Information Technologies and Ecological Site Descriptions

Abstract

Just as ecological systems are dynamic, so too are the needs for managing ecological site descriptions as part of a business system. The development of information technology (IT) as a discipline has brought increased capability to represent and communicate concepts that exist in the minds of rangeland managers and scientists. IT plays an important role throughout the processes of defi ning, publishing, and marketing ecological site descriptions through the collection, analysis, storage, and mining of fi eld and supporting data. In this paper we examine the current role that IT (including recent Web-based information sources and tools) plays in the development of ecological site descriptions, as well as some of the future challenges and opportunities. Although most land management entities follow a somewhat similar data process, this example is from the USDA Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS), which has historically managed ecological site information for public use.