Division of Conservation Planning
Midwest Region

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and Comprehensive Conservation Planning

Image shows GIS product

The Division of Conservation Planning's GIS Group is the primary source of GIS data and assistance in the Midwest Region. GIS staff are involved in a broad range of projects, with an emphasis on comprehensive conservation planning and land protection planning.

The Division of Conservation Planning GIS staff work closely with the Realty Division and assist biologists at national wildlife refuges, ecological services offices, and fishery resource offices throughout the region who use GIS to understand habitat and wildlife trends.

The Division's GIS group is active in many areas, including:

  • Acquiring, creating and analyzing spatial data needed for comprehensive conservation plans and land protection plans.
  • Disseminating GIS data and software to regional and field offices.
  • Map design and printing at large and small formats.
  • Converting flat data files to digital geospatial files.
  • Analyzing regional GIS.
  • Administering the Region's ESRI Enterprise license.
  • Providing GIS training to Refuge and Regional staff, including ArcGIS 9, Refuge Lands GIS (RLGIS), metadata, and map projections.
  • Aerial photograph acquisition planning and archiving.
  • Orthorectifying aerial photographs.
  • Mosaic and compressing digital aerial photographs using ERDAS Imagine and MrSid.
  • Providing GPS support, including Garmin, Recon and Trimble
  • Habitat modeling
Last updated: August 15, 2008