New Jersey Geospatial Forum Preserved Lands/Open Space Task Force

1. New Jersey Geospatial ForumPreserved Lands/Open Space Task Force A Methodology to Develop and Maintain a Comprehensive Database of Preserved Lands and Other Open Spaces in New Jersey Tanya Nolte, NJ Conservation Foundation Brian Embley, The Nature Conservancy Paul Caris, NJ Department of Environmental Protection Douglas M. Schleifer, NJ Office of Information Technology, Office of GIS Yelena Pikovskaya, NJ Office of Information Technology, Office of GIS

2. Preserved Lands/Open Space Task Force The Preserved Lands/Open Space Task Force was established by the New Jersey Geospatial Forum* Executive Committee for the purpose of creating a methodology for the development and maintenance of a comprehensive database for preserved lands and other open spaces in New Jersey (PL/OS Database). The primary purpose for this database is to inform various planning efforts for government agencies and other organizations involved in the preservation and management of these lands for public benefit. *NJ Geospatial Forum is a statewide users group and the coordinating body for geospatial technology activities throughout New Jersey. One of the many functions of the Forum is to form task forces based on issues or activities of importance to the Forum membership. https://njgin.state.nj.us/OIT_NJGF/index.jsp

3. Task Force Objectives and Structure In order to meet the goal – to develop and maintain a preserved lands/open space database for New Jersey – the Preserved Lands/Open Space Task Force has to fulfill the following objectives: • Examine various methodologies to map preserved lands and other open spaces. • Define categories of preserved lands/open space within a statewide context. • Identify core and optional attribute information, and develop database schema. • Define a comprehensive process for the development and maintenance of a preserved lands/open space dataset in New Jersey. For that purpose the Task Force was structured into the following subgroups: • Research • Categories and Definitions • Attributes • Methodology

4. Research • Research was conducted on methodologies used by several federal and state agencies, universities and non-profit organizations throughout the nation that collect preserved lands/open space data. • The purpose of the research was to educate the task force and determine best practices, based on the experiences of agencies, institutions and organizations, to aggregate information, and develop and maintain databases. • The most instructive and useful programs were: • The Protected Areas Database of the U.S., or PAD-US (USGS GAP project) • The Nature Conservancy Enterprise Conservation Data Program • California Protected Areas Database (CPAD) • Massachusetts GIS Protected and Recreational OpenSpace Schema (MassGIS) • New Hampshire GRANIT (Geographically Referenced Analysis & Information Transfer System) •  Vermont Conserved Lands Database • NY State Environmental Conservation Lands • The NJ Highlands Council Land Preservation and Stewardship Program

5. Research (cont.) The results revealed a variety of approaches to inventory creation and mapping. Major findings answered the following basic questions. What are the methods of capturing information? There are two main approaches for mapping lands: property ownership (land stewardship), or combining this method with the natural resources delineation (environmental). As a qualitative or quantitative characteristic of a mapped unit, a protection status category (or level of protection) was often attributed. 2. How are the datasets structured? For structuring the NJ PL/OS database model, the key components of the PAD-US database - its geometric structure and core attributes – were taken as an example.

6. Research (cont.) • 3. How are easements handled? • Some programs capture fee simple lands only, and plan to track easements in a separate database (PAD-US and CPAD), or later in the same database (NY State). • Other programs include easements in their open space data sets: TNC, all the New England states, and NJ Highlands. • Easements are differently classified: • by primary use (Conservation, Agricultural, or other) - MassGIS and Highlands; • by legal restrictions and/or ownership - NH and Vermont .

7. Research (cont.) 4. What is the base mapping unit? The programs collecting information on fee simple lands use Tax Parcel as a minimum mapping unit. The programs tracking easements regard base map unit smaller than parcel, because an easement boundary can split a parcel. 5. What is a character of polygon boundaries? Easements very often are surveyed carefully, and their boundaries are natural, while parcel-base polygons have administrative boundaries of properties. Also, some programs such as NJ Highlands make their own land delineation. In this cases land boundaries are environmental as well.

