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Bruce Peterjohn (Chair)
B.H. Powell
Karen Jones
Fred Fiehrer
John R. Sauer
Mary Gustafson
James R. Kelley
Lucie Metras
October 17, 1997
TASKS: The Panel Report recommends, and the Implementation Team concurs, that banding location data (lat-long) be made more exact. The Task Force should evaluate location data and recommend a new, more precise level of location. They should consider Federal standards for geospatial data, more precise locations for recovery and recapture data, distinguishing banding records with new locations from old, whether and how location data should be edited by BBL, and means of facilitating the submission of more precise location data by banders.
EXISTING LOCATION DATA SYSTEM: Locations for banding data currently consist of mileage and direction to nearest town, county, and state/province, and are assigned into a 10- minute block of latitude/longitude coordinates. Most locations are verified by Bird Banding Laboratory (BBL) staff, using a GNIS database available on CD-ROM for U.S. locations, the internet for Canadian and other foreign locations, an in-house gazetteer system (Maps System) for U.S. and Canadian locations, and 1:250,000 USGS topographic maps. However, data provided by a Geographic Positioning System (GPS) are accepted without further verification. A database has been created that consists of the coordinates of locations used by each permit number during the past 10 years. Banders are asked to identify new banding locations on their schedules, but compliance is less than 100%. They are also asked to provide copies of maps showing new banding locations, but compliance is poor. Very little data are currently provided with the use of GPS, although the proportion of data provided from this source is expected to increase in the future. Despite these problems, the overall precision of location data is considerably greater than for the recovery data.
The precision of the existing recovery data varies with the source of the information. Data obtained from the toll-free number consist of mileage and direction to the nearest town, county, and state, from which a look-up gazetteer and/or look-up map systems are used to generate an assignment into a 10-minute block. Data obtained from letters are generally more vague; assignments only to county and state may be possible for some data and data outside of the U.S. and Canada may be impossible to locate with any degree of precision. Recovery data are generally accepted as provided with additional verification only for data identified as erroneous through computer edits.
FEDERAL STANDARDS: For the United States, the Federal Geographic Data Committee has issued a National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy as a part of its Draft Geospatial Positioning Accuracy Standards. These standards generally apply to geographic mapping applications, with limited applicability to location data collected by the BBL. The following paragraph taken from these standards (page 1) provides some guidance:
"This standard does not define "pass-fail" accuracy values. Agencies are encouraged to establish "pass-fail" criteria (for example, using values specified in other positional accuracy standards) for their product specifications and applications and for contracting purposes. Ultimately, users must identify acceptable accuracies for their applications. Data and map producers must determine what accuracy exists or is achievable for their data and report it according to the National Standard for Spatial Data Accuracy."
This guidance indicates that no set of national accuracy standards currently exists, but documenting the level of accuracy of BBL location data should be a consideration of this task force.
IMPROVING PRECISION OF BBL LOCATION DATA
Considerations for banding/recapture data. Since these data are provided by the bird banders, a higher level of accuracy in location data should be more consistently attainable than with the recovery data provided by the general public. However, improving the precision of these location data requires more than only making minor modifications to existing databases. The current system for obtaining and verifying location data is labor-intensive, and improving the precision standards would substantially increase existing work loads. Hence, the process for obtaining and verifying location data needs to be improved prior to making any changes in the precision standards for these data.
Location data precision considerations. During its discussions, the task force recognized that it may not be possible, nor necessarily desirable, to enforce a single standard for location data precision to all banding operations. Some types of banding operations, such as road- trapping hawks or banding bluebirds along extensive "trails" of boxes, might band birds over fairly large geographic areas and reporting very precise locations for each banding record would become an onerous task for both the bander and the BBL staff verifying the location data. In contrast, the operations of other banders may be restricted to single sites or a very small number of sites, and providing very precise location data may be possible, especially with the use of GPS.
