The Geographical Information Systems Working Group (GISWG) meets the challenges of the various working groups within the Beaver Hills Initiative (BHI) by establishing, sharing and managing an effective spatial data management system that can produce, maintain and distribute the products of all project work done in the Beaver Hills Initiative as required. The GISWG will provide data that is regional, consistent, accurate and interpreted while ensuring data license agreements are respected with metadata describing restrictions on the use of the data due to scale or accuracy.
Data management refers to the framework by which data is acquired, maintained, and made available both as raw or unprocessed data and final products obtained from the GIS. Data management is not an end unto itself, but instead is the means of maximizing the quality and utility of our resource information. A robust system for data management is particularly important for long-term programs where the lifespan of a data set will span the careers of the users whether they are planners, scientists, economists, etc. Seen in this way it becomes obvious that data management is vital to the success of any long-term planning initiative.
A data Management Plan was developed in 2006. As the BHI continues to evolve and accomplish successes through ongoing conservation planning recommendation development and research and monitoring, the data management plan that is required to compliment this work will need to be updated.
This is a priority task for the GISWG and will be incorporated in the next 2011 BHI five year Business Plan.
This working group consists of geomatic experts, with a cross section of environmental and open space mapping and modeling experience.
An important role of this working group is to ensure links with each of the other working groups, crossing over data that ultimately is reflected in the BHI Land Management Framework (BHI LMF The Beaver Hills Initiative _Phase II BHI Land Management Framework).
