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August 2, 2006

 

Arkansas State Land Information Board
Minutes August 2, 2006
Meeting held at AGIO offices, Little Rock, AR
9:30am – 12:00pm

 

Board Members Attending
Mr. Bill Bush
Mr. Russell Gibson
Judge David Hudson (via phone)
Dr. Fred Limp (proxy by Brian Culpepper via phone)
Ms. Tracy Moy
Mr. Robert Newell
Ms. Phyllis Poché - Chairman
Mr. Yancey Reynolds – Vice Chairman
Mr. Earl Smith
Ms. Mary Kay Sullivan (via phone)

Board Members Absent
Mr. Bob Stanley

Arkansas Geographic Information Office (AGIO) Staff
Ms. Kimberly Bogart
Mr. Learon Dalby
Mr. Shelby Johnson

Guests
None

Agenda
Meeting called to order by Chairman Poché at 9:15am

Approval of Minutes from April 5th, 2006 meeting.
Motion: Bill Bush motioned approval of the minutes dated 04/05/06.
Second: Earl Smith seconded the motion.  No discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

Welcomed to meeting by Phyllis Poché.

AGIO report from State Geographic Information Coordinator
The second quarter of 2006 calendar year has been filled with many activities and projects surrounding GIS coordination throughout Arkansas.  The growth of GIS adoption, use and the coordinated development of geospatial data for the state have steadily been growing.  This is especially true at the County level.  Detailed reports of the Road Centerline Program and the County Assessor Mapping Program highlight those activities later in this report.

Other significant activities include the rollout and development of an on-line application by the Arkansas Oil & Gas Commission featuring gas well production in the Fayetteville Shale Play.  GeoStor has played a key role in the growth of this play for the energy companies involved.  A number of activities have started of late dealing with Education reform activities most significantly associated with school district boundaries, and the potential realignment of boundaries by the Arkansas General Assembly and or the State Board of Education. 

The Office is playing a coordination role in the following areas:

• The development and evaluation of a major addition to the State Information Technology Planning process that is prepared by all state agencies prior to the upcoming legislative session.  The revision requests substantially more detail about state agency GIS resources, data, software, personnel and projects.  Once compiled this information will be included in a future report to the Board.
• Development of a statewide all hazards mitigation plan for the Arkansas Department of Emergency Management.
• Coordination for the development of a statewide seamless data set representing the electric utility service areas of the state.
• Technical support and assistance to the Arkansas Department of Economic Development for increased utilization of geospatial resources, data and applications.
• Continued coordination and support to the Department of Finance and Administration for the Streamlined Sales and Use Tax program.
• Participation in the Geospatial One-Stop Design Team for future version of the Geospatial One-Stop Portal
• Participation on the National Academy of Science, Mapping Science Sub-Committee for a study on Land Parcels A National Vision.

Finally as a reminder, the State is hosting the National States Geographic Information Council (NSGIC) Annual Conference in Little Rock the first week of October.  We would be especially encouraged to have as many of the State Land Information Board Members attend as possible.

The following five Counties of Phase I parcel point data were recently loaded into GeoStor.  The Phase I data represents a point location for each parcel that includes the parcel attributes in accordance with the state and federal cadastral data standard.

• Ashley
• Chicot
• Columbia
• Lafayette
• Little River

This brings us to a total of 17 Counties that have completed Phase I data which is available on GeoStor.

We now have six more Counties have taken Phase II training which involves mapping a graphical representation of the parcel polygon.  The following counties recently completed this training.

• Lincoln
• Clark
• Chicot
• Columbia
• Franklin
• Sebastian

Lincoln County Phase I point data is scheduled to be loaded shortly

Cross, Stone and Washington Counties Phase II parcel polygon data will be loaded shortly.

The second CAMPcamp is scheduled for September 12th and 13th of 2006 and is once again being held at the Arkansas 4H Camp in Ferndale, AR.  We will have in class training and time on the computers as well.  Since this time around the mappers are in various stages of data production (Phase I and II) the workshop will offer a variety of sessions to accommodate the different phases and skill levels.

As of Yesterday afternoon 35 counties have registered with 20 counties wishing to send more than one attendant.  Registration closes Friday, August 4th.  On Monday, August 7th the AGIO will be contacting those counties that requested additional personnel to attend to inform them if a slot is available.  The costs for attendants this round is $25 for the 1st attendant from a county and $125 for each additional attendant from a county. 

Funding has been allocated from MAGIC, AGIO and ACD to help defray the cost of the workshop.  So far the response has been very positive and we hope for a great 2 day workshop for the CAMPers.

