WyG I S C l a u n c h e s w i l d l i f e h a b i t a t m a p p i n g t o o l f o r W y o .

WyGISC Newsletter Winter 2013 Volume 6, Issue 1 A bi-annual newsletter of the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center

T he Wyoming Interagency Spatial Database and Online Management (WISDOM) System, is a user-friendly tool that

allows any interested individual to discover, consider, and assess Wyoming’s wildlife resources. WISDOM provides landscape-level information during the early stages of project planning, and can be used in concert with all available data and expertise to ensure project plans address wildlife and habitat conservation at all levels (Figure to the right). WISDOM is an easily accessible web-based delivery system for providing a set of natural resource data layers. This non-regulatory, landscape-level information allows a user to visually explore the distribution of important Wyoming wildlife habitat, identify potential stressors to wildlife, and other relevant data. WyGISC released WISDOM version 1.0 on August 6th 2012 for the Wyoming Game and Fish Department. Many agencies and entities were involved in the guiding the development of WISDOM. This collaboration is between the Wyoming Geographic Information Science Center (WyGISC) and the Wyoming Game and Fish Department (WGFD), with data provision and other formalized partnerships with the Western Governors’ Association, Wyoming Natural Diversity Database, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, The Nature Conservancy, Wyoming Department of Environmental Quality, USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service, Wyoming Office of State Lands and Investments, and Wyoming Department of Transportation. From a broader perspective, the WISDOM effort is serving as one of a number of pilot project for the Western Governors’ Association, with application to west-wide initiatives for wildlife

and environmental management at the interstate and west-wide levels. The tool will become part of a larger, multistate development plan across the west. This west-wide initiative to develop a regional “Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool” (CHAT) is an effort that has been endorsed by the Western Governors’ Association. Each state is developing their version of a non-regulatory Crucial Habitat Assessment Tool, with Wyoming serving as one example of an early development state, with our released application joining five other western states in providing such an application. - Teal Wyckoff

http://wisdom.wygisc.org/

WyGISC staff contribute to the success of 2012 WyGEO Conference

WyGISC research scientists gave the following presentations in local,

regional, and national meetings and conferences to highlight the

value of geospatial science, applications and research:

Albeke, S.E., 2012. Species Distribution Modeling and Management: Provid-

ing a Monitoring Framework. U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service. Region 2 Annual

Biologists Meeting.

Rashford, B.S., S.E. Albeke, D.J. Lewis., 2012. Modeling Grassland Conver-

sion: Challenges of Using Satellite Imagery Data. Agricultural and Applied

Economic Association Annual Meeting.

Albeke, S.E., 2012. Science and Management: Species Distribution Models

can Provide a Link. WyGEO Ignite Talks. WyGEO Spring 2012 Meeting.

Albeke, S.E., 2012. Species distribution modeling: an overview. Uinta Basin

Rare and Listed Plant Workshop. U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service & Bureau of

Land Management.

Albeke, S.E., 2012. What is an Ecoinformaticist? And Where can I find one?

Research Across Disciplines (RAD). Department of Ecosystem Science and

Management Seminar.

Berelson W.L., 2012. R&E Study Area Resource Request Application (SARRA)

Overview & Update. University of Wyoming Agricultural Experiment Station

Planning Meeting.

Berelson W.L., 2012. The Many Faces of Enterprise GIS on Campus. Presen-

tation. Thirty-First Annual ESRI User Conference. San Diego, CA.

Berelson W.L., 2012. Resource Requests via the New Online Study Area

Resource Request Application (SARRA). University of Wyoming Agricultural

Experiment Station Timely Topics Series. University of Wyoming,.

Berendsen, M.E., 2012. Community Mapping Parties. Wyoming Geospatial

Organization 1st Annual Conference.

Berendsen, M.E., 2012. Using on-line maps to learn about local community

and Wyoming history. Presentation to 4th graders in Beitel Elementary

School.

Hamerlinck, J.D. 2012. Wyoming Interagency Spatial Database & Online

Management System Environmental Assessment Support Tool (WISDOM-

EAST). Pre-workshop webinar, Workshop on GIS-Based Tools for Renewable

Energy Development. Western Governors’ Association and American Wind-

Wildlife Institute (invited).

Hamerlinck, J. D. , P.L. Polzer, T. B. Wyckoff, K. Nordyke. 2012. The Wyoming

Interagency Spatial Database & Online Management System: Building

Page 2

S tarting from planning WyGEO’s first annual conference and then by offering work-

shop and presenting their research, WyGISC research scientists made invaluable

contributions towards its success. WyGISC research scientists, Shawn Lanning and

Paul Caffrey were part of the planning conference committee that organized this three

day event in Cheyenne, WY. Nancy Moody, GIS Analyst of Natrona County, who also

serves as the Treasurer of WyGEO commented that “[Shawn and Paul] were instrumen-

tal in the planning process; their knowledge ensured a well planned event.”

