Highlights for April 21, 2000
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News:

• USGS Scientist Assists in NPS Fire Mapping Effort. Karl Brown of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics will serve as faculty for a May pilot course in Global Positioning System (GPS) fire perimeter mapping to be taught at the National Interagency Fire Center in Boise, Idaho. This National Park Service-sponsored training is designed to teach GPS technology applications to fire suppression personnel tasked with mapping ongoing wildfires on the ground or by aerial perimeter flight. (Karl Brown, Denver, 303-202-4240)

• Invasive Species Program Review. During the week of April 10, the BRD Invasive Species Program Review Steering Committee met in Tucson, Arizona, to design the process and identify the participants for the review. Program review is one method used by USGS to ensure the quality, relevance, integration, and productivity of scientific activities. Program review not only looks at the research currently being done at BRD science centers, but also sets the agenda for the next 5-year cycle by reviewing and revising the goals and objectives for that Program Element. The research projects in the Invasive Species Program Element have been assigned to various "capstone" categories that the Steering Committee defined. Capstone presentations will summarize and assess the work being done and will make recommendations for the future. Susan Fayad of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics is the steering committee member responsible for coordinating the Information Systems capstone. The review is planned for the week of September 11; an announcement will be broadcast once the details are finalized. (Susan Fayad, Denver, 303-202-4224)
• Classified Options NTM Sourcebook Presented to ASPRS. Karl Brown of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics will present the new Classified Options National Technical Means Sourcebook at the classified section of the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing convention on May 23. The section will be held at the Science Applications International Corporation's special compartmentalized information facility in Chantilly, Virginia. Classified and unclassified versions of the sourcebook will be issued to assist scientists in selecting imagery-derived products and approved techniques for use in their research. (Karl Brown 303-202-4240)

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives:

• International Biodiversity Internet Workshop. On April 24-27, Susan Fayad of the USGS Center for Biological Informatics will participate in the Internet-based Biodiversity Database Workshop: An Assessment of Needs and Tools in Ft. Collins, Colorado. The goal of the workshop is "to define the need and set the framework for a seamless distributed data system for the International Network of Conservation Data Centers." Workshop participants will review state-of-the-art Web-based conservation information delivery systems, including a presentation on the USGS-led National Biological Information Infrastructure; identify and prioritize the central issues driving the need for, and constraining the development of, an Internet-based data system; and assist with designing the framework for a prototype database system. This National Science Foundation-funded workshop is sponsored by the Colorado Natural Heritage Program, Colorado State University, the New Mexico Natural Heritage Program, and the University of New Mexico. (Susan Fayad, Denver, 303-202-4224)
• NBII Metadata Clearinghouse Node Complete. The Informatics Research Team at the USGS Center for Biological Informatics has established a Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC) NT-based National Biological Information Infrastructure Metadata Clearinghouse node at the center. The node uses Isite 2.06 software for Microsoft Windows NT on an Intel platform. It is listed in the FGDC Clearinghouse Registry as USGS_CBI NPSVEG Metadata (shortname GSNPSVEG). The index database is vegmetadat. Currently, the node contains records for National Park units where work has been completed under the USGS-NPS Vegetation Mapping Program (Tuzigoot, Fort Laramie, Agate Fossil Beds, Mt. Rushmore, Devil's Tower, Jewel Cave, Wind Cave and Scott' s Bluff). As other units are completed and the data delivered and verified, their metadata records will be added to the node's index. (Susan Fayad, Denver, 303-202-4224)

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.