crowdsourcing with arcgis online for natural resources
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Stephen F. Austin State University Stephen F. Austin State University
SFA ScholarWorks SFA ScholarWorks
Faculty Publications Spatial Science
2-2013
Crowdsourcing with ArcGIS Online for Natural Resources Crowdsourcing with ArcGIS Online for Natural Resources
Management Management
Yanli Zhang Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, [email protected]
Matthew W. McBroom Stephen F Austin State University, Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, [email protected]
Jason Grogan Arthur Temple College of Forestry and Agriculture, Stephen F. Austin State University, [email protected]
Paul R. Blackwell Stephen F Austin State University
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Repository Citation Repository Citation Zhang, Yanli; McBroom, Matthew W.; Grogan, Jason; and Blackwell, Paul R., "Crowdsourcing with ArcGIS Online for Natural Resources Management" (2013). Faculty Publications. 20. https://scholarworks.sfasu.edu/spatialsci/20
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Crowdsourcing with ArcGIS Online for Natural Resources Management
GIS for Foresters
By Yanli Zhang, Matthew McBroom,Jason Grogan, Paul R. Blackwell
According to Wikipedia, crowd-sourcing is a process that involvesoutsourcing tasks to a distributed
group of people. The difference betweencrowdsourcing and ordinary outsourcingis that a task or problem is outsourced toan undefined public rather than a specificgroup, such as paid employees. In fact, thebest example of crowdsourcing isWikipedia itself, whose articles have beenwritten collaboratively by volunteersaround the world.
With the development of web-basedGIS technology, it is now possible to col-lect spatial information through crowd-sourcing, even for general GIS users.Esri’s Education Programs team recentlypublished an article about a crowdsourc-ing method, “Fun with GIS 128: Crowd-source Your Fieldwork,” at esriurl.com/funwithgis128. We offer a demonstration ofthis method by using ArcGIS to set up aweb service to collect data on the distribu-tion of giant salvinia from the public.
Giant salvinia (Salvinia molesta) is aninvasive aquatic fern from South America.The plant has had catastrophic impacts onaquatic ecosystems on several continents.It damages aquatic ecosystems by out-growing and replacing native plants thatprovide food and habitat for native ani-mals and waterfowl. Texasinvasives.orghas an online form for the public to reportoccurrences of giant salvinia (www.texasinvasives.org/action/report_detail.php?alert_id=1). Latitude and longitude areneeded for location identification. How-ever, users must obtain this information ei-ther by other means such as a GPS unit orby using the pop-up Google Map window.Although this works well enough, a web-based GIS application for collecting suchinformation would be much more conven-ient and user friendly.
The development and deployment ofsuch web-GIS applications is now quite
simple. The procedure involves two basicsteps. The first step is using ArcGIS Desk-top 10.1 to set up the spatial data and map.For our demonstration, we created a pointfeature class with attributes matching theinformation to be collected. In this case,the feature class was salvinia and thefields were similar to those on Texasinva-sives.org, such as the reporter’s name, e-mail, and report date. A relationship classallows for attaching photos and other files.We added a Bing map as a basemap toprovide the user with reference informa-tion. The newly created feature class was
empty, so for demonstration purposes weadded a feature at Caddo Lake, Texas,where giant salvinia has been a big prob-lem in the past few years.
The second step for the demonstrationrequires an account with ArcGIS Online,which employs cloud computing technologyto provide access to ArcGIS Server func-tionality. Currently, Esri provides a 30-dayfree trial; thereafter, the lowest price cate-gory is $2,500 per year. We used the freetrial to implement this project. We publishedthe map as a web service through the “Shareas” function of ArcMap.
Here are the settings needed to config-ure the service: First, select “hosted serv-ices on ArcGIS Online.” There are threepoints you need to pay attention to for thiskind of project. First, “Editable featureservices” is the key to setting up thiscrowdsourcing application, because mapusers—members of the “crowd”—willneed to create, delete, query, and updatethe salvinia feature class (Figure 1). Sec-ond, make sure the service is shared to thepublic on the last page of the Service Edi-tor (Figure 2). This sharing property canbe modified later at ArcGIS Online. In theService Editor, click Analyze to make sureyour map can be published as a service.The most common problem happens whenthe basemap cannot be published directlyto a service and needs to be removed.When the service is published, users canchoose from various basemaps as thebackground. The last step is to publish theservice by clicking the “Publish” button.