In order to provide the flexibility required by the various types of banders, the task force developed the following recommendation with regards to improving the precision of location data within the BBL:
The new location data for most banding operations would be recorded to the closest minute of latitude and longitude. When precise locations are provided on maps to the BBL and more precise location coordinates can be readily determined through the use of available computer mapping programs, then these coordinates should be entered for a site. For certain types of banding operations where such levels of precision are not practical, or for locations that cannot be identified to that level of precision for various reasons, then the current system of 10-minute blocks of latitude and longitude would be used. The use of GPS to provide precise location information would be strongly encouraged.
This recommendation applies to data collected in both the United States and Canada, in order to ensure consistency between the two countries. When these recommendations are implemented, both bird banding offices should work together to develop these consistent standards of precision for location data. Similar levels of precision may not be possible for banding data from other countries, for which the current policies remain appropriate.
Implementation of this recommendation requires the following actions by the BBL prior to collecting the more precise location data:
· The staff should identify the types of banding operations for which recording data to the nearest minute of latitude and longitude would not be practical.
· Develop specific guidelines for providing data obtained through GPS to the BBL. Since precision levels vary between GPS units, the precision of the unit used to obtain the location data should be provided to the BBL.
Implementation of these precision standards. Implementation of the new precision standards will require coordinated efforts of all members of the BBL involved with the collection and verification of location data, and developing and maintaining the database. Input from the bird banding community is essential to obtain compliance with requests for additional information. The task force was informed that the current level of information provided to the BBL is generally insufficient to obtain the recommended level of precision for location data. Hence, the task force recommends:
· The BBL should develop and enforce the necessary procedures to ensure that adequate mapping or GPS information is provided by the banders in order to obtain the desired level of precision for location data.
Unless this type of information is routinely provided to the BBL, efforts to obtain more precise location data will not be successful. In addition to the development of these procedures, the BBL should also determine the most appropriate approach for implementing the new location precision recommendations, both with respect to new banding locations and for existing sites. Hence, the task force also recommends that:
· The BBL provide the necessary resources, both in terms of manpower and equipment, to obtain the more precise location data.
The task force also recognizes that the technology available for generating more precise location data is changing very rapidly. GPS technology will most likely become much more widely available within the next few years. The Internet may also prove to be a valuable resource for precise location information for the banders, as well as a means for the banders to provide these data to the BBL. The BBL should keep abreast of changes in both technologies, and be willing to modify existing procedures to better utilize new sources of information or data submission as they become available.
Database considerations. The task force recognizes that improving the precision of BBL location data can be accomplished through modifications to the existing database system, or in a relational database. Another task force is developing recommendations concerning the future data management systems for the BBL, and their recommendations should be followed as applicable to the management of location data. The following recommendations apply to BBL location data regardless of the database system developed to support the BBL activities:
· The field for location data should be expanded to be able to include the precision of data provided through the use of GPS.
· An additional field will be needed to identify how the location data were obtained.
· An additional field may be needed to identify the accuracy of the location data. For data provided by GPS, this field would identify the accuracy of the GPS unit used to obtain the coordinates. For data obtained by other sources, categorical measures of accuracy may have to be developed by the BBL.
· The more precise location data will have to be distinguished from older data, either in one of the fields mentioned above, in a separate field, or within the field providing the coordinate data. If a new relational database system is developed for the BBL, then it may be possible to provide the more precise location data for all banding records from a site.
Input from the BBL staff is essential in the development of these data fields.
The use of UTM coordinates was discussed by the task force. Since latitude/longitude is the only coordinate system used by some of the computerized mapping programs and is familiar to most banders, it is still the recommended coordinate system for BBL location data. While the development of a conversion program from latitude/longitude to UTM and vice versa would have some applications within the BBL, the creation of this program should not be a high priority at this time.
Considerations for recovery data. For recovery information provided by banders, they should be encouraged to provide the same level of precision for location data as for their banding sites. Whenever a map or other more precise information is provided for a recovery, the same level of precision should be entered as is recommended for the banding/recapture data. Hence, the database recommendations cited above will also apply to the recovery database.
