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USGS/BRD Biological Informatics Office, Reston, Virginia
Since its inception eleven years ago, GAP has evolved from a way to examine the correlation
between Hawaiian bird species and conservation areas into a national program with projects
completed in 19 states and under way in all the other states with the exception of Alaska.
Working with limited resources and faced with the challenge of transferring a visionary concept
into a functional program, GAP has emerged as an innovative approach for collecting
biodiversity information. Resource managers, land stewards, policy makers, elected officials,
educators, and the general public are the beneficiaries of GAP products–land cover, species
range and stewardship maps, as well as corresponding analytical resources–that provide them
with valuable tools in the pursuit of understanding the status of biodiversity protection across the
nation.
From the beginning, GAP has been clear in purpose and cognizant of the elements needed to
carry out that purpose. The program provides national biodiversity information through a
bottom-up organization that maximizes use of local interests and expertise. Funding projects at
the state level ensures local control and “ownership” and draws upon the scientific expertise and
other resources needed to make an efficient and successful state project.
More recently, regional approaches have created new efficiencies in the science and
methodologies of GAP. Just as the focus of GAP is dynamic, with technologies and approaches
that are constantly in flux, the organizational structure of GAP is adjusting as well in pursuit of
improvement and innovation.
A renewed realization of the value of the program by Congressional and Departmental contacts,
coupled with the increased importance of timely and comprehensive biodiversity data for a wide
variety of GAP data users, have brought about a crucial increase in our fiscal year 2001 budget.
Strong advocacy has provided the program with an opportunity to accelerate the completion of
ongoing projects, expand the aquatic component, and examine how to best proceed with our
ultimate objective of making data and tools widely available on a national scale. Consideration
of these objectives and the desire for an aggressively planned and focused program have
spawned a new organizational approach.
With the understanding that any successful organization must invest in itself, the program has
been restructured. Five distinct components have been identified–operations, research and
development, information technology and data dissemination, program development, and
education and participation. Each component has a coordinator who has developed a working
plan that delineates its purpose and scope. Funding opportunities for specific proposals within
each component were made available in this budget cycle. This approach allows the operations
component to dedicate its energies to the task of completing and updating state projects while
other components can focus on gathering specific expertise and support for increased use of GAP
products. The objectives of the five components follow.
Operations is focused on initiation, administration, and management of state projects; approval
of products delivered by contractors; regionalization and analysis of data; and other supporting
projects. With recent budget increases, the aquatic element of GAP is expanding under this
component. This expansion is crucial to allowing GAP to become a truly comprehensive
biodiversity tool. Development of an aquatic "approach" will present the operations component
with a series of challenges ranging from establishing methodologies to the determination of
scope and priorities.
Research and Development is examining innovations that will help to carry out the main
components of GAP–the characterization of land and water environments, modeling and
predicting species distributions, delineating land stewardship, accuracy assessment techniques,
etc. In addition, research and development is needed to identify and incorporate socioeconomic
issues associated with the status of biodiversity, create new tools for resource managers and
planners, and further build upon the scientific basis needed to support the conservation-through-
information mission of GAP.
Program Developmen iincludes activities such as out-year budget initiatives, building
consensus among GAP cooperators and users, creating new and strengthening old coalitions of
GAP supporters, organizing an outside-of-BRD steering committee, developing a strategy for
gaining Congressional support for GAP, and exploring ways of integrating Gap Analysis with
other USGS activities. Program development activities will include consideration of other
Biological Informatics Office (BIO) programs in order to strengthen all areas of BIO interest and
to allow presentation of more complete information packages to relevant parties.
Information Technology and Data Dissemination will focus on keeping the electronic
infrastructure updated and capable of serving the ever-increasing amount of GAP data.
Specifically, as the quantity of and demand for data increases, attention must be paid to Web site
operations, hardware and software systems upgrade and maintenance, and GAP data and
information dissemination systems and processes.
Education and Participation is aimed at increasing the awareness, value, usability, and
usefulness of GAP data. This includes identifying and serving user needs and requirements,
increasing citizen and student participation, and developing educational programs and products.
Crucial to the success of these plans is active support from program cooperators, GAP data users,
and others associated with the program. Participation of all of those involved in GAP is
necessary to move from plans to practice. Much could be accomplished through the voices and
actions of five hundred cooperators and numerous users by providing us with feedback and
diligent advocacy.
GAP has been identified and embraced as a way to understand the status of our biological
heritage and as a tool for making scientific resource decisions. The time has come to go beyond
the collection and compilation of data to focus more intently on the distribution and usability of
GAP data. It is in access and application that GAP will meet its goal as a premier program for
assessing national biodiversity and supporting wise resource management decisions.
For questions concerning the specific components please contact the following:
Operations:
Kevin Gergely, gergely@uidaho.edu, (208) 885-3565
Research and Development:
Maury Nyquist, maury_nyquist@usgs.gov, (303) 202-4217
Program Development:
John Mosesso, john_mosesso@usgs.gov, (703) 648-4079
Information Technology:
Mike Frame, mike_frame@usgs.gov, (703) 648-4164
Education and Participation:
Lief Horwitz, lief_horwitz@usgs.gov, (703) 648-4099