The grant program was broken into two rounds over the course of the last year.  Although they were eligible the counties of Desha, Lawrence and Pope choose not to participate.

Round 1:  13 counties for a total of $306,952.  All are in various stages of development except for Arkansas which was submitted on June 26.  The quality assurance report was issued 8/1/2006. (H:\Projects\VG02001\Sent\MTM_Solutions\060725_CO_AR_QAQC\QA_Report_Arkansas_County.pdf).  Deadline for files is March 1st, 2007.

The processing of the 1-meter project is going smoothly.
21% of the state is in the process of being rectified
21% of the state has been through the aerial triangulation process
19% of the state is in the process of being aerial triangulated
Similar progress is also occurring on the counties participating in the 1 foot buy up option.

AGIO anticipates the delivery of some portions of the state to arrive in September. All deliverables are still scheduled for December 31, 2006. AGIO staff will quality control the product and plan to make it available the first quarter of 2007.

Other news

There will be a NSGIC conference in the 1st week of October hosted in Little Rock.  The AGIO recommends that if Board members wish to go that the session that covered State summaries would be the best one to attend.  Learon will organize day passes to those Board members who wish to attend.

New Business
Legislation on city boundary changes
        There are several issues surrounding City Boundary changes and how they are reported:

1. Police districts are based on land area and population
2. Turn back funds use city boundaries in their calculation
3. The pension review board now requires boundary changes to be filed with SOS
4. Streamline sales and use tax – changes need to be reported to SOS to get the appropriate sales tax applied to the annexed area (can mean loss of revenue)
5. There are a variety of ways to report boundary changes, but only one requires it to be reported to SOS

Currently there is no synchronized flow for reporting changes.  The AGIO, who often work with municipal boundaries, feels that the most efficient flow would be for the city clerk to report changes to the county clerk, who then reports it to the SOS.  The Board needs to decide if they want to pursue this change in reporting procedures as an initiative.  If so the Board will need to work on a strategy to fulfill this intention.

Hudson: We aught to endorse this and incorporate County Judges along with the County Clerks.

Poché: Does the AGIO have a Draft yet?

Dalby: The AGIO could draft up some language and share this with the Association of Counties, Clerks and County Judges; essentially get the balls rolling.

Hudson: We could utilize the attorneys at the Association of Counties to create a Draft which could then be passed to a legislature to be brought up in session.

Bush: We should check with the SOS to see if they are planning to do anything with this issue

Poché: The SOS is swamped right now and would most likely have no problem with someone else picking up the call and going with it.

Motion: Judge Hudson motioned to support/endorse the proposed/potential bill and to promote the working relationships with SOS, Clerks, and Judges; with the AGIO pursuing logistics
Second: Russell Gibson seconded the motion.  No discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

Further discussion ensued on this topic.  The AGIO will report back on this subject at the next meeting of the Board.

State Agencies Board Members
This is the year that the State Agency Board Members will term out.  Bill Bush is willing to serve on the advisory panel.  Tracey Moy is affected by Act 264 which allows a person who serves a partial term to be eligible for 2 more full terms.  She has applied for reappointment and Poché/Board has supported that request.  Earl Smith is also eligible for one more term and he is willing to apply for reappointment and Poché/Board also supports his application.  

This leaves one position open and it was requested of the attendees to the meeting to suggest possible candidates:
Debby Asbury ACD
Scott Bennet Chief Engineer, Planning Dept., AHTD
Ray Scott, DHHS
Larry Walther, Director ADED

Data Loading Approval
The following list of geospatial data sets are recommended to the Arkansas State Land Information Board for loading into GeoStor by the Arkansas Geographic Information Office in accordance with PS-01 GeoStor Data Loading Procedures of the Board.

