Training and Workshops: Presentations

Integrating Transportation Planning with Land Use and Conservation Through Decision Support Tools
Patrick J. Crist, PhD
Manager, Conservation Planning Services
NatureServe

Slide 2: A conceptual framework to integrate conservation planning

• Conservation is a land use supporting public values like any other land use
• They key to rectifying conflicts among uses is to reveal where uses must occur and what is the envelope of options where they can occur
• Collaborative land use planning will allow testing of options that identify where the objectives of each use can be met without foreclosing the ability of any one to be met

Slide 3: Graphic

Image: Graphic of an example study area with multiple conservation-related issues. It shows a regional highway corridor and other conditions such as a regional habitat connection, forest of sufficient size for interior bird species, prime agricultural soils, rare plant population, and an infrastructure served economic development area.

Slide 4: Graphic

Planning Phase: The Funnel vs. Collaboration? This graphic shows that the process needs political will and financial commitment from agencies. Transportation, conservation, and land use planning are all integrated public and institutional processes, rather than multiple pieces of data funneling into the head of one transportation planner.

Slide 5: Project Phase: Integration via Decision Support

Land use DSS
Conservation DSS
Project Planner
Efficient integration of results of sector planning, data, expert knowledge
Minimum necessary and targeted expert engagement

Image: Graphic cartoon shows a land use DSS and conservation DSS interacting with each other and with the project planner.

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Slide 6: What is a Decision Support System?

• Helps you do specific activities vs general tools
• Guides you through a process
• Incorporates expert knowledge/models AND user values
• Provides automation and documentation of the process

Image: Picture shows a screen-shot of a GIS project using tools to evaluate scenarios.

Slide 7: Issues from a Tools Perspective

• Tools are developed for particular sectors and their processes, data, assumptions
• Spatial place-based tools have data commonalities that may support process integration
• Using a collection of tools and processes may grease the skids for human collaboration across sectors by revealing connections and lowering the bar for mutual understanding

Slide 8: Some Uses of DSS for Integration Conservation & Transportation

In your view, what would be most helpful towards integrating conservation planning into the transportation planning process?

• Guiding least-conflict routing of transportation (macro scale at planning phase, site scale at project phase)
• Rapid evaluation of multiple route options
• Integrating multiple objectives (e.g., transportation, development, conservation) for long-term plans or short-term projects
  • Predicting and evaluating long-term cumulative effects
  • Revealing areas needed (irreplaceable) for any particular objectives
  • Revealing options for achieving objectives to mitigate conflicts

Slide 9: Example Process of Cumulative Regional Assessment & Planning

Image: Flow chart showing the iterative process of cumulative regional assessment and planning. The cycle includes the following steps: develop regional conservation database; develop conservation "cost" surface to guide road routing; create optional corridors, evaluate, and refine into transportation scenario; mode secondary "growth" effects and integrate into scenario for cumulative assessment (these steps require development of land use and transportation needs and databases); and finalize and establish mitigation.

Slide 10: About the Tools

• Quantm: transportation route optimization tool applied through a service contract
• CommunityViz: land use planning framework tool applied as desktop software
• NatureServe Vista: conservation framework tool applied as desktop software
• None of these tools are required to do this analysis or any can be used in any combination with other tools. NatureServe Vista has no formal relationship or linkage to any of these tools.

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Slide 11: What is Quantm?

• Worlds first advanced planning system for corridor and route optimization developed over 15 years by Australian Government and Quantm.
• Addresses complex route planning issues, investigating millions of alignment options.
• A tool that empowers Planning Engineers with the ability to consider "all reasonable alternatives", upfront and equally.
• Quantm provides training, support and system access - the system is applied by the agency or appointed consultant

Slide 12: Facilitating integration of all planning aspects in a single analysis

Image: Graphic showing the many factors that go into the Quantm program - engineering, cost, community, and environment (NEPA)

Slide 13: Inputs to QUANTM

• Terrain model (DEM and/or DTM)
• Geology and Earthworks costs
• Geometry
• Structure Costs
• Constraints
  • Linear - engineering criteria
  • Zone - environmental, biological, cultural, resource, mitigation, ROW, etc.

Slide 14: 3-Dimensional analysis throughout

Image: 3-Dimensional analysis throughout. Screenshot showing the Quantm integrator feature.

Slide 15: Alternative showing earthworks and constraints

Image: Alternative showing earthworks and constraints. Screenshot showing Quantm program and land clearing zones.

