Highlights for January 10, 1997
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News:

• Taxonomic Information Systems Panel Discussion: On January 6–9, an invited panel discussion on Taxonomic Information Systems was held at the Pacific Symposium on Biocomputing 1997 in Kapalua, Maui, HI. Gary Waggoner (Center for Biological Informatics) organized and chaired the panel. Other panelists were Gladys Cotter, Chief, Office of Biological Informatics and Outreach, Biological Resources Division; Jim Beach, National Science Foundation (NSF); Stan Blum, Bishop Museum and Association of Systematics Collections; and Wendall Oaks, Natural Resources Conservation Service. The panel discussed the status and future role of distributed computing in the biological systematics and collections community. Specifically, panelists described ongoing national efforts, including the National Biological Information Infrastructure, the Interagency Taxonomic Information System (an ongoing NSF–USGS-funded project to develop a reference information model for biological collection), and the need to develop more software tools for automation of the Nation's biological collections. These topics are all key elements in the development of an Internet-accessible source of information about the biological diversity of the Nation.

• Federal Geographic Data Committee Meeting: On January 7, Maury Nyquist (Center for Biological Informatics) participated in the Federal Geographic Data Committee Earth Cover Work Group (ECWG) meeting via teleconference. The ECWG fosters an integrated approach to the identification, classification, and/or mapping of features that cover the surface of the United States. The objective of the ECWG is to make maximum use of public and private-sector resources by avoiding duplicative efforts and using standardized earth cover standards to produce more complete and usable earth cover data and maps, suitable to multiple applications by many different organizations. The main issues of discussion were a review of the "Land Cover/Earth Cover Classification System" proposal, finalizing the Earth Cover Classification Survey and letter of transmittal, proposed Multi-Resolution Land Cover Consortium projects, and the Web link process to the ECWG Home Page.

• Interagency Geographic Data Committee Remote Sensing Working Group Meeting: On January 15, Karl Brown, Ralph Root, Susan Stitt, and Mike Story (Center for Biological Informatics) will attend this videoconferenced meeting. The Interagency Geographic Data Committee is concerned with DOI-wide geospatial data activities (similar to those of the Federal Geographic Data Committee) and is a component of the National Geospatial Data Clearinghouse.

• USGS Participation in USFWS Geographic Information Systems Steering Committee Workgroup Meeting: On January 15, Frank D'Erchia (Center for Biological Informatics) will attend a USFWS GIS Steering Committee Workgroup meeting in Denver. The meeting will focus on development of standards for automating national wildlife refuge boundary files for use in a geographic information system, drafting a proposal for maintaining and sharing refuge boundary data over the Internet, and determining data standards for other basic data layers used in USFWS Realty/Refuge programs.

• Joint Meeting of Multi-Resolution Land Cover Consortium and Federal Geographic Data Committee Earth Cover Work Group: On February 5, Maury Nyquist (Center for Biological Informatics) will attend a joint meeting of the Multi-Resolution Land Cover (MRLC) Consortium and the Federal Geographic Data Committee Earth Cover Work Group (ECWG) to investigate the MRLC classification system and its utility for ECWG purposes. The MRLC is a partnership among environmental monitoring programs in four Federal agencies (US EPA, USGS, NOAA, and USFS) and the USGS EROS Data Center to facilitate the development of comprehensive land characteristics information for the United States. Consortium goals include the generation of land cover data for the conterminous United States and the development of a flexible and functional land characteristics database that meets the diverse needs of the participating programs and Federal agencies. The ECWG objective is to make maximum use of public and private-sector resources by avoiding duplicative efforts and using standardized earth cover standards to produce more complete and usable earth cover data and maps, suitable to multiple applications by many different organizations.

• USGS Biological Resources Division adds COMSEC Capability to Support DOI Global Positioning System Mission. In late 1996, the Center for Biological Informatics (CBI) gained classified account capabilities for Global Positioning System (GPS) crypto logic codes to support DOI GPS users. This account will augment the established USFWS account and was opened to share the workload of rekeying (for encryption) the more than 600 GPS receivers operated by DOI personnel. Receivers must be rekeyed approximately every 12 months to maintain their accuracy. Additional equipment purchases in 1997 will increase the DOI user population to over 800 GPS receivers. Karl Brown (CBI) is the Denver Cooperative GPS site manager.