WyGISC research scientist, Shannon Albeke, taught a workshop on programming with

R, an open source software that is increasingly used for analyzing geospatial data. Teal

Wyckoff talked about WISDOM or Wyoming Interagency Spatial Database & Online Man-

agement System developed by WyGISC. Margo Berendsen highlighted the value of

community mapping parties. Nick Graf described and demonstrated the Wyoming Den-

sity and Disturbance Calculation Tool and how agencies and others can use it for deci-

sion making in the natural resources management arena. Cathy Raney, GIS Coordina-

tor for Campbell County, and President of WyGEO commented that “there is no one

more dedicated to the geospatial community in Wyoming than the staff of WyGISC.”

“WISDOM” to support Wildlife Decision Making Via Web-based GIS Technolo-

gy. Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative Science Workshop.

Lieske, S.N., J.D. Hamerlinck. 2012. Tools for Visual Communication. Work-

shop on Visualization Technologies to Support Research on Human-

Environment Interactions. National Socio-Environmental Synthesis Center.

Polzer, P. L., J. D. Hamerlinck, T. B. Wyckoff. 2012. Wyoming Integrated Re-

source Management Analyst. Wyoming Landscape Conservation Initiative

Science Workshop.

Sivanpillai, R., 2012. Assessing, acquiring and distributing remotely sensed

data for natural disasters: The WyomingView experience. AmericaView Fall

Technical Meeting.

Sivanpillai, R., 2012. Remote Sensing for Pest Habitat Monitoring and Man-

agement . 7th Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Symposium.

Sivanpillai, R., 2012. Remote sensing science and applications. 10 presenta-

tions to UW Lab School (5th & 6th graders), Laramie Junior High (6th grad-

ers), UW Lab School (7th and 8th graders), and Laramie Junior High (7th and

8th graders).

Writer B.J., 2012. Cutthroat Trout database editor and viewer. Colorado River

Cutthroat Trout Conservation Team Meeting.

Wyckoff, T. B., M. J. Kauffman, H. Sawyer, S. E. Albeke. 2012. Evaluating the

Influence of Development on Mule Deer Migrations. The Wildlife Society

Wyoming Chapter Annual Meeting.

Wyckoff, T. B., M. J. Kauffman, S. E. Albeke. 2012. Evaluating the Influence of

Development on Mule Deer Migrations. The Wildlife Society National Annual

Meeting..

Wyckoff, T. B., P. L. Polzer, M. Berendsen, J. D. Hamerlinck, K. Nordyke.

2012. The Wyoming Interagency Spatial Database & Online Management

System. Wyoming Geospatial Organization 1st Annual Conference.

Wyckoff, T. B., M. J. Kauffman. 2012. Evaluating the Influence of Develop-

ment on Ungulate Migrations. University of Wyoming Zoology and Physiology

Department Brown Bag Seminar.

Wyckoff, T. B., M. J. Kauffman, H. Sawyer, S. Garman, J. McBeth. 2012. Eval-

uating the Influence of Development on Ungulate Migrations. Wyoming Land-

scape Conservation Initiative Science Workshop.

Wyckoff, T. B., P. L. Polzer, J. D. Hamerlinck, N. Cole, C. Rosenthal. 2012.

SuiteWater: The Natural Resources Planning and Analysis Tool. Wyoming

Landscape Conservation Initiative Science Workshop.

Presentations by WyGISC Research Scientists

Education & Outreach Page 3

ESRI Virtual Campus offers FREE GIS FREE GIS FREE GIS FREE GIS courses for UW stu-

dents, staff and faculty. There are more than 25 online cours-

es that you can complete at your pace. Courses cover intro-

ductory materials to advanced database management. At the

end of successful completion of each course, users can print

an ESRI course completion certificate, which is recognized in

the geospatial industry. Non-UW users can enroll in these

courses through www. esri.com. For further details about

Virtual Campus courses call (307) 766-2770, email wygsic-

education@uwyo.edu or visit the Education & Outreach sec-

tion in http://vc.wygisc.org/

ESRI Virtual Campus Courses *FREE*

One of our missions is to advance the use of geographic infor-

mation science (GISci) at the University of Wyoming by fur-

thering GISci education and training at all academic levels, by

pursuing basic and applied research in GISci, and by using

GISci technologies for problem-solving within the University

and throughout the State and region. WyGISC has been

providing GISci professionals with flexible and comprehensive

training for over ten years. This designation means that

WyGISC meets ESRI standards for quality and content and we

are approved to offer ESRI courses. For further information

about short courses, GIS certificate, or our upcoming course

schedule contact:

