**Notes for Geospatial Task Meeting in Tallahassee, Florida**

**October 8-10, 2003**

Location Tuesday, October 8, 2002 at Tall Timbers Research Station

Ron Masters, Research Director, gave welcome and a brief presentation on
Tall Timbers history.

**Attendees:**

Andrea Olson, FWS (208) 387-5597

Susan Goodman, Fire Management Specialist, BLM (303) 236-4242

Bill Rush, USFS, Group Leader for National Information System Team (208)
387-5294 Joe Frost -- National System Team, USFS (208) 387-5961

Liz Lile, USGS - GeoMAC Project Manager for USGS (303) 202-4326

Sue McLellan, GIS Lead for Division of Forestry, Florida (850) 414-8554

Ed Delaney - NPS

Ken Bottle, FWS, Water Resource Division, GIS Specialist (303) 236-5322
x244

Brian Sorbel, NPS Fire GIS Specialist for Alaska (907) 257-2559

Dorothy Albright, Region 5 -- Resource Information Specialist (916)
364-2823

#### Tall Timber Guests

Sam Lindblon (850) 668-0827

Joe Noble (850) 893-4153 jnoble@ttrs.org

Kevin Robertson (850) 893-4153 x 237

#### State of Florida Guests

Jim Karels FLDOF, Fire Chief (850) 488-6106 <karelsj@doacs.state.fl.us>

Mike Long, FLDOF, Assistant Director

### 

### Agency Updates

# USFS 

> \- The Forest Service has adopted Fire Management Zones and Fire
> History data standards
>
> \- DAWG is interested in moving forward on GIS data standards.
>
> \- IBM -- interim solution for incident support. IBM wrote a Green
> Paper
>
> \- Sponsoring the Interagency System Workshop in Las Vegas, December
> 3-5

# USGS

-   GeoMAC: continued support and development of the site

-   RMACC: Provide rapid update of DRGs (e.g. roads and houses are
    updated on DRGs from a DOQ) for fires this past summer that adds
    value to outdated DRGs. An ArcIMS service was created for RMACC. The
    service was brought into ArcGIS 8 and operated from there. GIS
    specialist liked it, but people that were not familiar with ArcGIS
    did not use it. At the RMACC review meeting, it was agreed that a
    web development should include the GUI so it is easier and more
    intuitive to use. Worked with RMACC to pre-staging data: a large
    effort was made to acquire the subdivision data for the RMACC. The
    highest priority fires were identified and DRG, DOQ data was
    prestige for the incidents.

-   SWGACC: Robert Plantrich sponsored a site for the SWGACC. The focus
    of the web development was addition satellite data information in
    addition to the data layers in the public GeoAMC application. GOES
    and HMS (NOAA) satellite data was added. A data ordering form was
    developed and prototyped on this web site. The prototype was
    deployed late in the season so no real use or evaluation resulted.
    We hope to have it available and used during he 2003 season

-   

-   .

-   Rocky Mountain Mapping Center had ESRI conduct a system architect
    design for GeoMAC before fire season. Due to the tremendous amount
    of traffic (40,000,000 hits this summer) the new model was
    implemented. The configuration of a web service with two spatial
    servers stabilized the site, however USGS is still experiencing
    systems problems and working to resolve them. The increase in use
    that was not anticipated in the system architect design.

-   Other sites developed and supported at RMMC: California, National
    Fire Plan, Senate Natural Resources (SENR), NFPORS GIS application,
    hosted RMACC Fuels site, SSGIC, Red Flag weather prototype, Fuels
    Weather prototype,

-   Generated Condition Class maps for 29 states for Senate
    briefings---Susan Goodman (BLM) generated table for briefings

-   Anticipate updating NFP maps web site with 2002 completed fuels
    treatments and 2003 proposed fuel treatments and generating printed
    maps of all 50 states for Congressional reports.

\- SSGIC -- There will be three-hour workshop in San Diego on the SSGIC
project at the CAFÉ (December 3-5)

> \- EROS Data Center -- Working on severity mapping and LandFire

# BLM

-- BLM will be having a BLM Fire GIS Conference the week of February 3,
2003 and the conference is open to the interagency community, but will
be focused on BLM issues.

# FWS

> -- Mostly uses GIS in incident support. Some Refuges are using GIS. No
> standards, no policies, no coordination. FWS is trying to hire a
> national fire GIS person. Phil Street is the new Fire Director for
> FWS.
>
> \- FWS has a national GIS committee. Ken will try to attend the next
> meeting. It was noted that USFS has an advisory GIS group that works
> for the directors.

