Highlights for January 26, 2001
USGS Center for Biological Informatics

I. Key Department News:

• Development of "Catalog of Life" Underway: Dr. Mike Ruggiero, USGS Program Director for the Integrated Taxonomic Information System (ITIS) with the Center for Biological Informatics, and Dr. Frank Bisby, University of Leeds, have received a grant from the UK Biotechnology and Biological Research Council to support a joint UK-US workshop on bioinformatics and taxonomy. The workshop will be held in June 2001 and will bring together experts from North America and Europe to forge a new cooperative relationship in developing a "Catalog of Life" or index of the world's species. For more information on ITIS: http://www.itis.usda.gov/. (Michael Ruggiero, Smithsonian/Washington, 202-786-3117)
• USGS Scientist to Conduct Graduate Seminar in Remote Sensing and GIS: At the invitation of Colorado State University (CSU), Karl Brown, Geospatial Technologies Specialist with the Center for Biological Informatics (CBI) will speak on current user developments and the effects of reduction of selective availability in GPS for Natural Resource Professionals on January 29, 2001. Selective availability previously limited civilian receivers to 100 meters of accuracy, but they now enjoy better than 20 meters, a 5-fold increase. This is not universal in all field conditions, and natural resource users still need to consider tree cover and topography when selecting equipment, as the civilian signal does not perform as well in those more limiting signal environments. Forty undergraduate and 20 graduate students in CSU’s Geospatial Sciences Program will attend the seminar. (Karl Brown, Denver, 303-202-4240)

II. Agency Works on Presidential Initiatives: No report.

III. Notable Congressional Activity: No report.

IV. Press/Media Inquiries: No report.

V. FOIA Requests: No report.