BLM & Forest Service Launch GeoCommunicator Web Site
By Leslie Cone

The U.S. Bureau of Land Management (BLM) and the U.S. Forest Service have jointly deployed their GeoCommunicator Web site, an interactive land information portal that provides online information for locating, accessing, and sharing current geographic data. GeoCommunicator is the first module of the National Integrated Land System (NILS) project and may be found on the Internet at www.geocommunicator.gov.

Anyone can benfit from the GeoCommunicator, from the general public to resource managers.

This Web site is a technological achievement representing a strategic partnership between the BLM and the Forest Service, in collaboration with various states, municipalities and local governments. This effort has also received the endorsement of the Western Governor’s Association.

GeoCommunicator provides a virtual community where users can subscribe to an area of interest and receive notification of activities, events, updated data sets and new maps that occur or are generated within a specific area of interest. The site can also accommodate communication forums where interested parties can exchange information on land activities, data calls, and other networking activities. Metadata is also available, displayed for each content area as part of the search results and giving the user a way to determine the value and relevancy of the data. Lastly, GeoCommunicator features a land tool to locate the specific federal land management agency responsible for specific areas.

"We are very excited about the launch of our site," said Pete Culp, BLM assistant director of minerals, realty and resource management. "Everyone will benefit from using GeoCommunicator, from the general public to resource managers. Most importantly, the site provides access to data served directly from the originator of the data, ensuring the most current data available, and reducing the need to download and maintain duplicate data sets."

Jack Craven, a director for the U.S. Forest Service, commented, "The genius of GeoCommunicator is that land managers and specialists can readily create their own local network of subscribers and providers of GIS data specific to their region of interest."

GeoCommunicator represents an online portal for spatial viewing of geographic data. In effect, it is a state-of-the-art, searchable database of links to geographic data submitted to GeoCommunicator by data providers and contributors. The user needs only to point and click on a spatial view of interest, and GeoCommunicator can provide access to an array of geographic data from which to choose.

The site is a featured land management focus channel of ESRI’s Geography Network – a major, international Web site devoted to geospatial data and related information around the world. GeoCommunicator provides additional search capabilities, allowing users to locate areas of interest by township and range, or by cadastral criteria.

GeoCommunicator provides access to a wide array of geographic content – from static map images to dynamic map services, from downloadable data to geographic activities, from data clearinghouses to land references. This data can be viewed by either a conventional browser or with GIS software. If desired, users can simply download ArcExplorer – a free GIS browser offered by ESRI – and enjoy simplified GIS display and analysis capabilities.

"There are many additional benefits to GeoCommunicator as well," Culp added. "It is designed to provide an easy, user-friendly means for the general public to access BLM and Forest Service data. We also expect it to help promote greater public access to and an understanding of geographic information by offering links to literally thousands of spatial data records. Lastly, it embraces our dedication to improving our level of customer service."

Jack Craven stated further, "I see the uses of GeoCommunicator extending outward. Whenever we discuss the concept of GeoCommunicator with resource managers, they become excited. Wildlife and fisheries biologists, ecologists, entomologists, engineers and more, all envision sharing this tool with their colleagues along with universities, foundations, agencies and private concerns – all of whom are potentially duplicating work."

The NILS project was launched in order to create a business solution by integrating survey data with parcel-based land records in a GIS environment, and for developing a common land data model. Other NILS modules – Measurement Management, Survey Management, and Parcel Management – are scheduled for launch in 2002 and 2003.

The BLM, part of the U.S. Department of the Interior, manages more land than any other Federal agency, on the order of 264 million acres. Most of this public land is located in 12 western states, including Alaska. The Bureau also administers 700 million acres of sub-surface mineral estate throughout the United States. The BLM preserves open space by managing these public lands for multiple uses, including outdoor recreation, livestock grazing and mining, and by conserving natural, historical, cultural, and other resources on the public lands.

The U.S. Forest Service manages public lands, known collectively as the National Forest System – located in 44 states plus Puerto Rico and the Virgin Islands – that comprise some 8.5 percent of the total land area of the United States.

Back