Slide 16: About CommunityViz®

• GIS-based tool for geographic decisions
• Real-world 3D models
• Interactive scenario analysis
• Intuitive, powerful, and flexible
• Made available to the public at very low cost by the Orton Family Foundation

Image: CommunityViz screenshot showing the following program capabilities: Uses ArcGIS technology; formula-driven indicator charts update dynamically; ready-made or custom analyses; interactive 3D models; dashboard for changing assumptions and settings; and multiple scenarios can be studied side by side.

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Slide 17: CommunityViz Growth Modeling

Hypothetical "build-out" capacity for each scenario: Road Proposal 11 shown here. Note that "Avoidance" areas are constrained from building.
Land Use Scenario A: Large-lot residential development
Land Use Scenario B: Commercial and mixed-use zones

Image: CommunityViz screenshots show differences between the two scenarios.

Slide 18: CommunityViz Growth Modeling

Results are available for all 4 scenarios.
Potential changes to policies and assumptions can still be tested and explored.

Image: CommunityViz screenshots show examples of different road proposal scenarios.

Slide 19: CommunityViz Growth Modeling

CommunityViz also estimates a wide variety of economic, environmental, and social impacts for each of the 4 scenarios:
Just a sample of the many impacts available, all variable by year and other assumptions, are shown here.

Image: CommunityViz screenshot shows example charts with analysis of various impacts.

Slide 20: NatureServe Vista

A framework tool for cumulative assessment and conservation planning

Images:
Photo 1: Landscape with leafless trees and green hills
Photo 2: Profile of small yellow-bellied bird on branch
Photo 3: Turtle under clear water
Graphic 1: Screenshot of Vista application
Graphic 2: Screenshot of map generated by Vista

Slide 21: About Vista

• Custom GIS application based as an extension of ESRI's ArcMap 9 with spatial analyst
• Licensed software with full integrated help manual, live technical support, available training
• Supports both conservation experts & planners/managers
• Incorporates expert knowledge/models AND user values
• Commercial grade design and engineering
• Provides automation, documentation, & repeatability of the process

Image: Vista screenshot

Slide 22: Basic Vista Extension Components

Image: Flow chart shows components of user decision process using Vista extension. It links 1)Data (Spatial Extent; Spatial Attributes; Non-spatial data; expert knowledge; social values); 2) Technology Platform (ERSI ArcMap 9.0; MS Access; Windows. NET); 3) User (Planners, Managers, GIS Analysts, Ecologists, NGOS) 4) Custom Interface (Desktop and Web) 5) Analytical Models; 6) Framework (Data handling, metadata, project tracking, etc; 7) Output (Visualization and Reporting)

Slide 23: Vista Status & Support

Software versions

• Released Version 1.0 on March 1, 2005
• Version 1.3 released Mar 1 2006, 2.0 under development with possible release Mar 1 2007
• Development Sponsors: ~$3.4M versions 1-2.0

Images:
Logo 1: Doris Duke Charitable Foundation
Logo 2: NASA
Logo 3: Surdna Foundation
Logo 4: Environmental Defense

Slide 24: Applications So Far

• 20+ permanent licenses
• 100+ trial downloads
• 10+ direct NatureServe projects spanning:
  • Industry, government, NGOs
  • 30 k acres-12M acres
  • Forestry, Conservation, Land Use Planning, Public Land Management
• Pikes Peak COG has adopted Vista

Image: Pie chart with the following segments: University 25%; Unknown 18%; Land Trust 13%; Environmental Consultant 10%; Federal Agency 8%; Environmental NGO 7%; Other 7%; County Government 4%; Heritage Programs 4%; Industry 4%

Slide 25: Some Jargon

• Conservation Elements: the features you wish to conserve representing biodiversity & other conservation values
• Element viability/integrity requirements: representing the site or population needs for proper condition and minimum size
• Element conservation goals: representing the requirements for metapopulation persistence or ecosystem functioning in the planning region
• Compatibility: representing analysis of current or alternative futures to meet element requirements while maximizing options to meet other land use objectives
• Scenario: any mapped features representing land use or management practices, infrastructure, natural or human-caused disturbance, invasive species, pests, disease, etc.

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Slide 26: Core Conservation Concepts

Conservation planning and implementation need to happen at multiple scales to account for such things as

• wide ranging species
• natural disturbance regimes
• patchily distributed species, and
• ecosystem processes and succession.

