To effectively manage park resources, managers need accurate information to recognize changes in ecosystems and to link trends with causes so that natural and anthropogenic threats may be distinguished. High quality information is necessary to identify trends and respond to them intelligently and deliberately. Such information is essential to ensure that rational and ecologically sound decisions are made concerning development, mitigation, monitoring and other management issues. All management is a long term experiment, and decisions are often made with less-than- complete information. The information is often difficult to retrieve because it is fragmented in different systems and databases. The key is to have quality information that can be easily retrieved.
Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA) managers recognize that Geographic Information System (GIS) technology can aid them in effective and efficient park management. To that end we have identified implementation of a GIS as a high-priority objective. To efficiently implement the GIS program at CVNRA, the information to be stored and the system used to manage it must be carefully designed. It is critical to design a data management program to prevent information from becoming fragmented in different systems and data bases. A well-designed database can ensure that the data are usable for future resources studies and management.
In this paper, we demonstrate the functions of a user-friendly computer interface being developed for CVNRA to make access to information timely and easier for managers, researchers, staff, and visitors. The interface consolidates a vast amount of existing natural and cultural resources digital data into a single system supporting park operations in CVNRA. Park personnel and other managers unfamiliar with GIS technology can now evaluate land and resource use alternatives while also considering environmental impacts, economic implications and potential use conflicts.
All management is a long term experiment, and decisions are often made with less-than-complete information. The information is often difficult to retrieve because it is fragmented in different systems and databases. The key is to have quality information that can be easily organized, integrated, and retrieved as desired. Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area (CVNRA) managers recognize that Geographic Information System (GIS) technology can aid them in effective and efficient park management. To that end, we have identified implementation of a GIS as a high-priority objective.
Figure 1 shows the area of Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. Cuyahoga Valley's primary attribute lies in the fact that it conserves over 32,000 acres of relatively undeveloped and scenic open space in a pastoral valley lying less than 30 miles from 4 million residents of northeastern Ohio. Its significance is not limited to its potential to serve the recreational needs of this regional population. The river and valley contain important remnants of the Nation's natural and cultural heritage -- features that attract people from throughout the country. However, Cuyahoga Valley's proximity to Cleveland and Akron increases its value immeasurably as a recreational resource for urban dwellers.
To efficiently implement the GIS program at CVNRA, the information to be stored and the system used to manage it must be carefully designed. It is critical to design a data management program to prevent information from becoming fragmented in different systems and data bases. A well-designed database can ensure that the data are usable for future resources studies and management.
In this paper, we demonstrate how a user-friendly computer interface can make access to information timely and easier for managers, researchers, staff, and visitors in Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. The interface consolidates existing natural and cultural resources data into a single integrated system. Geographic Information System (GIS) software will be used to develop the interface by linking feature attributes, stored as tabular data in relational databases, with the spatial data stored as map features in the park GIS.
Users of the interface can query data contained in the GIS along with values for environmental variables at any location within the park using descriptive point-and-click menus. Park personnel and other managers unfamiliar with GIS technology can evaluate land and resource use alternatives while also considering environmental impacts, economic implications and potential use conflicts. The aforementioned will lead to a logical collection of interrelated information, managed and stored as a unit, providing the tools for data input, verification, storage, retrieval, query, and manipulation. The key components of the interface are: (1) accessibility to park users, (2) a user-friendly query language, (3) ability to make hardcopy maps, (4) portability, and (5) ability to interface with park databases that may develop independent of the GIS database.
The interface provides a product that includes important analysis while retaining more detailed data that can be accessed by the user as needed. There are many potential resource management and interpretive applications to be expected as this interface is further developed and additional layers of data are integrated.
The interface would benefit the park and its partners by:
Finally, The National Park Service continues to use GIS and similar technologies in support of its cooperative programs with other agencies. The park is committed to cultivating and maintaining a comprehensive GIS program within Northeast Ohio. We plan to utilize the computer interface as another mechanism to share information and provide accurate data to improve management in the park and surrounding communities.
The primary goal of CVNRA's GIS program is to completely integrate the system's capabilities with park operations. For any GIS to be useful it must be current, available, easily interpreted and cost-effective. Cuyahoga Valley has invested thousands of dollars toward the development of a GIS. GIS development has taken place using park-based funds and existing staff. Development of a Geographic Information System at Cuyahoga Valley began with the formation of a " Committee" at the park in May 1987. The initial effort of the committee was to plan GIS applications for the park, and to set priorities by division. The park GIS Specialist is responsible for development of the primary GIS. The GIS Planning Committee, consisting of representatives from every division, will work with the GIS Specialist to develop a system which will serve all possible users efficiently.