8. Research (cont.) Distribution. Most data sets are available for download on the web in gdb, shapefiles or pdf formats; some are distributed by request (The Natural Conservancy lands in NJ). Vermont’s data are distributed depending on database version (public, private, or full database). The distribution can be either open or strictly limited. Details about the programs are located in the research.zip file under Preserved Lands/Open Space on the Current Task Forces Meeting Agendas, Minutes, and Presentations page of the NJ Geospatial Forum web site at: https://njgin.state.nj.us/OIT_NJGF/njgf_current_tf_mtg_mts.jsp

9. Categories and Definitions • Goals of the Categories and Definitions subgroup: • develop a definition of “preserved land” • define the categories of land to be included in the database

10. Categories and Definitions First recommendation Broaden the scope of Taskforce from: Developing a database of Preserved Lands Developing a database of Preserved Lands and other Open Space (i.e. open spaces that are not preserved) Lands.

11. Categories and Definitions • Definition of Preserved Land • Lands permanently protected for agricultural, conservation, historic/cultural, horticultural or recreation purposes via legal or legislative encumbrance. Protection of these lands can only be rescinded by legal or legislative action. • Examples of encumbrances include: • deed restrictions or easements • lands purchased with dedicated preservation trust fund dollars, etc. • Inclusion of lands on a Recreation & Open Space Inventory (ROSI) filed with the Green Acres Program

12. Categories and Definitions • Categories of land use to be included in the database: • Agricultural Lands • Conservation Lands • Historic / Cultural Lands • Horticultural Lands • Recreation Lands • In each of these 5 categories, if land is identified as Preserved, it will automatically be included.

13. Categories and Definitions • However, for other Open Spaces there are 2 criteria to help specify whether land will be included in the database: • Ownership: public, private or non-profit • Public access

15. Database Tables and Feature Classes The PL/OS database has been designed for three major spatial components: • Parcel based open space • Unit based open space • Encumbrances* Parcel based open space Unit based open space * Most encumbrances are easements and most easements do not cover entire parcels. The encumbrances table can be joined with parcels data to create a polygon feature class to identify the parcels the encumbrances are located within.

16. Database Structure

17. Attributes in a Database Structure (cont.) Most information about open space is stored in the parcel-based open space table, with the Parcel ID (PAMS_PIN) used as the primary key to join to a parcels polygon feature class. The basic mapping unit for Open Space architecture is a Tax Parcel.

18. Attributes in a Database Structure (cont.) PAMS_PIN field is also used to link to other tables with detailed characteristics. Each database table has one or two key fields for joining to other tables (Parcel ID; OS_Unit ID, Encumbrance ID).

19. Attributes Detailed open space attributes based on PARCELS

20. Attributes (cont.) Detailed open space attributes based on PARCELS (cont.)

21. Attributes (cont.) Detailed open space attributes based on PARCELS (cont.)

22. Attributes (cont.) Detailed open space attributes based on PARCELS (cont.)

23. Attributes (cont.) Generalized attributes based on OPEN SPACE UNITS

24. Attributes (cont.) Detailed encumbrance attributes based on PARCELS

25. Attributes (cont.) Detailed encumbrance attributes based on PARCELS (cont.)

26. Attributes (cont.) Detailed encumbrance attributes based on PARCELS (cont.)

27. Attributes (cont.) Detailed encumbrance attributes based on PARCELS (cont.)

28. Attributes (cont.) Open Space Information Tracking

29. Attributes (cont.) Encumbrances Information Tracking

30. Attributes (cont.) Agency/Organization/Institution Master List Table Encumbrances Type Lookup Table

31. Attributes (cont.) Green Acres Primary Use Categories Lookup Table

32. Methodology Methodology Subgroup Objectives • Determine Data Products to be produced • Database(s) • Feature Class(es) • Map Services • Develop list of available data sources • Federal agencies – NPS, USFWS, etc. • State agencies – Green Acres, SADC, SHPO, Pinelands Comm., Highlands Comm., etc. • County & Municipal agencies – Planning, Engineering, Parks & Rec., Open Space Comm., Historic Comm., etc. • Non-Profits • Other • Determine Data Development Process & Technology Needs • Data Inventory • Data Input • Data Reconciliation • Data Management/Stewardship • Data Host • Determine Dataset Update Process • Method • Applications/Tools • Schedule • Identify Potential Agencies for Developing, Maintaining and Hosting Data • State Agencies • Non-Profit Organizations • Academic Institutions • Identify Potential Funding Sources • NJDEP • PAD-US/other Federal • Non-Profits • Grants

33. Beyond Task Force Scope Implementation Funding Other?