Phone: 307-766-2770

Email: wygisc-education@uwyo.edu

Web: http://www.uwyo.edu/wygisc/education

09/07/12: “The Wyoming Interagency Spatial Database & Online Man-

agement System: Building “Wisdom” to Support Wildlife Decision Making

Via Web-based GIS Technology” Dr. J. Hamerlinck, M. Berendsen, WyGISC

09/14/12: “US Topo - The New Generation of Topographic Maps” Barb

Ray, USGS

09/21/12: “Three simple steps to Statewide GIS Coordination” Jacob

Mundt, WY DEPT of ENTERPRISE TECH SERVICES

10/05/12: “Streamlining Environmental Regulation through a GIS ena-

bled Web Application” Nicholas Graf, WyGISC

10/12/12: “GIS and Remote Sensing in the World of Water Management”

Sheila Pelczarski, DENVER WATER

10/19/12: “GIS Based Web Applications for UW’s Division of Administra-

tion and Agricultural Experiment Stations” Wendy Berelson, WyGISC

10/26/12: “State of Wyoming Homeland Security GIS Support Operations

for Emergency Management.” Raymond Johnson, WY OFFICE OF HOME-

LAND SECURITY

11/02/12: “Online Mapping Systems for Delivering Wyoming’s Hydrocli-

matic Data" Christopher Nicholson, WATER RESOUCRES DATA SYSTEM &

WYOMING STATE CLIMATE OFFICE

11/09/12: “The National Map Data Delivery Series” Barb Ray, USGS

Fall 2012 WyGISC Geospatial Forum Series

N E W H I R E SN E W H I R E SN E W H I R E SN E W H I R E S

Michael Feltenberger Michael Feltenberger Michael Feltenberger Michael Feltenberger was hired as a student employee to

support the Wyoming Density and Disturbance Calculation

Tool (DDCT). From 2006-2011, Michael was a geospatial

intelligence analyst in the United States Marine Corps. Over

the course of two deployments and time spent in central and

southeast Asia, Michael developed a strong interest in geog-

raphy and GIScience. Upon separation from the Marines in

2011, Michael started his bachelors in geography at the Uni-

versity of Wyoming. He is expected to graduate in the Sum-

mer of 2013.

As part of the Rock Mountain Association for Institutional Research

(RAMAIR) Conference, WyGISC GIS Analyst Wendy Berelson Wendy Berelson Wendy Berelson Wendy Berelson conducted a

workshop that introduced GIS technologies from an institutional research

perspective. This workshop was conducted in Laramie, Wyoming.

WyGISC Ecoinformaticist Shannon Albeke Shannon Albeke Shannon Albeke Shannon Albeke taught how sophisticated spa-

tial analyses can be conducted in R, as part of the first WyGEO Annual

Conference in Cheyenne, Wyoming. In this workshop, participants

learned how to import and analyze data, and visualize results in this

open source software.

WyGISC Remote Sensing Scientist, Ramesh Sivanpillai Ramesh Sivanpillai Ramesh Sivanpillai Ramesh Sivanpillai conducted a work-

shop at the Cable Center in Denver, CO as part of the 2012 GIS in the

Rockies Conference, highlighting remote sensing concepts and the utility

of Landsat data for natural resources monitoring. This workshop intro-

duced GIS professionals to the characteristics of remotely sensed data

and how they are collected.

Editors: Ramesh Sivanpillai & Jeffrey Hamerlinck

Layout: Ramesh Sivanpillai

Wyoming Geographic Info Science Center

University of Wyoming—Dept 4008

1000 E University Ave, Laramie, WY 82071

Phone: 307-766-2532

Fax: 307-766-2744

E-mail: wygisc@uwyo.edu

University of Wyoming

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providing support for outreach and educational

materials, scholarships, and student and aca-

demic staff development. If interested, please

contact us at wygisc@uwyo.edu. You can also

make a contribution online through the UW

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Thank you for your valuable support.

WyGISC is located on the third floor of the “Agriculture C” Building on the main campus of the University of Wyoming in Laramie, WY. Our

main office is located in room 337. For those familiar with campus, the building is the south (and original) wing of the building facing Prexy’s

pasture.

Visit our website:

http://www.uwyo.edu/wygisc

Mission StatementMission StatementMission Statement

WyGISC’s mission is to advance geographic information science (GISci) at the Uni-

versity of Wyoming and its application across the State of Wyoming, Rocky Moun-

tain Region and beyond. We accomplish this through research and application

development in place-based decision-making and Web-based access to geospatial

data and mapping applications. The Center’s education, training, and information

and technology transfer activities support the adoption and use of geospatial data

and information technologies among a variety of users in academia, government,

business, and our local communities.