Slide 27: But Scales Must Be Linked!

How to get from here… to here
And from site decisions to roll-up of progress toward regional goals

Image: Figure shows arrows connecting two maps: 1) showing the Southern Atlantic Region; 2) showing a blow up of a site within the Southern Atlantic region.

Slide 28: Core Conservation Concepts

Conservation planning must be dynamic to account for:

• Changing threats and opportunities
• Improved knowledge about biodiversity and response to threats
• Changing policies and economics
• New discoveries, surveys, mapping, etc

Slide 29: Conservation Planning Vision vs Process?

Image:
Graphic 1: A map of a region's "Biodiversity Priorities"
Graphic 2: A map of a regions "Conservation Value" ranking (low, medium, or high)

Slide 30: Vista Supported Process

Image: The flowchart shows a six stage cycle linking 1) Institutional Process (Identify values to be conserved) 2) Expert Knowledge (Identify/develop data and incorporate knowledge) 3) Database Construction (GIS, Data Entry, Documentation); 4) Analyses (Identify gaps, conflicts and priority areas); 5) Implementation (Develop compatible land use scenario) 6) Monitor Goals (Reprioritize according to goal achievement)

Slide 31: Three Analytical Approaches

Image:

1. Define High Value Areas (less data requirements, complexity, integration)
      a. Select important values
      b. Overlay maps of elements
      c. Identify general places to conserve or avoid development
2. Reduce Conflict (more data requirements, complexity, integration)
      a. Import baseline and evaluate scenarios
      b. Identify conflicts and opportunities
   c. Reduce conflict/generate mitigation plans

3. Create Solutions (most data requirements, complexity, integration)
      a. Select elements, set conservation goals and design rules
      b. Integrate data on threats and cost
      c. Generate optimal solutions for meeting goals

Slide 32: How Vista Works

Flowchart showing from left to right "Data and Expert Knowledge Inputs" leading to "Intermediate Processes and Products" which lead to "Outputs".

Data and Expert Knowledge Inputs include:

1. Element Distribution and Confidence Data
2. Current Land use, infrastructure, pollution, etc.
3. Alternative Land Use/Activity Scenario
4. Element Conservation Goals
5. Element Response to Land Use/Activity

Intermediate Processes and Products include:

1. Joining and rasterizing inputs to create and element conservation layer
2. Aggregation and Weighting the Element Conservation Layer
3. Creating a Landscape Integrity Index
4. Scenario Evaluation
5. Scenario Optimization
6. Scenario Modification

Outputs include:

1. Aggregated Conservation Value
2. Conflict Intensity Indices
3. Evaluation Report
4. Site Land Use/Management Specification

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Slide 33: Core Conservation Concepts

Selecting the elements for conservation attention should reflect:

• Laws: what must be protected
• Values: what does the community, stakeholders, decision makers want to protect
• Scientific concepts such as coarse and fine filter assessment, ecosystem function, etc.

Slide 34: Conservation Elements Representing Composition, Structure, and Function of Regional Landscapes

Fine Filter Elements - Focus of land trust acquisition and easements

• Species
  • Imperiled, Declining, Vulnerable, Endemic
  • Management Indicator Species
• Ecological Communities
  • Rare plant communities
  • Rare aquatic communities
  • Unique environments

Coarse Filter Elements - Focus of land trust collaboration w/government & industry

• Ecosystems
• Groups of communities interconnected on land and waterscapes;
• Natural pattern and process at local scales useful for management and monitoring

Already identified priority areas

• Non-Biological Elements
  • Scenic views
  • Archaeological & cultural sites
  • Valuable agriculture soils
  • Natural hazard zones

Images:
Photo 1: Coiled snake
Photo 2: Yellow flower
Photo 3: Grassy shoreline
Photo 4: Tree trunks in a forest

Slide 35: Where Does the Data Come From?

