Comparison of Programs Used for FIA Inventory Information Dissemination and Spatial Representation

Roger C. Lowe1 and Chris J. Cieszewski

Abstract:

Six online applications developed for the interactive display of Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) data in which FIA database information and query results can be viewed as or selected from interactive geographic maps are compared. The programs evaluated are the U.S. Department of Agriculture Forest Service’s online systems; a SAS server-based mapping system developed by the Cooperative Extension Service at the University of Georgia (UGA); and three online applications developed at the D.B. Warnell School of Forest Resources, UGA: HTML and Javabased ESRI ArcIMS applications, HTML-based hypermaps, and a prototype Macromedia Flash-based application. Our study compared the following features in these Web applications: application scope, data resolution, number of available layers, number of variables, reporting capabilities, user interaction capabilities, and user interaction timing. Much effort has been put into designing and implementing the nationwide U.S. Department of Agriculture (USDA) Forest Service Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program. Numerous bits of information are collected in the field and later summarized and tabulated. The extensive information contained in the FIA database is a valuable source of forest land estimates to many public and private agencies. To facilitate sharing this data, several online programs have been developed that enable users to query different databases and generate various types of reports and maps.

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C. CIESZEWSKI, R. LOWE, D. B. Warnell School of Forest Resources,  University of Georgia   Athens, GA 30602

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