The new web service may be accessedat www.arcgis.com. No ArcGIS Onlineaccount is needed. Users need only searchfor the map and open it online. Our exam-ple is named GiantSalviniaDistribution.Click on the Open button to access a list ofthree ways to open the map. Most userswill choose ArcGIS Online; the other op-tions are ArcGIS Explorer Online or ArcGIS 10.1 for Desktop.
When you open the map, you first see aworld map with a green triangle on eastTexas. When you zoom in, you can clickon the triangle, an example added for thedemonstration, to view and edit the point’sattribute information and add an attach-ment. To add a new point, click on the Editbutton, click on the Salvinia layer in thetable of contents, and click on the correctlocation on the map. You enter the corre-sponding attribute information when
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The Forestry Source 14 February 2013
Figure 3. The ArcGIS Online application lets anyone post data about giant salvinia. The green triangles are example locations added fordemonstration purposes.
Figure 1. Feature access settings in the Service Editor.
Figure 2. Sharing settings in the Service Editor.
prompted. To delete a point, scroll downto the bottom of the attribute window toreveal the Delete button.
With Esri ArcGIS apps for iOS and An-droid phones, you—and anyone else in the“crowd”—can open the map in the fieldfor on-the-spot data collection.
This simple application demonstratesthe use of ArcGIS Online and crowd-sourcing for invasive species reporting. Itdoes not require a local web server, thusavoiding complex server setup and main-tenance tasks. This exciting and simple-to-implement new technology can be ap-plied to numerous natural resources man-agement projects, such as soil erosion,wildlife tracking, urban trees, water pollu-tion, threatened and endangered species,recreation usage, and countless others.
There are concerns about relying oncrowdsourcing for data collection. Unre-liable data and malicious entries mayproduce faulty results. Further, partici-pation may be lacking. Users of thistechnology should always be aware of these potential problems. However,the advantages of crowdsourcing makeit a valuable tool for increasing public participation in natural resources man-agement. Using this new technology really is as simple as following the two basic steps: create a map and pub-lish it.
Yanli Zhang is an assistant professor;Matthew McBroom is an associate profes-sor; Jason Grogan, CF, is a research spe-cialist; and Paul R. Blackwell is the direc-tor of the Columbia Regional Geospatial Service Center at Stephen F. Austin StateUniversity.
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The Forestry Source 15 February 2013
Mee-Sook Kim, an associate pro-fessor in the Department of For-estry, Environment, and Systems
at Kookmin University, Seoul, SouthKorea, is the winner of the 2012 GregoryAward. The award provides economic as-sistance to outstanding stu-dents or professionals fromoutside of the United Statesand Canada to attend the an-nual conference of the Societyof American Foresters (SAF)and have meaningful engage-ment with foresters on thiscontinent. In October, Kim at-tended the 2012 SAF NationalConvention, held in Spokane,Washington.
Kim said she could nothave attended the conventionwithout the $1,800 award.
“The SAF convention provided mewith an extraordinary opportunity to inter-act with diverse forest professionals forinformation exchange about current andfuture research needs at the ground level,and to acquire and exchange valuable in-formation to improve my service in teach-ing and extension,” she said. “With theseinteractions, I am confident that I am bet-ter informed and prepared as a teacher, re-searcher, and extension specialist for theSouth Korean forestry community andother international activities.”
Kim received her bachelor’s and firstmaster’s degrees in forestry from SouthKorean universities. She later earned asecond master’s (1995) and a PhD (1999)from the Department of Forestry, Fish-eries, and Wildlife and the Department ofPlant Pathology, respectively, at the Uni-versity of Nebraska–Lincoln. She servedas a plant pathologist at the US Forest Ser-vice’s Rocky Mountain Research Stationfrom 2002 to 2006. Kim has been a mem-ber of SAF since 2003.
“This award is very special to me be-cause it came from the organization towhich I have dedicated much involvementand feel a strong connection throughoutmy professional career,” Kim said.
Since joining SAF, Kim served as chairof the SAF Forest Pathology and Ento-mology Working Group (D5) from 2006to 2007. As chair, she organized two sci-entific/technical concurrent sessions forthe SAF National Convention. She alsoserved as associate editor (entomologyand pathology) for the Journal of Forestryfrom 2008 to 2012.