Data Category: Imagery and Base Maps
ASLIB Priority Category: 2, 4 & 5
Title: Digital Orthoimagery 2006 from Northwest, Arkansas
Publisher: Benton & Washington Counties
Abstract: This digital orthoimagery is one foot data of Benton and Washington
counties collected this winter. The data was collected by Pictometry.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Imagery and Base Maps
ASLIB Priority Category: 1
Title: 2006 Arkansas Digital Ortho Program
Publisher: Arkansas State Land Information Board
Abstract: This digital orthoimagery includes 1 Meter resolution natural color and
color-infrared data covering the State. This data was collected by EarthData.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Imagery and Base Maps
ASLIB Priority Category: 2, 4 & 5
Title: 2006 Arkansas Digital Ortho Program Local Buy Up Option
Publisher: Arkansas State Land Information Board
Abstract: This digital orthoimagery includes 1 Foot resolution natural color data
covering the Miller, Garland, Pulaski, Saline and Sebastian counties. This data was
collected by EarthData.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Environment and Conservation
ASLIB Priority Category: 4 & 5
Title: EcoRegions
Publisher: Environmental Protection Agency
Abstract: Ecoregions denote areas of general similarity in ecosystems and in the
type, quality, and quantity of environmental resources. The data is used to assist
managers of aquatic and terrestrial resources in understanding the regional patterns
of the realistically attainable quality of these resources. The ecoregions were
compiled at a scale of 1:250,000, and depict revisions and subdivisions of earlier
level III ecoregions that were originally compiled at a smaller scale. It is part of a
collaborative project primarily between USEPA Region 6, USEPA-National Health and
Environmental Effects Research Laboratory (Corvallis, Oregon), and the Multi-Agency
Wetland Planning Team (MAWPT), which comprises representatives of six Arkansas
state agencies (Arkansas Natural Heritage Commission, Arkansas Soil and Water
Conservation Commission, Arkansas Game and Fish Commission, Arkansas
Department of Environmental Quality, Arkansas Forestry Commission, and University
of Arkansas Cooperative Extension Service).
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Environment and Conservation
ASLIB Priority Category: 4 & 5
Title: Portfolio Conservation Areas
Publisher: The Nature Conservancy
Abstract: Portfolio Conservation Areas (PCAs) are areas where The Nature
Conservation works toward meeting its conservation goals. The PCAs are divided
into terrestrial, aquatic, and karst areas with specific biodiversity conservation
targets. The data is intended for planning purposes such as developers, highway
planner, city planner, etc to avoid overlap with their projects. It is a "yellow light" to
let planners know to proceed with caution in these areas. The data is also useful for
other conservation organizations, primarily the Arkansas Natural Heritage
Commission.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Environment and Conservation
ASLIB Priority Category: 4 & 5
Title: Nutrient Surplus Areas
Publisher: Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
Abstract: This data represents Nutrient Surplus Areas as defined by the Arkansas
84th General Assembly and modified by the 85th General Assembly. These were
delineated by using the12 digit HUCs as described by the Arkansas Natural
Resources Conservation Service State Office (NRCS) as the South and East borders,
with the state line being the North and West border. These were then classified
using the 8 digit numbers for management purposes. The Arkansas Natural
resources Commission (formerly the Arkansas Soil and Water Conservation
Commission) developed this Title to encourage prudent practices regarding the
application and management of soil Nutrients and Poultry Litter to protect and
enhance the State's surface water quality while allowing for optimum soil fertility and
proper plant growth. The primary goal of this Title is to maintain the benefits
derived from the wise use of Poultry Litter, commercial fertilizers, and other soil
Nutrients while avoiding unwanted effects from excess Nutrient Applications on the
waters within the State. In furtherance of this goal, these Rules provide
requirements applicable to Nutrient Surplus Areas, Nutrient Management Plans, and
Poultry Litter Management Plans. These rules are designed to protect the waters
within the State from adverse effects of excess nutrients while allowing for
maximum soil fertility and proper plant growth.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Facilities and Structures
ASLIB Priority Category: 2, 3
Title: Dams
Publisher: Arkansas Natural Resources Commission
Abstract: Locations of Dams in Arkansas as provided to the Arkansas Natural
Resources Commission by the Army Corp of Engineers. This database represents a
collection of permitted dam locations in Arkansas. Dams within the State of
Arkansas fall under a permit process established under Arkansas Code 15-22-201.
All dams with height of 25 or more feet and containing 50 acre-feet or more of
storage at normal pool must have a valid construction and operation permit from the
Commission, unless they are owned by the United States Government. If smaller
dams pose a threat to life or property, they may also require regulation by the State
based on a petition by downstream landowners and results of a public hearing.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Transportation Networks and Inland Water Resources
ASLIB Priority Category: 1, 2, 4 & 5
Title: Arkansas River, Kerr-McCleland Navigation Chart
Publisher: US Army Corps of Engineers
Abstract:
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Facilities and Structures
ASLIB Priority Category: 2 & 3
Title: State Prisons
Publisher: Arkansas Department of Correction
Abstract: This data represents the location of each prison facility administered by
the Arkansas Department of Correction.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Administrative and Political Boundaries
ASLIB Priority Category: 2 & 3
Title: Disaster Management Regional Boundaries
Publisher: Arkansas Department of Emergency Management
Abstract: The data represents the region by which the state is organized for the
purposes of primary response in each area of the state following a disaster.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Administrative and Political Boundaries
ASLIB Priority Category: 4 & 5
Title: Deer Zones
Publisher: Arkansas Game and Fish Commission
Abstract: The data represent statewide zones established by the Arkansas Game &
Fish Commission for the purpose of regulating the management and harvest of the
deer population of the state.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Administrative and Political Boundaries
ASLIB Priority Category: 1, 2, 4 & 5
Title: Voting Districts
Publisher: Arkansas Secretary of State
Abstract: This data represents the voting districts of the state which are used by the
Secretary of State, County Clerks and County Election Boards for the purpose of
administering general and special elections of the state. This data was collected by
the University of Arkansas, Little Rock GIS Lab.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Data Category: Administrative and Political Boundaries
ASLIB Priority Category: 3
Title: Fire Stations, Police Stations, All Correctional Facilities and Judicial Locations
Publisher: TechniGraphics
Abstract: This data represents the location of fire stations, Police Stations, All
Correctional Facilities and Judicial Locations of the state. This data was collected by
TechniGraphics for federal agencies.
AGIO Recommendation: AGIO recommends this data be loaded.