# NPS

> -- Burn Severity Project. Brian gave a power point presentation on
> burn severity that showed the past products that EROS data has
> produced: The site is located at:
> <http://edc2.usgs.gov/fsp/severity/show_fire.asp> Field validation is
> the other portion of the burn severity project that the NPS does. They
> actually put in field plots.
>
> \- NPS intranet has been updated.

*Action: Update Agency list of GIS specialist (GIST).*

BIA -- No representative at the meeting.

# Western State Representative

\- Dave Grenhagen works for the state of Idaho. State Forester has to
nominate him to the GTG. Other possible candidates are: Dave Caroline or
Skip Edel. NWCG Western State Representative for IRMWT is: Phil Murphy.

Action: Give Andrea Olson nomination by end of October. Have team member
on board by end of calendar year.

# Northeastern States Representative

GTG still needs to fill this position. GTG would like to have support
from IRMWT to have a northeastern representative.

**Eastern States Representation**.

> \- There has been some discussion to get an Eastern Rep on the IRMWT.
> Florida has nominated John Stys, FLDOF, and Data Processing Manager.
> Southern Risk Assessment is going out for rebid through the Southern
> Group of State Foresters. It will include approx. 13 states. Include
> GIS data and may be based on Florida State Risk Assessment.
>
> \- Sue is now a GIS lead in Florida. Most field level people (state
> land individuals) are getting training in GPS, GIS, etc to help
> incident support and local needs on Florida forestlands.
>
> \- IRIN course will be in Florida during December 9-13^th^. The course
> will be in Jacksonville Beach south of Jacksonville the second week of
> December. Trying to get a GIST training session in Florida in 2003.

-   Created a new Fire Information System (FMIS), that will replace
    20-year-old mainframe system for incident management, as well as
    prescribed burn authorization, law enforcement activities, and
    suppression billing. It is a Map Objects application for the duty
    officers and there is a Web Browser interface for managers and
    public ArcIMS. Florida is on a 3 min. prescribed burn turn around.
    The new system should be up operational Spring 2003.

**GTG Website**

-   GTG website should be up this winter. Issue with site allows upload
    and needs to be addressed in a security plan. Interim solution will
    use the NWCG website. Get Ted Tower web pages to post on interim GTG
    page.

-   *Action: Joe Frost will write the security plan.*

# Fire Congress 2003 Update

**5th Symposium on Fire and Forest Meteorology\
Joint with\
2nd International Wildland Fire Ecology and Fire Management Congress**
<http://flame.fl-dof.com/Env/congress/>

November 16-20, 2003

-   There is information on the Florida Forest Protection website. Any
    members who would like to participate and facilitate a session on
    remote sensing/GIS section should contact Sue McLellan. American
    Meteorological Society is taking care of the logistics of the
    meeting. The Congress will be in Orlando, Florida at the Coronado
    Springs Resort.

\- Create an agenda item for December regarding a remote sensing
session. Members of this group could work on a section, but it would not
be GTG sponsors. Needs further discussion at December GTG meeting in Las
Vegas.

# Fire Systems Workshop in Las Vegas -- GIS Break Out session 

> \- For Wednesday Session in Las Vegas, Try to get John Caulkins or
> Russ Johnson from ESRI to give a progressive-provocative talk
> regarding GIS and Fire. On Thursday, there will be two break out
> session.
>
> *Action: Conference Call by end of October to finalize agenda for Fire
> Systems Workshop Agenda on October 28, 2002 at 3:00*
>
> *Action: Hire facilitator for Thursday's breakout session.*
>
> Tentative Agenda for Thursday:

1.  Provide Introduction and Background of GTG that includes GTG current
    activities of GTG/viewpoints and efforts (8-9)

> Frost and Goodman

2.  Forum for input to GTG (10:00-11:00) (Dorothy Albright)

    a.  Data standards

        i.  Fire perimeter data

        ii. Fire point data

> Interagency level - find commonality between agencies.

b.  Training

    i.  GIST

    ii. GPS

> Review of Coeur d' Alene

c.  Incident Support

    i.  Mapping Fire

    ii. FEMA Coordination

> Status Report of the Incident Investigation
>
> 3\. Summary
>
> 4\. Vegetation Mapping -- 11:00 -- 11:45
>
> Brian Sorbel will start looking for presenters. (Lead)
>
> Vegetation Mapping
>
> Landfire
>
> MRLC
>
> NPSI&M
>
> 5\. Fire Planning Issues (1300 -- 1445)
>
> Joe Frost - Lead
>
> NFPORS
>
> Fire Planning
>
> FPA
>
> Data Analysis
>
> Berni Bahro - Fuels Planner -- Dorothy will try to get him to present

# Training

> \- It was noted that individuals within the fire community that work
> with GIS are looking for standards and guidelines. Then these
> individuals want these standards included within the training
> curriculum. (e.g., there currently exists an upload perimeter form and
> perimeter data standards) GTG can recommend standard types of training
> to NWCG. Then IRMWT recommends to the training working team. The issue
> is the GIST is a technical specialist position and is not an ICS. GTG
> wants to provide guidance and training and make this training outside
> of NWCG approval. Money is needed for the cadre. Putting together
> course notes and how to coordinate the training. This meeting is
> occurring in Coeur D'Alene from October 23-26.

