| From the Publisher
By Roland Mangold It's Census Time Mention the word 'Census' today and it may bring on a heated discussion about filling out long forms and hordes of canvassers knocking on doors in neighborhoods across the country. However, the Department of Commerce's Census 2000 is not the only game in Washington, DC when it comes to federal surveys. There are many more!
EPA has a variety of programs for monitoring air and water quality. Fish & Wildlife looks at everything from wetlands to threatened and endangered species. If you are a farmer, you already know about the Ag Census run by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA), National Agriculture Statistics Service. The Ag Census measures everything form the number of pigs, to the acres of corn, every year. The Forest Service has their historic Forest Inventory and Analysis (FIA) program (dating back to the 1928 McSweeny-McNary Act) to measure forests nationwide. As well, there is the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS) - National Resource Inventory (NRI). Let us focus for a moment on the NRI program. A program which typifies both the good and bad of a federal survey.
The National Resources Inventory (NRI) is a statistically based survey that has been designed and implemented using scientific principles to assess conditions and trends of soil, water, and related resources on nonfederal lands in the United States. The NRI is conducted by the USDA NRCS, with contracted support by Iowa State University's Statistical Laboratory.
The Rural Development Act of 1972, the Soil and Water Resources Conservation Act of 1977, and other supporting acts direct NRCS to assess the status, condition, and trends of soil, water, and related resources on the Nation's nonfederal lands at intervals of 5 years or less. NRI looks at trends using over 800,000 primary sample units (PSU's) spread over the country. Most PSU's are 1/4 square mile sections which just happen to fall on quarter mile sections! In past surveys, NRCS has resorted to using any aerial photo it could find for interpretation and mapping within each PSU. This usually meant NRCS used USDA Farm Services Agency - Aerial Compliance Photography (ACP).
What is ACP? Basically, it is cheap, non standard, non metric, 35mm aerial photos taken at a variety of scales over all farmland in every state and every year. Resolution varies from inches to feet due to non standard film and processing techniques. This is an impressive endeavor when one considers the amount of area in the USA covered each year. However, ACP does not comply with any professional standards such as those written by the American Society of Photogrammetry and Remote Sensing.
This year, NRCS is in the midst of an expensive experiment for NRI. NRCS has decided to no use ACP photos. NRCS is going to contract about half its PSU's to be taken with cheap, non standard, non metric, consumer digital cameras. The use of non standard aerial digital photography may or may not be any better than their old system. The new PSU images may be digital but that does not mean the information interpreted and mapped will be any better. The USDA NRCS digital image specifications calls for a .7 meter ground sample distance at a scale of 1:7920. The image specifications also call for rectified images, but not ortho rectified images.
The NRI as well as other federal census programs are supposed to provide scientifically valid, timely, and relevant information that are used by Congress to formulate effective agriculture and environmental legislation.
Just as there are many separate mapping programs within federal agencies, there are just as many census programs. Some of the data are effective; some of the data duplicates other surveys; some of the data elements are under funded; some of the data elements need to be merged with mapping programs; and, some of the data elements are not even measured.
The time has come to take a fresh look at how we measure and map our nation's demographics and environment. Perhaps it is time for Congress to overhaul all government survey and mapping programs, and create an integrated central mapping and census department which can respond to the Government's information requirements more effectively. Until next time, Cheers!
 Roland Mangold Back |
