Pasture and Allotment Boundaries Data Standard
UNITED STATES DEPARTMENT OF THE INTERIOR
BUREAU OF LAND MANAGEMENT
WASHINGTON, D.C. 20240
March 10, 2010
In Reply Refer To:
4100 (220) P
EMS TRANSMISSION 03/12/2010
Instruction Memorandum No. 2010-076
Expires: 09/30/2011
To: All Field Officials
From: Assistant Director, Renewable Resources and Planning
Subject: Pasture and Allotment Boundaries Data Standard DD: 04/30/2010
Program Area: Rangeland Management.
Purpose: This Instruction Memorandum (IM) transmits the Bureau of Land Management’s (BLM) data standards for mapping and recording grazing allotment and pasture boundaries and requests the resulting electronic data from all state offices.
Policy/Action: The data standards for developing and maintaining livestock grazing allotment and pasture boundaries in electronic format are found in Attachments 1 and 2 of this IM. All offices must use these standards when developing, amending, or maintaining electronic allotment and pasture boundary datasets.
After converting the data to the new standard, the states will provide an electronic copy of the data to the National Operations Center (NOC) for inclusion in the National Data Set using the physical design described in Attachment 2. This compilation will provide the basis for the new national data layer to be maintained via an automatic update process that has been completed and documented at the NOC.
Timeframe: The Grazing Pasture and Allotment Boundary Data Standard is effective immediately. The state offices must provide their data to the National Operations Center for inclusion in the National Data Layer compilation no later than April 30, 2010. The data must be submitted to Keith Francis at the NOC.
Budget Impact: None.
Background: Beginning in 2001, the BLM allocated range program funds to each of the states to digitize allotment boundaries and directed that these be submitted to National Science and Technology Center (NSTC) for a national-level spatial database. The intent was to reduce the number of data calls and to have publicly and internally accessible BLM-wide maps of grazing allotments. Development of the Rangeland Administration System (RAS) was occurring at the same time, and the BLM recognized that a link between RAS and a spatial display of allotment maps could further reduce data calls to field offices and make public information available to the public.
In 2003 and 2004, two Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) requests were submitted to the Washington Office requesting, among other things, maps of allotments. At that time, not all states had provided the allotment maps to NSTC. Consequently, in response to the FOIA request, Washington Office asked each state to provide an electronic copy of allotment maps. The maps received had been developed without a consistent set of data standards, so some inconsistencies were identified during the response to the FOIA requests. A team with representatives from field offices, state offices, the Washington Office, and the National Operations Center (NOC) was tasked with developing a set of standards and a national allotment map using the information that the states provided in response to the FOIA requests. These standards are now being presented to all field offices and must be used to develop, maintain, or amend electronic datasets of allotment and pasture boundaries.
Manual/Handbook Sections Affected: None.
Coordination: Development of these standards was coordinated with WO-220, WO-210, Range Leads (Bill Coulloudon, Dianna Brink, David Sjaastad, Floyd Thompson, William Dragt, Roger Cumpian, Robert Hopper, Larry Lichthardt, Randy Beckstrand, Jim Cagney), State Data Administrators, and GIS coordinators.
Contacts: Bob Bewley, Geo-Sciences Team Leader, (WO-210) at 202-452-912-7213; Bob Bolton, BLM Business Data Steward, (WO 220) at 202-912-7204; Leon Pack, RAS User Representative, NOC (OC-570) at 303-236-0156; or Philip Cooley RAS User Representative, NOC (OC-570) at 303-236-3693; Tom Chatfield, Spatial Data Architect, (OC-120) at 303-236-1936; or Keith Francis, GIS Specialist, (OC-534) at 303-236-0113.
Signed by: Authenticated by:
Edwin L. Roberson Robert M. Williams
Assistant Director Division of IRM Governance,WO-560
Renewable Resources and Planning
2 Attachments
1 – Pasture and Allotment Boundaries Data Standard Report (18 pp)