# IRMWT Report

\- Andrea will put us on her email list for IRMWT notes.

# IRMWT Communication

-   Andrea will bring up GTG concerns regarding communication. There is
    a new data standard form from the DAWG that GTG needs to fill out
    for proposed data standards.

-   Next IRMWT in Boise from Nov 5-7.

*Action: Joe Frost will fill out the form for the fire perimeter
transfer standard.*

# DAWG

-   Data Administrative Working Group (DAWG) asked for a representative
    from GTG to be on the group. Susan Goodman will be contact.

## Wednesday -- Meeting located at Wakulla Springs

# Update on Incident Support GIS Study

\- The team visited five Fires this summer at Rodeo, Mallhear Complex,
and Biscuit Complex

> \- Primarily listened to GIST, Situation Unit Leaders, and Planning
> Section Chiefs on what was working and what was not working concerning
> GIS. There will be a meeting next week in Salt Lake to prepare a
> preliminary report to be presented in Las Vegas at the Systems
> Workshop. Part of the study will capture the social issues of
> technology. The study is finished with the preliminary investigation.
> The preliminary investigation was trying to figure out hypothesis to
> be tested in order to get a statistically valid survey for GIS at
> wildfire incident.
>
> Some of the common themes found in the preliminary investigation were:

-   Individuals want one ftp site.

-   Transitions were tough from one team overhead to the next team.

-   Public Affairs has different needs than the Operation.

-   What are the expected roles and responsibility of different
    positions within. Who should do what?

> \- No longer is the question if GIS is used on an incident, but how do
> we use GIS efficiently on incident.

\- *Action: IRMWT will want a draft of the preliminary findings for
their November meeting.*

> \- Survey -- University of Montana will design the survey.

# Coordination with NWCG Incident Automation Team

> \- How is the GTG going to coordinate with NWCG Incident Automation
> Team?
>
> IRMWT has put together an incident automation team that does not
> consider GIS and will not consider GIS until 2004. This is why the GTG
> started a separate GIS investigation. Currently Tori Major is in
> charge of the incident automation team and ISUITES.

# One ftp site

*- Action: Susan G. will check on the BLM ftp site that was used this
past summer and see whether it can stay up forever.*

> *- Action: Susan G. will get cost for what a private ftp site would
> cost.*

It was noted that because of Incident websites that the Information
Staffs on an Incident have shrunk in half for Type 1 teams using
websites. One Type 1 team used to take five information officers and now
has 2-½ individual and is able to do their work much more efficient.
They post their website all over local communities and on the local
news.

# Pre-staged Data

Region 5, Region 3 and Region 2 of the Forest Service are already doing
this.

> FMO, State & Region Directors need to say that they want this data
> pre-staged.

# National Equipment Contracts

Action: Susan Goodman -- Check with John Sherman about a national
contract for plotter and computers in the form of an emergency rental
agreement.

**Geospatial Fuels Assessment** --

Prepare proposal for University of Montana. It should be an interagency
and include county, State, and Federal

**GIST and GPS training**

> Don Washco will take on logistic and possibility content of training?
> October meeting to get a flow between GPS and GIS training. Yes, the
> BLM National Training Center will coordinate the course.

Action: Dorothy will write-up a report from the end GIST/GPS training
meeting at the end of October meeting at Coeur D'Alene

# GIST position

> -- FireScope is pursuing it as an ICS position. GTG decided that the
> this would not pursued. IRMWT did forward the recommendation to the
> Operation and Training team.
>
> Advantages of GIST ICS position?
>
> Structure
>
> Standards
>
> Each geographic area can increase standards.
>
> Functional needs would not change, but training could change.
>
> Other positions that are ICS are meteorologist and infrared
> interpreters.
>
> Disadvantages of GIST ICS position
>
> Not flexible
>
> Long turn around/no changes
>
> Why is there FARSITE training?
>
> Incident Operation Team has looked at the position standards and has
> said no in the past.
>
> Action: GTG will organize a team in Las Vegas to work on an Incident
> GIS Handbook.
>
> Action: ICS position - Dorothy, Brian, and Susan G. will create a
> professional package to be presented to the IRMWT that includes a
> statistically sound cover letter. A long-term strategy is needed.
>
> Part of the strategy may include the display processor position, and
> how GIS fits in this position?

