Page 79 - GIS for Science, Volume 3 Preview

THE FUTURE IS NOW
The digital transformation at FIA has been underway for some time and has included creating online tools such as EVALIDator, RPA DataWiz, and DATIM, and the adoption of tree canopy cover (TCC) for stratification. Now, deeper levels of integration have created even more opportunities across the workflow. Going forward, the transformation will require the adoption of national standards, because the tools must interact to be effective. The key is to build tools using best- of-class, commercial off-the-shelf solutions that are more likely to persist over time and customize only when necessary. Automating analytical, science, and reporting products will allow our scientists to add more value to other aspects of the program, develop new data product lines, integrate the Forest Inventory and Analysis Database (FIADB) with other databases, and ultimately populate an FIA application warehouse with programs that can use our data to its fullest.
Digital transformation includes embracing the Agency’s current contracts, using open source and commercial digital tools, and collaborating with related partnerships where they are strongest. Transforming workflows when opportunities arise throughout the program will create the efficiencies needed to reinvest in other parts of our program.
Standing still in today’s context means falling behind. If this is true, then FIA program can define its impact and utility going forward by the value it adds to the data. The application of meaningful science can improve the program in data collection techniques, biomass estimation, and statistically valid estimates at increasingly finer scales. As such, FIA program will have the capacity to turn data and information into knowledge. The FIA must also consider ways to maintain and even improve its standing as the nation’s authoritative source for knowledge about the forests and trees, their owners, and the associated economy. Put simply, digital transformation is about using technology while changing our focus from products to data and analytical services.
The next section describes four specific applications of FIA data in scientific contexts: mapping tree species distributions, forest carbon monitoring and accounting, mapping to support timber product outputs estimation, and tracking tornado damage in Wisconsin.
Stories created using ArcGIS StoryMaps and apps allow users of all skill levels to interact with many of the tools and applications developed at FIA.
From Plots to Pixels 67