MONTANA


National Mapping Division State Liaison
Lance Clampitt is the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), National Mapping Division (NMD) Liaison to the State of Montana. The NMD State Liaison coordinates a broad range of USGS cartographic, geographic and research programs and manages USGS mapping activities within the state and region. The State Liaison supports the USGS' mission to increase multi-partner agreements in an effort to eliminate duplication of effort, reduce cost to each partner, and share data collection and maintenance expenses. The NMD Liaisons in all states work to establish and maintain long-term partnerships, and inform and involve partners of changes in programs and products that may affect them and their area of responsibility.

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Intermountain GIS Conference,  April 30 - May 3, 2000 - Boise, ID

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TOPO FINDERPHOTO FINDER
          Provided by the Natural Resource Information System, Montana State Library
STATE OF THE PARK REPORT - YELLOWSTONE
 
 

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NATIONAL MAPPING PROGRAM DATA STANDARDS
 

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Partnerships & Programs in Montana Partnership Mechanisms
As the largest producer of geospatial data products in the Nation the USGS has a commitment to establish standards, coordinate mapping, and produce data. In an effort to leverage funds appropriated for map and data production, the USGS encourages cooperation with a variety of partners where the participants share the cost and/or production work of preparing multipurpose standard geospatial products. The benefits for the USGS are realized in the ability to produce more data covering more areas throughout the Nation. The benefit for the cooperator includes cost savings, data standardization, and data availability. Montana has many organized groups that are working with the USGS to provide data for the state. These include:

Department of the Interior High Priority Mapping Program
Greater Yellowstone Area (GYA): The Bureau's of Land Management, Reclamation, and Indian Affairs, U.S. Fish & Wildlife Service, U.S. Geological Survey, and National Park Service have cooperated in the high-priority program to support data production in the Greater Yellowstone Area. For more information on the GYA see the DOI Greater Yellowstone Science Collaboration Web Page and the Greater Yellowstone National Spatial Data Infrastructure Initiative Web Page.

Blackfoot Challenge and Missouri Basin: The Blackfoot Challenge project located in Lewis and Clark and Missoula counties and the Missouri Basin project located in Choutea, Fergus, and Liberty county have also been funded through DOI’s High Priority Mapping Program. These projects involve the production of Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles and 10-meter Digital Elevation Models. This data will help to improve recreational infrastructure, provide additional recreational opportunities for the public, increase the historic interpretation of the Lewis and Clark Expedition, and enhance riparian communities.

Central Montana Mixed Grass Prairie Program: The Charles M. Russell National Wildlife Refuge contains some of the finest remaining native mixed grass prairie in North America and forms the core of the Mixed Grass Prairie study area. Since the Refuge's establishment in 1936, it has played a key role in protecting the integrity of the mixed grass prairie ecosystem. The production of geospatial data over this study area will lead to a better understanding of prairie ecology and improved management actions. It will also serve as the foundation for integrated planning and collaboration among agencies and the public.

 Community Demonstration Project (Gallatin County): The Community Demonstration Project is being implemented in city, county, and watershed areas around the country. They address the following issues: crime prevention and reduction, watershed and water quality management, disaster preparedness and recovery, and urban growth and land use planning. The initiative is designed to provide incentives for communities to create and make geographic data available for use by citizens, government officials, businesses, and academic institutions to deal with a wide range of near- and long-term issues. By using USGS Digital Orthophoto Quadrangles (DOQs), the county can build visual and spatial geographic information that can be used by the community to manage and plan growth within the county and to educate the community on potential growth problems. By making this information readily available to communities, USGS and local governments in Montana are ensuring the full and rapid implementation of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure in a cost-effective and cooperative manner.

National Hydrography Dataset (NHD):  USGS has signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the Natural Resource Information System (NRIS), Montana State Library that guides cooperative efforts to further the NHD in Montana and the region. The NHD will soon become the most powerful and integrated dataset for managing hydrographic features and related geospatial studies. With the help of NRIS, USGS hopes to explore the processes involved in making this dataset readily available, and easily useful to hydrography users in Montana.

The Abandoned Mine Lands Initiative will provide technical assistance in support of Federal Land Management Agency (FLMA) actions to remediate contamination associated with abandoned hardrock mining activities. This initiative is part of a larger strategy by the U.S. Department of the Interior and the U.S. Department of Agriculture to coordinate activities for the cleanup of federal lands affected by abandoned mine lands. The strategy will employ a watershed approach, in which contaminated sites are identified and remediated based on their effect on the water and ecosystem quality of a targeted watershed. Rocky Mountain Mapping Center’s role focuses on the collection and integration of base cartographic data and scientific information into a Geographical Information System (GIS) that in total will represent a knowledge base for sound decision making. The initiative will be implemented on a pilot scale in two watersheds, the Boulder River basin in southwestern Montana, and the Upper Animas River basin in southwestern Colorado.

Coordinating Organizations in Montana
* Montana Geographic Information Council , Department of Administration
* Montana Natural Resource Information System, Montana State Library, Helena MT
* Montana GIS Technical Working Group
* Montana Local Government GIS Coalition
* Geographic Information and Analysis Center.
* Montana Geographic Alliance

Cooperating Data and Information Clearinghouses
National Geospatial Data (NSDI) Clearinghouse
Montana Natural Resource Information System
Greater Yellowstone Area Data Clearinghouse
Geographic Information & Analysis Center, Montana State University

GIS Conferences: The Intermountain GIS Users' Conference will be held in Boise, Idaho, Spring 2001.

Map of Montana showing county boundaries - Courtesy Montana Local Government GIS Coalition

Additional Information
The National Mapping Program information page has information on USGS programs and products.
For additional information on Montana and National Mapping Division activities in the state, please contact:

Lance S. Clampitt
USGS, National Mapping Division
Box 25046, MS 516
Denver, CO 80225-0046
Phone: (303) 202-4514
Fax: (303) 202-4354
E-mail: lsclampitt@usgs.gov

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