Geographic Information System (GIS)
The geographic or spatial component of scientific data is integral to analysis and understanding. The UCBN uses geographic information system (GIS) tools to capture, analyze, and interpret project data. These tools include global positioning system (GPS) devices for capturing point, line, and polygon data, and GIS software for analysing data and producing maps. GIS software assists in generating random, spatially-balanced sampling points, in helping field staff to find those points, in linking data to on-the-ground locations, in complex spatial analyses, and in producing detailed maps and graphics for project reports. In addition to supporting our inventory and monitoring projects, the UCBN helps park staff to develop GIS applications that inform park management decisions. One example of such an application is the compiling of project data, basemaps, and management information into a single, integrated geodatabase. Geodatabases are an excellent tool for resource managers needing to overlay multiple sources of information to compare various management alternatives.
Click here to open an ArcGIS Online map application that allows you to explore the Parks of the Upper Columbia Basin Network and various basemaps that display the regional geography.
The tables below present some examples of UCBN GIS products. Additional GIS files are available from the Natural Resource Information Portal (NRInfo.nps.gov). Toward the bottom of this page, you’ll find links to other online sources of helpful GIS information.
UCBN Map examples
| Network Maps | Date |
|---|---|
| UCBN Network Map (5.9 MB JPG) | 2010 |
| UCBN Landcover (11 MB JPG) | 2010 |
| UCBN Ownership (5.1 MB JPG) | 2010 |
| Air Quality Monitoring Stations (0.1 MB JPG) | 2004 |
| Precipitation (1.1 MB JPG) | 2004 |
| Bailey’s Provinces (3.6 MB JPG) | 2004 |
| Topography (1.2 MB JPG) | 2004 |
| Ecological Reporting Units (0.8 MB JPG) | 2004 |
UCBN Park Boundary shapefiles (zip file downloads)