Taking Your Industrial Forestry GIS Where You Want It

A Discussion of Industrial Forestry GIS Issues

 

 Session Objectives:

This session is aimed at those attendees interested in the issues and opportunities around industrial forestry GIS system design and implementation. Discussions will include information on system design, software and hardware issues, data types, sources, accuracy and precision specification, remote sensing opportunities, and reporting tools. The session will conclude with a roundtable discussion on the topics presented.

  1. An introduction to industrial forestry GIS Systems and Objectives

    2. Speaker – Dr. Steve Prisley. VPI

    This presentation will review the basic needs, objectives / strategy, development, and implementation of a standard forestry GIS system. A perspective on the evolution of such systems will be developed along with a discussion of current state-of-the art systems and their uses in managing a large landbase.

  2. Corporate Culture and Forestry GIS Design and Implementation

    3. Speaker – Dr. Jim Smith (International Paper) and Dr. Mike Clutter (The Timber Company)

    A discussion of the impacts of corporate culture and beliefs on the design and implementation of a corporate GIS solution. Centralized versus decentralized systems, data ownership, database design, and training solutions will be reviewed. Methods for system justification and funding will be discussed.

     

  3. Software and Hardware Solutions

    4. Speaker – Brent Keefer (Hancock Timber Resource Group)

    This paper will review the software choices that may provide functionality for industrial forest management information systems. GIS solutions and database management software that has been utilized in the south. Similarly, hardware solutions (PCs, Unix, Linux) will be reviewed as well.

  4. Data Sources and Their Impact on Systems Development and Implementation

    5. Speaker – Steve Prisley (VPI) and Greg Triplett (TheTimber Company)

    A discussion of building and maintaining spatial and tabular databases. The paper will focus on initial data conversion issues and the assessment of data accuracy and precision. Methodologies for spatial data layer construction and editing will be reviewed. The GPS / GIS interface will be reviewed in light of spatial data assessment.

  5. Remote Sensing Opportunities

    6. Speaker – Craig Dobson (University of Michigan)

    A review of various sources and types of remote sensing data useful in industral forestry management information systems. Discussion of the resolution of such data and the obstacles present to use such data operationally.

  6. Advanced Uses of Spatal Data

    7. Speaker – (Maybe Paul Van Deusen) TBD

    A discussion of the uses and applications of spatial data and analysis techniques. A review of recent spatially explicit harvest planning, landscape analyses and planning, and various habitat modeling issues. A review of recent work done in the south.

  7. RoundTable Discussion.