subset schema populated with representative data
  • GUI for selecting data
• DTIM Subsystem
  • Implemented data services backend of DTIM.
  • Implemented the “Objectives” selection screen
  • Implemented the “Questions” selection screen
  • Implemented the “Metrics” selection screen
  • Implemented the “Area Info” input form
  • Decomposed the “Precision” worksheet as found in the Excel version of the Design Tool into three separate (but related) input screens – “Output Tables”, “Precision of Current Values” and “Precision of Change Values.”
  • In-process of implementing further changes.
• ATIM Subsystem
  • ATIM is fully implemented in C# and Silverlight, with GI (Geospatial Interface) integration, as developed by the ATIM and GI Storyboard Subteams.
  • ATIM runs both in-browser and out-of-browser.
  • ATIM uses server-based data when connected to the network and pc-based data when disconnected from the network and the data has been checked out to the PC.
  • Enhanced reporting capabilities, GIS and other data visualizing and data mining software.
• SIT/GI Subsystem
  • The C# version of SIT is fully implemented and incorporates GI functionality via web services
  • SIT run as both a web application using ArcGIS server and a pc ArcGIS ArcObjects application and is designed to work with spatial data located locally and remotely on intranets/internet.
  • SIT includes enhanced spatial querying and reporting capabilities using GIS and other data visualizing and data mining techniques.
  • SIT is integrated into ATIM to provide spatial querying for analysis.
• Compilation Subsystem
  • Selection of plots for DCS - Selection from Proxy DataMart or DATIM Subset
  • A GUI will enable selection of data from Proxy DataMart or DATIM Subset for compilation based on:
    • Population
    • Spatial Attributes
    • Temporal Attributes
    • Columnar Attributes
    • GIS
• Selection of compilations, models, columns to be populated, etc, to be run with plots of interest.
• A GUI will enable selection of compilations to be run.

FVS (Forest Vegetation Simulator) and/or Regional compilations will be run, output can be evaluated, and results can be loaded into Proxy DataMart by Regional Administrator or DATIM Subset for use with ATIM, DTIM, etc. Currently, any compilations that FVS Compilation Library does not include will have to be added to the DataMart library. The DataMart and Regional administrators can add routines at user request

Schedule of Work

• February 2012- Complete DATIM Pilot 1, begin one month of developer’s testing and revision. Start preparing NFS Regional data. Deliver DATIM Pilot 1.1.
• March 2012 - Prepare NFS Regional data, NFS Regions begin internal testing and use of DATIM Pilot 1.1, revisions to the Pilot, and complete planning for Pilot 2. Deliver DATIM Pilot 1.2
• April 2012 - Complete bug fixes and revisions and then install on CIO Albuquerque development server. Start Pilot 2 development.
• November 2012 - Complete Pilot 2 development.

List of participants

Project Leadership Team

• Charles “Chip” Scott – Core Team Leader, USFS, NIMAC
• Charles Washington – Development Team Leader, University Nevada at Las Vegas
• Patrice Janiga – Portfolio Manager, USFS, WO, EMC

USFS Core Team

• Renate Bush – Region 1, RO
• Carlos Ramirez – Region 5, RO
• Jim Alegria – Region 6, RO
• Carol Apple – Region 6, RO (retired)
• David Meriwether – Region 8, RO
• Mike Schanta – Region 9, Mark Twain National Forest
• Ken Brewer – R&D, WO
• Bob Lee – EMC, WO

UNLV and USFS Developers Team

• Gretchen Andrew – UNLV, Associate Environmental Research Scientist
• Ervin Czimskey – UNLV, Systems Analyst/Programmer
• Gary Brand - UNLV, Systems Analyst/Programmer
• Harry Reed - UNLV, Systems Analyst/Programmer
• Harvey Berenberg - UNLV, Systems Analyst/Programmer
• Lydia Reed - UNLV, Systems Analyst/Programmer
• Bryan L Lanier - RMRS, IT Specialist
• Marcus D McElhaney - Region 5, Systems Analyst/Programmer, ECO System Planning
• Joseph D Zeiler - Region 1, Systems Analyst/Programmer, Planning
• Dave Polak - SRS, IT Specialist

Presentations

Design and Analysis, Tools for Inventory & Monitoring: DATIM (.pdf, 2.4 MB)
This PowerPoint presentation provides an overview of DATIM, describing the background, vision, objectives, and approach to the development of DATIM. It then describes the toolkit itself focusing on the Design and Analysis tools, their use and characteristics. Then it presents the 15 monitoring steps from developing the monitoring objectives and questions, through design, data collection, analysis, reporting and decision making. It concludes with a description of the benefits of DATIM.

[Proposed] 2012 NFMA Forest Planning Rule, § 219.12 Monitoring (.pdf, 676 KB)
This PowerPoint presentation shows how the DATIM system will contribute toward meeting the monitoring requirements in the latest planning rule, under development pending release of the 2012 forest planning regulations.

Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (DTIM) (.pdf, 1.7 MB)
This presentation goes into more detail on the Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (DTIM). It describes its uses, provides a diagram of DTIM’s roles within DATIM, and then describes the first 9 monitoring steps in greater detail with examples.

Analysis Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (ATIM) (.pdf, 952 KB)
This is a brief presentation on the Analytical Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (ATIM). It describes the need for ATIM and the steps for using it.

Publications of Interest

Scott, Charles T. 2009. Overview of the National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC). P.223-229 in Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium 2008 (PDF, 33.1 MB). McWilliams, Will, Moisen, Gretchen, and Czaplewski, Ray (eds.).U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Ft. Collins, CO. RMRS-P-56CD.

Scott, Charles T., Bush, Renate, and Brewer, Ken. 2009. Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring. P.230-237 in Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium 2008 (PDF, 33.1 MB). McWilliams, Will, Moisen, Gretchen, and Czaplewski, Ray (eds.).USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO. RMRS-P-56CD.

Lister, Andrew, Scott, Charles T., and Rasmussen, Steve. 2011. Inventory methods for trees in nonforest areas in the Great Plains states. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment, Online First - SpringerLink.

Lister, Andrew, Scott, Charles T., and Rasmussen, Steve. 2009. Inventory of Trees in Nonforest Areas in the Great Plains States. P.237-243 in Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium 2008 (PDF, 33.1 MB). McWilliams, Will, Moisen, Gretchen, and Czaplewski, Ray (eds.). USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO. RMRS-P-56CD.

Morin, Randall S., Prichard, Teague, Everson, Vern, Westfall, James A., and Scott, Charles T. 2009. Wisconsin State Forests Continuous Forest Inventory: A Look at the First Year. P.259-268 in Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) Symposium 2008 (PDF, 33.1 MB). McWilliams, Will, Moisen, Gretchen, and Czaplewski, Ray (eds.).USDA Forest Service, Rocky Mountain Research Station, Fort Collins, CO. RMRS-P-56CD.

Lister, Andrew J. and Scott, Charles T. 2009. Use of space-filling curves to select sample locations in natural resource monitoring studies. Environmental Monitoring and Assessment 149:71-80.

McRoberts, Ronald E., Bechtold, William A., Patterson, Paul L., Scott, Charles T., and Reams, Gregory A. 2005. The enhanced Forest Inventory and Analysis Program of the USDA Forest Service: Historical perspective and announcement of statistical documentation. Journal of Forestry 103(6):304-308.

Bechtold, William A. and Patterson, Paul L. 2005. The enhanced Forest Inventory and Analysis program - national sampling design and estimation procedures. General Technical Report SRS-80. U.S. Department of Agriculture, Forest Service, Southern Research Station, Asheville, NC. 85 p.

Tool Prototypes with Tutorials

• Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (DTIM) (Microsoft Excel (2007) spreadsheet, .xls, 622 KB)
  • Using the Design Tool for Inventory & Monitoring (DTIM) (.pdf, 56 KB)- a brief tutorial about using the DTIM.
• EVALIDatorPC (.zip, 20.6 MB) - the prototype of the Analytical Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (ATIM). DATIM’s version of EVALIDator is embedded in a Microsoft Access (2007) database. The data are from the USFS Forest Inventory & Analysis of Alaska.
  • EVALIDatorPC Instructions (.pdf, 22 KB)- a brief tutorial about using the EVALIDatorPC.

Requirements Documents

The following four documents were developed over several years to identify all of the business requirements of the DATIM system tools. The information in these documents is being used by the Development Team as a means of understanding what the Core Team expects from the tools and the environment within which the user will operate the tools to conduct analyses.

• Basic Functional Requirements of the Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring [Outline] (.pdf, 25 KB) and Software Requirements Specification for the Design Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (DTIM) (.pdf, 235 KB)
• Compilation Subteam Notes (.pdf, 380 KB)
• Software Requirements Specification for the Analytical Tool for Inventory and Monitoring (ATIM) (.pdf, 142 KB)
• Software Requirements Specification for the Spatial Intersection Tool (SIT) (.pdf, 383 KB)

Related Links

• National Inventory and Monitoring Applications Center (NIMAC) - Leads the DATIM development effort. Other related projects are described on this website.
• FIA DataMart - This is the original source of EVALIDator PC, which Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) developed and ATIM has enhanced to form the prototype for ATIM. This link provides access to all available FIA data.
• FIDO (Forest Inventory Data Online) - The Forest Inventory & Analysis (FIA) online tool for analyzing the inventory data. DATIM will have similar functionality, but with additional emphasis on National Forest System data and attributes.
• National Inventory and Monitoring Protocols