Spatial distribution maps of each element come from:

• Heritage data
• land cover maps
• modeled distributions
• museum collections
• local information sources

Each element occurrence has:

• A viability/integrity score
• A confidence score

Images:
Graphic 1: Map of Ecological Systems
Graphic 2: Map of Species and community occurrences
Graphic 3: Modeled distributions

Slide 36: Modeling Condition

Landscape Integrity Indices

• Combines land use, roads, infrastructure, pollution, etc.
• Model weights effects, adds distance effect
• Can be element-specific

Image: Map of Greater Yellowstone Area showing grades of landscape integrity

Slide 37: Defining Goal Achievement

Version 1:

• Adequate number of element occurrences or area in project region (metapopulation viability, ecosystem processes)
• Adequate size of occurrences (population potential, ecological functioning)
• Occurring in areas of compatible land use supported by reliable policies

Version 2:

• Same as version 1 plus:
• Adequate "condition" of occurrences (habitat quality)

Can set minimum and preferred goals to express levels of risk of loss

Slide 38: Core Conservation Concepts

Elements have individual conservation requirements and responses to development, management, disturbance, disease, etc. The process of evaluating current condition, threats from anticipated future uses and disturbances, and options for achieving conservation should be sensitive to these individual element needs and sensitivities.

Slide 39: Scenario Integration

• Scenarios describe land-use policy of the planning area.
• Vista automates input from raw data sources
• Facilitates maintaining current baseline map and experimentation with alternatives

Image:
Series of small maps connected by arrows to a Vista screenshot.
Inputs (arrows pointing to screenshot):

1. Map of Conservation Lands
2. Map of SWAP/CWCS
3. Map of Infrastructure
4. Map of Land Use and Management Policies

Scenario Outputs (arrows pointing from screenshot):

1. Map of Land-use Types
2. Map of Policy Type

Slide 40: Scenario Evaluation

What components can be in a scenario?

• Current, proposed, predicted land use
• Current and planning land management
• Current and predicted spread of invasive species, disease, pests
• Predicted disturbance (wildfire, windthrow)
• Mitigation/restoration practices
• Policies, regulations, and funding mechanisms

Slide 41: Scenario Evaluation

Image:
Graphic showing connections between elements of scenario evaluation. Components have arrows pointing to and from a central component "GIS Intersect and Table Lookup".
Inputs: Elements (image of map); Scenario Outputs (image of two maps - land-use type and policy type)
Inputs/Outputs: Element Conservation Goals (Vista screenshot); Element Response to Land Use/Activity
Output: Evaluation Report (screenshot)

Slide 42: Creating Solutions

• Mitigate conflicts using Site Explorer until all goals are achieved using information about element distribution and compatibilities
• Generate an optimal solution with MARXAN then bring back in to Vista for more precise evaluation and assignment of land use and implementation mechanism

Slide 43: Modeling Condition

Landscape Integrity Indices

• Combines land use, roads, infrastructure, pollution, etc.
• Model weights effects, adds distance effect
• Can be element-specific

Image: Map of Greater Yellowstone Area - Landscape Integrity

Slide 44: Vista in a DSS Toolkit Transportation Example

Image:
There are six components of this chart. Other Sector Tools are on the left. Tools for Conservation Experts are on the right. Vista is in the center. Each component has arrows pointing to and from Vista.
Other Sector Tools include: Transportation Planning (Quantm/Planned tool addition); Land Use Planning (CommunityViz/Future planned tool interoperability)
Tools for Conservation Experts: Conservation Optimization Tools (MARXAN, SPOT / Current tool suite); Vista (Framework Tool/Current Tool Suite)
Ecological Process Tools (Connectivity, restoration modeling/Planned tool addition); Biodiversity Tools (Element Distribution Modeling Tools/Future planned tool interoperability)

Slide 45: Tool Interoperability Model

Diagram indicates interactions among Vista, Quantm, and CommunityViz. Bold lined boxes and arrows indicate primary path of information to be demonstrated.

Image:
The diagram depicts 9 components connected by arrows using 4 different applications (Vista, Quantm, New Tool, CViz):

1. Element Distribution (New Tool) - points to 3
2. Element Condition Model (New Tool) points to 3
3. Element Conservation Layer (Vista) points to 4
4. Conservation Value Summary (Vista) points to 5 and 6
5. Road Corridor Generation (Quantm) points to 8
6. Site Explorer (Vista) points to 7 and 8
7. Secondary Land Use and other indicators (CViz) points to 8
8. Scenario Import (Vista) points to 7 and 9
9. Scenario Evaluation (Vista) points to 6

Slide 46: Demonstration

Live Vista w/existing inputs from Quantm & CommunityViz

Slide 47: Closing the Loop

• Vista-generated mitigation scenario should be reevaluated in CommunityViz for impacts on socioeconomic objectives
• Continued fine-tuning iterations between Vista and CommunityViz could help reach an acceptable solution to maximizing achievement of multiple objectives

