Development of a Decision Support System for New Mexico Conservation within the Great Plains Landscape Conservation Cooperative
Summary
Landscape scale conservation requires the collaboration of multiple partners for success. A focus of the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC) is developing these partnerships and building the core capacities necessary in landscape scale conservation efforts. The NMDGF propose to develop a geographically referenced Document Based Decision Support System (DSS) that will help consolidate existing and new information generated by the Department or other appropriate sources. The proposed DSS will allow users to rapidly search and access the available discrete information sources related to a location. Initially, to test the utility of a DSS, NMDGF proposes to focus on the portion of the Great Plains LCC (GPLCC) in southeast New [...]
Summary
Landscape scale conservation requires the collaboration of multiple partners for success. A focus of the Landscape Conservation Cooperatives (LCC) is developing these partnerships and building the core capacities necessary in landscape scale conservation efforts. The NMDGF propose to develop a geographically referenced Document Based Decision Support System (DSS) that will help consolidate existing and new information generated by the Department or other appropriate sources. The proposed DSS will allow users to rapidly search and access the available discrete information sources related to a location. Initially, to test the utility of a DSS, NMDGF proposes to focus on the portion of the Great Plains LCC (GPLCC) in southeast New Mexico with special attention to sensitive species including the sand dunes lizard and the Lesser prairie-chicken. The main goal of this DSS is to help NMDGF personnel, federal and state land managers, and the general public to rapidly access department information. The three main objectives of this proposed effort include: 1) Creation of a web enabled database to serve as a clearinghouse of information from NMDGF and other available sources for projects located in the GPLCC; 2) Link the above database with a web enabled spatial database to provide NMDGF, state and federal agencies, and the public easy and responsive access to this data; and 3) Build partnerships between NMDGF, GPLCC, and other state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, universities, and the general public. The proposed information clearinghouse will incorporate and make accessible research reports, technical guidance consultation, scientific-educational collecting permits, wildlife area management plans, contractor reports, recovery plans, critical habitat designations, species information, and potentially other kinds of work product. The existing Comprehensive Wildlife Conservation Strategy for New Mexico Database contains data organized in a geographic context. Therefore, building the system on the CWCS platform can accomplish the objectives of referencing the information in the CWCS with additional data, potentially increasing the utility and desirability of the CWCS within the Department, and help set the stage for updating the CWCS to respond to climate change. An agile methodology will be incorporated to provide functional portions of the DSS as soon as possible. This methodology provides a building block structure to the DSS creation and provides testing input from NMDGF personnel and other identified end users. The products of this work will include a dynamic database that is spatially linked to allow NMDGF and others to query specific locations and areas to identify the past and present NMDGF information.
