Page 84 - GIS for Science, Volume 3 Preview

REMOTE SENSING IS PART OF THE FIA MANDATE
Since its earliest days, the inventory program program adapts and evolves in response to customer needs. In 1991, a panel of experts, stakeholders, and partners convened to develop a national vision and strategy for the FIA program. This group recognized that the quality of FIA data would be enhanced by shorter inventory cycles (e.g., five years). The panel recommended that FIA “develop and implement new technology, such as remote sensing, to accomplish the inventory in a more cost-effective and efficient manner.” These efficiencies would facilitate more timely completion of the inventory.
Slow progress on the first panel’s recommendations led to the convening of a second panel in 1997 and 1998. This group reiterated that “the development of new and expanded remote sensing technologies and modeling capabilities” is required for an effective forest inventory. These technologies should be considered strategically, with a vision for how they would be used in an evolving context. This panel understood that providing full interactive access to FIA data and analysis programs and improving Forest Service research and expertise in GIS would quickly give customers more timely information and improved accuracy of estimates. To
that end, remote sensing was specifically acknowledged in the 2001 memorandum of understanding between the Forest Service and the National Association of State Foresters as essential for stratifying the sample to improve estimation.
The agency now primarily uses strategic plans to outline plans to implement the forest inventory program. The first strategic plan, required by the Agricultural Research, Extension, and Education Reform Act of 1998, included references to remote sensing and GIS in its vision statements, implementation details, and research agenda. This plan recognized the importance of populating and sharing data products with partners for ancillary insight. The agency was using remote sensing and GIS across its program, according to its 2007 Strategic Plan. Field crews used aerial imagery in plot selection, the Analysis Band integrated remotely sensed imagery in GIS to add value to the field observations, and the Remote Sensing Band developed operational remote sensing and geospatial modeling to create products. The first map depicting forest types of the conterminous United States and Alaska and derived from a complete set of FIA data was published in 2008 along with a companion map of forest above-ground biomass.
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The first map depicting forest types of the conterminous United States and Alaska derived from a complete set of FIA data in 2008.