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Slide 48: Conclusions & Recommendations

• Goals are more appropriately set and are more flexibly met over large regions
• Optimization of conservation solutions saves time and facilitates focus on implementation but must be done iteratively with transportation and land use tools
• Getting started:
  • Can start basic and build detail over time
  • Include the institutions that have the data and expertise needed

Slide 49: FL Demo Level of Effort

Slide 50: Planned Features for Vista 2.0

• Multiple uses per land unit (for compatibility/conflict mapping)
• User-defined element response to land use
• Assisted import from heritage Biotics system
• Tools for modeling landscape condition
• Calculating sub-region goals
  • Aquatic analysis support?
  • N-SPECT integration under evaluation

Image:
Photo - Man in swimsuit floating on pool chair with drink in cup holder going through whitewater rapids

Slide 51: Getting Started

• Start analysis early enough to make a difference
• Appropriate definition of the regional context
• Public process for establishing values
• Investigation of existing studies, plans, priorities for conservation
• Discipline experts required
  • Ecological scientists
  • Conservation planners
  • GIS specialists

Slide 52: EBM Tools Program

• Identify available tools that may be useful for performing ecosystem-based management.
• Characterize the tools in a knowledge base
• Prioritize the tools for further description and investigation for investment
• Develop and coordinate a network of tool providers and practitioners
• Conduct outreach and training

Image:
Venn diagram showing intersection of Tools, Science and Projects

Slide 53: Acknowledgments, resources, & Questions

• FHWA
• Quantm
• Placeways/Orton Family Foundation (CommunityViz) Resources
• Funding to support pilot implementation of Vista on CWCS implementation
• Other poss cost-share programs

Image:
Excerpt from "The Onion". Headline reads - DOT: Dangerous Intersection Causing Some Pretty Cool Accidents

Slide 54: Screenshots in lieu of Demo

Slide 55: Vista: element data integration

Example: Red Cockaded Woodpacker
-A Federal Endangered Species with required protection
-Distribution based on potential habitat
-Ground surveys required to verify
-Development restrictions and/or HCP may be required

Blue occurrences meet adequate size requirements, red areas are below minimum size but still may provide habitat.

Image:
Vista screenshot - map depicting blue and red areas

Slide 56: Depicting Conservation Values

Vista conservation value summary. Overlays and combines attributes of conservation elements to provide relative value scores.

Image: Vista screenshot - map depicting relative conservation values

Slide 57: Integrating Transportation Planning

Categorized Vista output used as input to Quantm road routing optimization software (black lines indicate 50 optional alignments and purple indicates best performing option).

Image:
Vista screenshot - map depicting 50 optional road alignments

Slide 58: Integrating Land Use Planning

Image:
Vista screenshot - 2 maps 1) showing current land use; 2) showing results of growth model

CommunityViz growth model on right Current land use map indicating mostly green space Growth model map indicating substantial new urbanization

Slide 59: Evaluating Transportation Impacts

Road corridor imported and evaluated in Vista. Compatibility conflict map for current land use with new proposed road. Pink-red colors represent and index of number of conservation elements in conflict with the land use/infrastructure preventing goal achievement.

Slide 60: Evaluating Transportation Impacts

All tools provide reports. Example Vista report on quantitative goal achievement for conservation objectives.

Image:
Vista screenshot - Table reporting on quantitative goal achievement for various ecosystems and species.

Slide 61: Evaluating Cumulative Impacts

Imported & evaluated CommunityViz urban growth model and Quantm road into Vista to evaluate cumulative impacts. Pink-red colors represent and index of number of conservation elements in conflict with the land use/infrastructure.

Image:
Vista screenshot - map depicting conservation elements in conflict with land use/infrastructure

Slide 62: Developing Mitigation Scenarios

CommunityViz growth model on right & Vista mitigation scenario Current land use map indicating mostly green space Growth model map indicating substantial new urbanization

Image:
Vista screenshot - 2 maps - 1) Vista mitigation scenario 2) Growth model map

Slide 63: Evaluating Cumulative Impacts

Compatibility conflict map for mitigated scenario. Remaining conflict (red) indicates a management conflict between a shrubland and forest to support an endangered species. Such remaining conflicts must be resolved over larger spatial extents.

Image:
Vista screenshot - Compatibility conflict map for mitigated scenario

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