Gibson: Are Dams part of a Homeland Security issue?

Johnson: Dams >25’ are managed by the ANRC through their Dam Safety Program.  The ARNC does not have any concerns with loading their data into GeoStor and the federal clearinghouse (www.geodata.gov ) have several datasets that contain dam locations.

Discussion ensued

Motion: Bill Bush motioned to accept the list of geospatial data to be loaded as they become available into GeoStor
Second: Yancey Reynolds seconded the motion.  No discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

Advisory Committee

The Advisory committee advocates, guides and attends Board meetings.  The current Chair would like to see an increase in involvement between the Board and their Advisory Committee.  This will take some work as the Committee is currently not actively meeting (defunct).  The Chair would like to have a joint meeting with both them and the Board this fall and to continue to meet with the Committee at least once a year there after.

Several of the current committee members are no longer working in the State of Arkansas (these were identified) Discussion ensued on who could replace these missing members:
User Forum: Jos Bell, CAW
City Government: Jeff Winter, City of Hot Springs
County Government: Elizabeth Bowen, Benton; Trina Jones, Van Buren
Education: EAST
State Agency: Debby Asbury, ACD; Cynthia Ragen, ADEQ
Homeland Security: David Maxwell, Dir. ADEM

It was proposed that a new category be added to the roster – Former LIB members: Bill Bush, Suzanne Wiley…

Other New Business
Imagery for the Nation

The USGS developed a national imagery program in the mid 90’s. In the 2002-2003 time frame – the national digital ortho program was created, multiple agencies participated but this went away largely due to states taking the initiative in development of data; along with the farm services agency. This has led toward the development of a nationally coordinative program IMAGERY FOR THE NATION.
Its goal is to obtain 1’ resolution on 3 yr cycle for high population areas with option to buy up to a higher resolution with 1m elsewhere. But there is a need for states to get behind this program and support its initiation.

This is a positive thing for Arkansas as we do not have a current sustainable funding source to continue updating our imagery.  This program will provide this and pay for it with federal dollars.

This is something to take up at the next board meeting on whether we want to as a state draw up a resolution in support of this program.

Old Business
SLIB Strategic Plan
The Strategic Plan has been put through the NSGIC template and will be brought forward at a future Board meeting for review.

There is FGDC money available to help complete strategic plans and the AGIO is willing to pursue applying for these grants.

Motion: Judge Hudson motioned to assign AGIO the task of applying for said grant
Second: Tracy Moy seconded the motion.  No discussion, the motion passed unanimously.

State GIS job descriptions

The question is once again “how to get the descriptions created for the AGIO to be applied to all the State Agencies”.  DF&A is currently studying all the positions in the State (OPM Survey) so this is out of our hands.  It should happen now as a matter of course in this total reclassification that DF&A is undertaking.

Discussion ensued on the other options available for reclassification of job descriptions.

Other old business
Johnson mentioned that working groups may need to be help to determine data custodians for the various data sets in GeoStor.

Dalby held metadata training (2 classes) with additional classes being offered in NWAR next week.

Next meeting is scheduled for November 1st, 2006 at 9:30am at the AGIO’s office.

Comments from guests
None

Motion:  Earl Smith made a motion to adjourn the meeting.
Second:  Tracy Moy seconded the motion.  No discussion, the motion passed unanimously.
 
Meeting concluded at     11:42am

Minutes prepared by Kimberly Bogart