Highlights for April 11, 1997
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News:

• Publication of New Book on Ecosystem Management: On April 4, publication of Ecosystem Management: Applications for Sustainable Forest and Wildlife Resources was announced. The book's authors discuss definitions of ecosystem management, sustainability of ecological systems, landscape ecology, resource management at different scales and in an ecosystem context, new advances in computer technology that facilitate classification schemes for ecosystems, ecosystem restoration, biological diversity, and public concerns. Frank D'Erchia (CBI) is the author of Chapter 10, "Geographic Information Systems and Remote Sensing Applications for Ecosystem Management." (Frank D'Erchia, Denver, 303/202-4259)
  
  

• National GPS PPS Conference: On April 7-10, Karl Brown, CBI, represented the USGS as the coordinator and host of the third annual Global Positioning System Precise Positioning Service (PPS) Coordinators Conference in Denver. All 35 Federal civilian agencies with PPS authority were invited, with most in attendance. Briefings on satellite status, future developments, receiver use and requirements, and control improvements for accuracy were covered, including a classified briefing on details of operation and future developments. Vendors with PPS-related products provided demonstrations and field trials at the Denver Federal Center. A major result of the conference was extension of the Federal Civilian PLGR+96 contract with Rockwell International for 1997. (Karl Brown, Denver, 303/202-4240)

• CRRL Network Connection Established: On April 9, a dedicated high-speed wide area network circuit (T1) was established between the Columbia River Research Lab and DOINET. Peter Strong (CBI) worked with Gary Welch (OPS), Thomas Murray (Vancouver GD), and staff at NBSC and CRRL in setting up this connection. Prior to installation of the T1 line, CRRL had virtually no Internet access. (Peter Strong, Denver, 303/202-4246)
  
  

• New CBI Home Page Online: During the week of April 14-18, CBI's new home page will be available online. The new site features random-loading banner graphics, a Web site directory function, and additional links to other Web sites. The Web site directory is a unique and powerful utility that functions like a Windows file manager. Users can "surf" the site directory, which displays hot-linked Web page titles in place of file names. (Harvey Fleet, Denver, 303/202-4224)

• GPS Training for DOI Staff in Anchorage: On April 14-18, Karl Brown, CBI, will conduct two NPS-sponsored Global Positioning System (GPS) training sessions in Anchorage. Employees from USGS, NPS, BLM, and FWS are registered for both full-capacity classes of 24 students. All aspects of GPS--and specifically use of the PLGR+96 military receiver--will be covered in the workshops, with the import of geospatial data to a geographic information system the final objective. (Karl Brown, Denver, 303/202-4240)

• Inaugural Meeting of BRD Geospatial Technology Coordinators: On April 15-17, the first meeting of BRD Geospatial Technology Coordinators will be held at MESC. Frank D'Erchia of CBI coordinated this initial meeting of representatives from all BRD Centers and Programs. The group will discuss finalization of the BRD Geospatial Technology Strategic Plan, implementation of a Geospatial Technology Home Page, and the methodology for documenting and serving metadata through the BRD National Biological Information Infrastructure Clearinghouse, among other issues. Minutes of the meeting will be posted on the BRD Geospatial Technology Bulletin Board. (Frank D'Erchia, Denver, 303/202-4259)

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives:

• Policy Paper Review: On April 8-10, Gary Waggoner (CBI) worked with Bonnie Carroll and Jennifer Gaines (OBIO) in reviewing a policy memorandum from Brooks Yeager, Assistant Secretary for Policy, to Patrick Souza (National Security Council) regarding "Possible Events/Deliverables for the President's Trip to Brazil." The deliverables concern the Inter-American Biodiversity Information Network resulting from the 1996 Bolivian Summit. The Network will advance several key Summit themes: biodiversity conservation, development of democracy through empowerment of civil society, and education and development of human capital. The reviewers identified several opportunities for events and offered to explore them further to determine which have the greatest potential to serve the President's needs. (Gary Waggoner, Denver, 303/202-4222)
  
  

• ITIS Article Published in ICSTI's Forum: On April 9-10, Gary Waggoner (CBI) contributed to an article entitled "ITIS. . .or What's in a Name? (More Than You Might Think)" by Gladys Cotter (OBIO) for the International Council for Scientific and Technical Information's Forum publication. This is the second article Cotter has published in Forum and is a follow-up to her earlier piece on the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII). The article introduces ITIS--the Interagency Taxonomic Information System--and describes the critical role such a taxonomic and nomenclatural standard plays in the evolution and advancement of the NBII. (Gary Waggoner, Denver, 303/202-4222)

III. Notable Congressional Activity: Nothing to report

IV. Press/Media Inquiries:

• Response to Query on Urban Sprawl: On April 8, Susan Stitt of CBI forwarded a media query on urban sprawl to Margaret Maizel of NCRI-Chesapeake, Inc. Maizel has contributed to the Land Use History of North America project spearheaded by BRD. Unable to fund or execute the project itself, BRD approaches other organizations for cooperation and funding support. The contact resulted in a Salt Lake Tribune article. (Susan Stitt, Denver, 303/202-4234)