SmartGeo : Geospatial Analysis and Focal Area Management in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM)

1. Navigating Complexity 2011 Environmental Evaluators Network Forum SmartGeo: Geospatial Analysis and Focal Area Management in the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) Addressing complexity through integration of business, GIS, and scientific data Presented by: Alexandra Ritchie, BLM and Thomas Bartholomew, BLM

2. Presentation Goals Educate audience about the BLM and application of complexity theme to BLM’s management challenges Present a method to leverage diversity and complexity of the BLM to achieve sustainable landscapes Model the method Offer evaluation framework for both model and method Engage the audience in experiential learning and networking Collect feedback on proposal and identify potential new stakeholders or project partners

3. BLM & Complexity: Stating the Challenge We know that at the Bureau of Land Management (BLM) our work is inherently spatial; we know that our mission is complex and our structure complicated, but how do we re-orient our perspective from a decentralized agency to one that is able to see the local, landscape, and business context together so we can achieve our mission? EEN Forum 2011: Navigating Complexity will allow us to explore this question with our peers in the environmental evaluation community

4. BLM & Complexity: Stating the Problem • BLM’s Mission: To sustain the health, diversity, and productivity of the Nation’s public lands for the use and enjoyment of present and future generations. • BLM’s Vision: To enhance the quality of life for all citizens through the balanced stewardship of America’s public lands and resources.

5. Diversity of Resources Managed by the BLM

7. 12 State Offices & 100+ Field Offices National Interagency Fire Center (Boise) HQ in DC National Training Center (Phoenix) National Operations Center (Denver)

8. Introducing BLM’s Wildlife Program • BLM lands are home to over 3,000 species of wildlife across 245 million acres including: • big game • upland game (e.g. sage-grouse) • waterfowl, • shorebirds, • songbirds, • raptors, • 100s of species of non-game mammals, reptiles, and amphibians. Data collection in the field. BLM is responsible for managing habitat, state fish and game agencies manage species populations. BLM’s primary concerns are managing the impacts of habitat loss and fragmentation caused by anthropogenic (e.g. urban expansion, energy development) and non-anthropogenic factors (e.g. drought and disease) and multi-source threats (climate change). The BLM Wildlife Program relies on a wide variety of data collected internally & from an array of agencies and partners to make effective management decisions for the species habitat it is charged with managing.

9. Spotlight on Sage-Grouse The BLM manages 30 million acres of sagebrush habitat occupied by the greater sage-grouse in 11 States (~50% of remaining habitat in the U.S.) The sage-grouse is a Candidate Species for listing under the Endangered Species Act. Multi-agency partnerships such as the Great Basin initiative are starting to address integrity of whole habitat, but State-based nature of BLM and data silos complicate implementation. Figure. Shaded area represents the current distribution of Greater Sage-Grouse (adapted from Schroeder et al. 2004). (from USGS website)

10. BLM & Complexity: Illustrating the Problem BLM’s Operational Structure (Process Flows) National data management Operational support for all BLM offices Set national policy & priorities Allocates funding to States & NOC Reporting Implement policy & projects Collect & manage data Adapt national policy for State context Aggregate Field Office data Allocate funding to Field Offices

11. Current Programmatic Relational Databases Currently Information is stored in relational database, program lead filing system, office-specific central file, SharePoint “silos” at the program, office, and project levels, making it difficult to use data across programs/offices/projects.

12. Emergent Properties: Internal Emergent property: A characteristic of complex systems in which the properties (behaviors) of the whole are not predicted by the properties (behaviors) of the individual parts. 80% of BLM’s work processes require the knowledge of place, but many BLM systems do not record place as a data feature or data character Assessment, Inventory, & Monitoring (AIM) Strategy - Designed to overcome current data management silos and data quality issues for BLM’s resource management data. Geospatial Services Strategic Plan – Designed to move BLM from an uncoordinated geospatial data management system to an enterprise geospatial data management system that ensures broad access and strong data standards for BLM Resource Management Planning Matrix – Designed to overcome current programmatic silos and establish and understanding of how different programs and actions interact on the ground so that BLM can prioritize management actions.

