Speaker
Description
Natural Resources are not organized by political boundaries. Problems arise when attempting to construct a geospatial data base for analysis when rivers run through more than one state. Differences in sampling regimes, attribute criteria, and data access can lead to analysis that does not reflect the best representations of reality. This presentation discusses the data challenges encountered in preparing a Pennsylvania Department of Conservation and Natural Resources (PA DCNR) River Conservation Plan for the Youghiogheny River. The “Yough” flows north, beginning in Maryland, passing through West Virginia, and emptying into the Monongahela River in Pennsylvania. Best Management Practices (BMPs) developed for this plan will be discussed that include: attempting normalization of data across state boundaries, schema development for shared attributes, and navigating different National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) portals to meet project completion.