Data base construction and data entry are Cuyahoga Valley's primary GIS objectives at this time. The creation of a data base for a GIS can often consume a large portion of the actual time and money allocated for a given project. This issue is further complicated by users who collect, enter and/or digitize data that already exists. This practice can be avoided by finding prepared data in computer compatible format, which may reduce the time involved in creating a complete data base.
Requirements of a GIS should be defined in terms of the applications the system is expected to support. Through park and cooperative agency planning sessions many GIS applications have been identified. Potential applications of the GIS are (1) finding the best available use for a site or building without impeding the cultural landscape, (2) accessing information such as types of road surfaces, units of measure (i.e., lane miles or total area), right-of-ways, sign inventories or utility locations quickly to improve facility management, (3) planning cultural resource activities by linking information from the List of Classified Structures (LCS) database or from National Register Nomination maps to the GIS, (4) enhancing environmental education by bringing the GIS to the classroom, (5) tracking and evaluating oil and gas wells and determining their impacts on the resources, and (6) helping cultural and natural resources protection and park planning efforts by providing updated information on land use and land status (easements, fee simple, retention, or life estate agreements) of the 1750 tracts of land in the park. A database is the foundation needed to perform each of these applications.
The key to GIS at Cuyahoga Valley is that it must be functional and flexible. To accomplish this goal, it will be necessary to inventory and consolidate all the existing data stored in various formats in the park. These data will be consolidated and organized by the various applications identified through the GIS planning process. The information collected will be used to create an accurate database that can be updated regularly and, as well, would meet the needs of park staff.
The general goal of this project is to design a user-friendly computer interface which will make access to information timely and simple for managers, researchers, staff, and visitors. Users of the interface can query data contained in the GIS along with values for environmental variables at any location within the park using descriptive point-and-click menus. Park personnel and other managers unfamiliar with GIS technology can evaluate land and resource use alternatives while also considering environmental impacts, economic implications and potential use conflicts.
Work proposed in this project is being accomplished through three related components. Component one involves (a) an inventory of the existing data available for the park GIS, (b) a users requirements analysis to help park staff decide how the data can best fit their divisional needs, and (c) organization of the data to fit the applications identified by the park staff during several park GIS planning meetings.
To illustrate the need for component one an example is in order. There are currently various databases and lists circulating in the park and the Midwest Region that purport to be comprehensive compilations of tracts of land, improvements, and status. Examples include the Master Deed List, Building Utilization Plan, property database, the alphabetized owner list, the tract files, the list organized by street address, the List of Classified Structures (LCS), the Cultural Landscape database, Archeological Sites database, etc. While these have useful information, there are discrepancies, omissions, and inconsistencies.
In addition, URS Consultants, under contract to Cleveland Metroparks System, has been developing a data base for an open space inventory of the seven county area, which includes Cuyahoga Valley. In 1993 the park negotiated an arrangement whereby the consultant was loaned the park's Altek digitizing table and accessories in exchange for digitized information of all the individual land parcels (tracts) within the recreation area. The goal of component one is to identify the above information and determine the methodology to transfer and link the existing spatial and relational data to the park's GIS.
The second component of this project is to transfer existing spatial data and link feature attributes stored as tabular data in parkwide databases with the spatial data stored as map features in the park GIS. To provide total integration of these data, Cuyahoga Valley has purchased ArcInfo software. ArcInfo system files maintain the continuity and connectivity between spatial and attribute data. ArcInfo is installed on the park's Sun Microsystems Sparcstation 10. The UNIX version of ArcInfo offers flexibility in programming as well as the ability to combine all software on to one platform. A number of datasets have been converted already. Figures 2 and 3 represent some of these that have been integrated into ArcView and used for park management decisions.
Currently in development; the final component is to design a user-friendly computer interface. Our goal is to make access to information more timely and less difficult for all users including, managers, researchers, staff, and visitors. The interface will consolidate the vast amount of existing natural and cultural resources digital data into a single system supporting research, resource management, maintenance and interpretation activities in Cuyahoga Valley National Recreation Area. The GIS software will be used to develop the interface. The interface will link feature attributes, stored as tabular data in parkwide data bases, with the spatial data stored as map features in the park GIS, as before mentioned.
The interface will be developed using ArcInfo GIS software and will be implemented park-wide using ArcView software. ArcView was selected because it does not require extensive training or programming skills. Plus, it provides an intuitive graphical user interface that can bring non-technical users closer to GIS. It can provide a product that includes important analysis while retaining more detailed data that can be used as needed. There are many potential resource management and interpretive applications to be expected as this interface is further developed and additional layers of data are integrated.
This project is partially funded by the Washington Office of National Park Service, Division of Natural Resources, GIS Program.