13. AIM: Present & Future of BLM Data Collection Present Future Data will be collected using: Common indicators Process driven Standard methods Data standards Compatible sample design Scalable Integrate remote sensed imagery Train it with on-the ground data collection Data collection will be: Coordinated across programs Coordinated across scales Managed in an enterprise architecture Data is collected: • Permit by permit • Project by project • Program by program Data cannot be used to: • Describe landscape trends • Evaluate management effectiveness across sites, scales, or across programs • Determine causal relationships Data cannot be used for multiple purposes Data is not easily accessible

14. The Future of GSSP Enterprise Architecture

15. BLM’s Resource Management Planning Matrix

16. Emergent Properties: Great Basin Landscape Conservation Cooperative (LCC) • One of 21 LCCs being formed by the U.S. Department of the Interior (DOI) across the United States. LCCs are applied science and management partnerships between DOI bureaus and others involved in natural resource management and conservation, designed to better integrate science and management to address climate change and related issues. • GBLCC is being established by the BLM, with assistance from the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service in the Great Basin, a large region in Nevada and parts of Oregon, Idaho, Utah, and California. The Great Basin LCC will be official once its charter has been approved. Goal: A self-directed partnership that will provide a range of scientific and technical support tools for landscape-scale conservation design to a wide array of managers. These tools will help managers identify and target explicit biological objectives for native species and habitats in the face of climate change and other stressors. Open public access to Great Basin LCC products will promote acceptance and support of the science that supports changes in conservation strategy.

17. Emergent Properties: Eco-Regional Assessments

18. Eco-Regional Assessments (continued) • Phase I: Initiate Assessment • Establish mgt & technical teams (regions & NOC) • Identify partners & stakeholders (regions) • Define preliminary mgt q’s (regions) (concept from LUP process) • Prepare statements of work for acquiring & evaluating available info (NOC) • Phase II: Pre-Assessment • Identify Info • Review existing assessments, lit., data, & models • Identify data gaps • Develop data standards & data management plan • Develop Assessment Work Plan (AWP)- methodology, mechanisms (incl. sched., budget, equip., & staff), responsibilities, strategies (collect, manage, & analyze data), & work products (e.g. data sets, models, reports, & maps) • Phase III: Assessment • Locate & map resource values and change agents • Identify status, risks & trends assoc. with these ecol. Values & potential degree of response to change agents • Conduct assessment (using GIS analysis & geospatial modeling) & identify areas of potential concern

19. Nice map, where’s the business data?

20. Emergent Properties: External

21. SmartGeo: the Solution • Leverage GSSP, the Resource Management Planning Matrix and AIM to connect programmatic data and business data through GIS • Visually display results of geospatial analysis including programmatic interactions and commitments (from REAs & land use planning) to determine potential for prioritizing multi-year budgets • Incorporate strategy into LCC/large-landscape conservation approach • Perform formative evaluation (evaluate & monitor phases of implementation and learning)

22. Evaluation Typology and Framework for SmartGeo • Formative Evaluation • Implement and test in iterative phases • Budget pilot study with sagegrouse/focal areas (review business data & analyze geographically) • Budget pilot expanded to include all programs • Budget and Planning Process Integration across programs • Budget, Planning, and Program Evaluation integration across programs • All of the above plus human capital • Everything in phase V plus procurement

23. SmartGeo & Sage-grouse: Potential Application to Priority Workload GIS map product

24. SmartGeo: Illustrating the Solution (Modified Planning Cycle) Account for new reality within plan framework General framework Reality check for plans Specific workplan Update baseline data Repeat budget cycle until new realities emerge

25. Stakeholder Analysis for SmartGeo(Activity)

26. Stakeholder Analysis for SmartGeo(Implementation & Evaluation Participation Matrix)

27. SmartGeo and the EEN EEN— What did you learn? To what extent do you think our proposal fit our challenge/degree of complexity? 2) How might you/your organization approach this problem (alternative solutions/models)? 3) How would you like to support the development of this solution? 4) Role of EEN in supporting SmartGEO?

28. Summary & Review of Presentation Goals • Checklist • Educate audience about the BLM and application of complexity theme to BLM’s management challenges • Present a proposal to leverage diversity and complexity of the BLM to achieve sustainable landscapes • Model the proposal • Offer evaluation framework for proposal • Engage the audience in experiential learning and networking • Collect feedback on proposal and identify potential new stakeholders or project partners

29. Contact Information for Presenters

30. Stakeholder Analysis for SmartGeo(Self-Organization- BLM Venn Diagram)