November 18, 2009
Our
health may be at risk, reports the U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service
(FWS). The agency, whose mission it is to monitor and manage threatened
and endangered wildlife, reports that bird populations are plummeting
at an alarming rate and the health of our feathered friends is "a
critical indicator of the health of the environment on which we all
depend."
One way the agency is keeping an eye on threatened and endangered birds
is by collaborating with the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers (USACE), New
York District. The agencies collaborated in the creation of a website
that is supported by a geographic information system (GIS). The GIS
serves as a user-friendly repository of information on threatened and
endangered bird and plant species living along the New York and New
Jersey coasts. Scientists, decision makers and interested citizens can
use this information to come up with joint solutions for protecting
these species. The website is called the Threatened and Endangered
Species System (TESS).
"The purpose of the website is to provide a central point of data entry
for surveys and site observations related to threatened and endangered
species," said Rose Dopsovic, GIS contractor, Army Corps, Mobile
District, who is assisting the New York District.
The goal of the Threatened & Endangered Species System (TESS)
website is to effectively manage the data storage of threatened and
endangered species observations.
In the past, USACE did not have a defined protocol for data collection
and storage of species observation data. Not having a centralized and
organized source for this information made it difficult for project
managers to compile the necessary season summary reports and spatially
view the locations of threatened and endangered populations.
Inputting Data on the Website
The TESS website allows authorized users, as defined by the USACE
project manager, to input site observations of the threatened and
endangered species into a database. The observations include data
extracted from daily and end-of-the-season summary on-site surveys.
The TESS website provides downloadable Microsoft Excel forms for each
of the species currently supported by TESS (see accompanying image).
When completed, the observation forms are automatically transferred to
the USACE project manager via email. Upon receipt, the project manager
reviews the submission, makes any required modifications, and uploads
the forms’ content into the centralized TESS database.
This upload is automated through a number of database-stored procedures
accessible through custom Microsoft Excel forms. The original Excel
submission is also maintained and archived in the TESS standard file
architecture.
Searching Data on the Website
Once the data observation forms are submitted to the TESS database, users can download, browse or query the database content.
Some database content is sensitive, therefore public access to active
datasets is restricted until the active nesting or growing season is
complete. To obtain access to active season data, a user must be
designated as "authorized" by the project manager and will be issued a
username and password for data access.
To browse or query the database content, a Microsoft Excel search form
is available for download from the TESS website. This Excel form
contains a read-only connection to the centralized TESS application.
The user can select from a variety of search variables (see
accompanying images).
The "Mapping Data" page of the TESS website allows all users to
download auto-generated Google Earth KMLs and comma separated text
files of database content. Only authorized users are able to view
active season content.
The automatic generation of these files provides the users with the
most up-to-date information directly extracted from the TESS database.
A KML file, native format for Google Earth, is built from coordinates
submitted to the database to reflect the location of the site
observations and site observation details.
If the user prefers to simply download the full database content, a
hyperlink is available that will prompt the user to download full
database details for the selected species.
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