**Fire Perimeter Data Transfer Standard**.

*Action: Brian will send final draft needs to Joe so that it can be
presented at the next IRMWT meeting.*

# Fire Occurrence Data Paper

*Action: Brian, Susan, and Sue will finalize the fire occurrence data
paper and present to IRMWT.*

**Florida Fire Risk Assessment System**

> Education tool and one of the deliverables was a fuels model for the
> State Florida
>
> Completed the final risk output. Currently modifying some of the
> variables for Florida. Acquired land sat data and used ground
> truthing. Used Anderson model for fuels. (Sue can you attach your
> PowerPoint presentation)

##### Inputs to Model

> Urban interface
>
> Utility corridors
>
> Muck soils from surgo
>
> Plantations -- timber
>
> FlamMap is part of the assessment -- currently poor integration
>
> Fire occurrence for 20 years
>
> Accessibility
>
> Levels of concern
>
> Effectiveness of mitigation measures

##### Output

> Rate of spread
>
> Fire suspetiablity

Two results -- final report and the ArcView output with the spatial
analysis extension. Not intended for the advance GIS user, but for a
general land managers.

> Fire chief would like it updating ever 2 years.
>
> Director has not made a decision to make the data available to others
> agencies.

# New Technologies 

> How does the GTG handle/deal with new technologies (e.g. Satellites at
> fires, ArcPAD, ArcIMS, ArcGIS, GPS, and digital cameras)?

There is a need for GTG to keep abreast of leading edge technology and
be able to integrate into geospatial technology.

How do we keep up with technology and the technology transfer?

Action: Put on agenda for Las Vegas conference -- new and emerging
technologies and how do you share this.

Action: Andrea will ask the following question to the IRMWT: GTG would
like to know technology transfer works within NWCG and to the fire
community?

Action: Joe Frost will ensure that there is a section of new
technologies on GTG website. This maybe in the form of having a place to
submit new ideas and technologies on the website .

# Fire Incident Mapping Tools

-- Vestra and ESRI working together on the converting ARCVIEW 3.x
Ventura tools to ArcGIS using VBA. Summer 2002 there was talk that were
two efforts occurring simultaneously addressing this migration; one with
Region 2 of the Forest Service and another arising from California
Department of Forestry/Firescope. Region 2 is continuing with their
development while CDF will wait and have their development effort fold
into what is done by the contractor.

# GTG Budget 

> Use money to hire writer/editor
>
> Facilitator for Las Vegas Money

# Upcoming GTG Meetings

Las Vegas -- December 2, 2002

Sacramento - April 28, 2003

Orlando -- November 16, 2003

Conference Call -- October 28 - 3:00 p.m.

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Thursday, October 10, 2002 located at Florida's Division of Forestry

Jim Karels from Division of Forestry spoke. In the beginning of the
conversion, he felt that the GIST was better off as a technical
specialist. The NWCG, Incident Operations Support Committee (IOS) is
redoing the 310-1 in the next one ½ year. The IOS will look at all the
positions in 310-1 to make sure that they are still valid. Bob Leverton
is chair of IOS.

Jim suggested that GTG put in a formal request for GIST position to the
Information Operation Support, include training course, etc. in the
formal request and explain why. Good explanation -- some valid
justification might be: training, consistency issues, minimum products
that need to be provided to the incident. Jim recommends that the GTG
have National ICs write recommendation letters and include these in
packages. Jim also suggested that the GTG specify why it is the GIST
position is special compared to other computer support people on a fire.
Safety should be emphasized because of having better quality maps.
Minimum training should be I-200. Include preliminary survey results
from Incident Mapping Study. Focus on the why.

Next meeting for IOS is in Feb or March.

Jim suggested instead of a separate handbook that an Appendix to another
handbook might be a possibility.

# Ideas for writer/editor

> New Brochures
>
> Website verbiage
>
> Handbook
>
> Issue papers
>
> Note Taker for GTG Meetings

Action -- Liz and Susan will look at alternative location for GTG
website support mechanism, but first will check with Joe if this is
really needed.

**GeoMAC**

-- Liz explained the history of GeoMAC and the system architecture of
the current system. For the summer of the 2002, GeoMAC received
40,000,000 hits.

> RMACC site was used in ArcGIS
>
> SWGAC site -- Uses a lot more satellite data than the public GeoMAC
> site.
>
> California site - continue site
>
> To get to these other sites go
> to:[http://wildfire.cr.usgs.gov](http://wildfire.cr.usgs.gov/)

**Unsolicited company proposal**

> \- Investigate and write recommendations to IRMWT