The document discusses developing a way to count biological observations and sites of sensitive and special status species on US Forest Service and Bureau of Land Management land. There are two separate databases—BLM's GeoBOB and USFS's NRM—that need to be standardized and analyzed. The task is broken into three conceptual phases: extract and standardize the data, analyze the standardized data, and visualize the analysis. While finding the general approach is the "easy problem", dealing with documentation, requirements, and other details is the "real problem" that requires an iterative design-build process using exploratory workspaces and consulting subject matter experts.

1. Purple Mushrooms, Pygmy
Rabbits, and Big-Eared Bats
Extracting and Analyzing Biological Observations from Disparate Datastores

2. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

3. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Daniel Karnes, GISP, PhD
• Surveyor
• Cartographer (pen and ink)
• Cartographer (digital)
• GIS Analyst
• Professor (GIS)
• Geospatial Intelligence Analyst
• Developer
Geographer

4. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
In any large project, there
will be the easy problem
and the real problem.
The easy problem is
finding the general
approach.
The real problem is in the
details.
Details can be dealt with:
•Approach
•Tools

5. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Defining the Task

6. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
The Task Defined
Develop a way to count biological observations and sites
of sensitive and special status (SSS) species on US Forest
Service (FS) and Bureau of Land Management (BLM) land
in FS Region 6 and BLM State of Oregon.
Unpacking the Task
● FS (Department of Agriculture) and BLM
(Department of Interior) have separate computer
networks and biological sites & obs databases
● SSS list is jointly maintained by Regional Forester
(FS) and Oregon State Director (BLM)
● FS Region 6 and BLM Oregon State are almost the
same geography

7. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Two Separate Systems
• BLM: GeoBOB (Geographic
Biological Observations)
• Regional extent
• Point and polygon geometry
• USFS: NRM (Natural Resource
Manager)
• National extent (Region 6 extract
shared with Oregon BLM)
• Polygon geometry (mostly)

8. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
The Species List(s)
• Sensitive and Special Status Species
• 950+ records
• Birds, bryophytes, fungi, reptiles, amphibians,
freshwater mussels, slugs, snails, insects,
lichens, mammals, vascular plants
• Priority SSS
• 90 records – subset of SSS list
• Occasional single-species queries

9. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
The Geographic Extent
• BLM & FS: 39% of OR & WA
• Other Fed: 8%

10. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
The Easy Problem (This Will Vary)
● Three separate databases
● Schemas
● Business rules
● Data collection protocols
The Actual Problem (This Is Constant)
● Documentation consistency and completeness
● Requirement mutation

11. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Solving Both Problems
• The Easy One
• Three conceptual phases
• Standardize
• Analyze
• Visualize
• The Other One
• Iterative design – build
• Exploratory workspaces
• Full-featured GIS
• Consult SMEs

12. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Extract and Standardize

13. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

14. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

15. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

16. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

17. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Analyze

18. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

19. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

20. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

21. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

22. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

23. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
Visualize

24. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

25. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

26. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

27. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

28. 20
22
FME
User
Conference

29. 20
22
FME
User
Conference
In any large project, there
will be the easy problem
and the real problem.
The easy problem is
finding the general
approach.
The real problem is in the
details.
Details can be dealt with by:
•Iterative design-build
•Exploratory workspaces (FME)
•Using full-featured data
visualization tools
•Working with customers/SMEs

30. Thank You!
daniel.karnes@nv5.com