At Kookmin University, Kim’s re-
search areas include forest/plant pathol-ogy, forest genetics, and forest biology.She teaches classes such as IntroductoryForestry, Forest Pathology, ForestBiotechnology, and Field Practice. Sheconducts research on Korean oak wilt dis-
ease, which is one of themost serious forest diseasesin South Korea, and armil-laria root disease in the inte-rior northwestern UnitedStates. In addition, she pro-vides extension services andtechnology transfer to forest-ers from the government andprivate sectors on various is-sues related to forest diseaseand forest sustainability inSouth Korea.
In addition to SAF, Kimis a member of the Korean Forest Society,American Phytopathological Society, In-ternational Union of Forestry ResearchOrganizations (IUFRO) working parties,Western International Forest DiseaseWork Conference, and Southern NurseryAssociation.
Kim said she hopes to be able to attendthe 2013 SAF National Convention, to beheld October 23 to 27 in Charleston,South Carolina (www.safnet.org/natcon13/index.cfm).
“Unfortunately, I was considerablyunder the weather at the SAF meeting lastfall, and I was capable of only limited in-teraction with committees of the GregoryAward and other participants at the ban-quet,” said Kim. “So this provides me withadditional motivation to attend the 2013SAF meeting.”
The Gregory Award honors G. Robin-son (Bob) Gregory, a pioneer in foresteconomics and resource development whoalways thought of himself as a forester.Bob had a special interest in assisting low-income countries develop their forest re-sources in thoughtful ways for the good ofsociety. With his wife, Ann, Bob traveledmuch of the world consulting for the FordFoundation, the United Nations Food andAgriculture Organization, and host coun-tries on matters related to forest develop-ment. Ann’s intuition and social aware-ness of cultural attributes of each countrywere integral to Bob’s success in partner-ing with individuals, governments andcompanies in various cultures and coun-tries. The award seeks to mark theachievements of the Gregorys’ remarkablecareer and further their interest in interna-tional relations.
Mee-Sook Kim
2012 Gregory Award Goes to Mee-Sook Kim
New Mexico State University(NMSU) has renamed its forestryresearch center the John T. Har-
rington Forestry Research Center at Mora,in honor of John T. Harrington, CF, thelate NMSU researcher and 2009 SAF Fel-low who directed the facility for the past20 years.
Harrington died in a cycling accidentJune 6, 2011. During his tenure at NMSU,Harrington contributed to the forestry pro-fession in several ways and went beyondthe state’s boundaries, as he worked withforest professionals in the Southwest andMexico to better the region’s natural re-sources. He also made contributions at thenational level during a sabbatical in
2006–2007, when he worked with the USForest Service’s policy analysis staff inWashington, DC, and, according to hiscolleagues, Harrington was instrumentalin bringing about a change in the ForestService’s thinking about ecosystemrestoration. He also worked at the interna-tional level and had traveled toAfghanistan to provide technical advice tothe forest restoration program.
In addition to having the forestry re-search center named in his honor, the firstJohn T. Harrington Memorial Scholarshipwas recently awarded to NMSU graduatestudent, Josh Sherman, a horticulturemajor who is working on a master’s de-gree in tree physiology.
New Mexico State University Renames Research Center in Honor of Harrington
Originally, the Pollards planned to thinout one or two areas per year, but acceler-ated the projects after seeing some treatedareas.
“It looked so good, with such immedi-ate improvement, that we decided to finishthe entire project in 2012,” he said.
Iowa DNR’s Goerndt said the projecthas four main benefits:1. Acorn and nut production for
wildlife.2. Faster tree growth and greater po-
tential forest production.3. Desirable natural tree production,
such as oaks.4. Wildlife cover in the woodland un-
derstory for nesting, fawning, loaf-
ing, and hiding.According to Goerndt, research indi-
cates that thinning projects such as thePollards’ can result in a doubling of treediameter growth rates, and mast produc-tion can be improved sevenfold within onecycle.
“The thinning practice takes an over-stocked forest and makes it a properlystocked forest, which improves the healthand vigor of all remaining trees in the for-est,” he said.
Jason Johnson is an Iowa DNR publicaffairs specialist based in Des Moines.
For more articles pertaining to silvi-cultural practices, visit the silvicultureweb page in the professionals area of theSAF website at www.eforester.org/fp/silviculture.cfm.
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