The vast majority of recovery data will be provided by the general public rather than bird banders, and similar levels of precision may not be possible for data provided by the public. However, with the advent of the toll-free number for reporting recoveries, the task force recognizes that it might be possible to improve the precision of the location data over the system that is currently in use. Hence, the task force recommends:
· During a summer season when the rate of incoming calls is relatively slow, the BBL should undertake a study to determine the feasibility of obtaining more precise location data from the general public. The existing operators should be given access to computer mapping programs, and through the use of these programs, try to determine more precise location data during their conversations with the public reporting bands.
The BBL should use the results of this study to determine if the improvements in precision of location data can be justified by the expenses required to obtain this information. The results of this study would then form the basis of any future recommendations about improving the precision of recovery location data.
Problems were also identified with the look-up system used to define the locations of fairly large geographic areas, such as some national wildlife refuges. A single refuge may be located within two or more 10-minute blocks, yet all recoveries from that refuge are assigned to a single block. Hence, the location data may not accurately reflect the 10-minute block where the bird was actually recovered. Other imprecision in recovery data may occur as a result of the use of metric distance measures in Canada, and the need to convert these measurements into miles for use in the BBL gazetteers. As a result of these problems, the task force recommends:
· The addition of a field to the recovery location database that identifies the precision of the recovery information. The BBL will need to develop the categorical measures of accuracy to be used in this data field, based on their knowledge of existing problems with the recovery location data.
· The suitability of these categorical measures should be tested during the summer season when the rate of incoming calls is relatively slow, to better understand the limitations of these measures and the ability of the operators to obtain the necessary information from the public.
The final system should reflect the need to collect as precise location information as possible, given the limitations of having to obtain this information from the general public as efficiently and cost effectively as possible.
Considerations for "sensitive" species. As more precise location data are collected by the BBL, these data could potentially be used to the detriment of an individual species. For example, data on the locations of nesting hawks could be used by falconers to obtain birds for falconry. Hence, the benefits associated with the collection of more precise location data should be tempered by the conservation issues associated with selected species. These considerations are complicated by the fact that the laws regulating data release by governmental agencies are different in the U.S. and Canada. In the U.S., BBL data appear to be in the public domain and most, if not all, location information available in their databases and files may have to be provided upon request. The laws in Canada are more restrictive, allowing the Canadian bird banding office to suppress certain types of information.
The data release policy for the BBL is the subject of another task force whose recommendations are not available at this time. However, the development of policies with regards to "sensitive" species should reflect their recommendations when they become available. If the data release task force determines that the BBL cannot legally suppress precise location data under certain circumstances, then we recommend:
· The BBL develop a list of "sensitive" species for which only relatively imprecise location data will be provided to the BBL and maintained in its databases. These data would only be reported to the closest degree of latitude and longitude to the BBL, even though the individual bander may keep the more precise location data within their personal databases.
This list should be relatively short, composed of only those species for which conservation issues related to the release of very precise location data have already been identified. The guidelines developed for reporting location data for these species should be developed in cooperation with the individuals banding them, so their concerns over the release of sensitive location data can be taken into consideration.
Several other legal issues related to the release of location data for "sensitive" species may have to be explored by the BBL and the Department's Solicitors office if the BBL cannot legally suppress very precise location data. These issues are:
· Can the existing location data for these species be modified to provide the less precise information that will be collected in the future?
· Since the bands are provided free of charge by the government and the bander is operating under a government-issued permit, do the requirements of the Freedom of Information Act apply to location data maintained by the individual bander? If the answer is yes, then the BBL should consider developing the necessary guidelines to eliminate the requirement of banders of these sensitive species to comply with this act.
This task force supports the concept of freely disseminating banding data, so defining species as "sensitive" should be done only when conservation issues have been clearly identified. If the data release task force determines that the BBL can legally suppress the release of very precise location data under certain circumstances, then the above recommendations will not be necessary.