Forest Development Plan (fdp) Digital Template

Ministry of Forests

Information Management group

MEMORANDUM

File: 285-20/FDP Digital Template (Version 2) Submission Specifications – Review Package

February 21, 2000

To: Regional Managers (MOF)

District Managers (MOF)

Regional Directors (MELP)

Small Business Forest Enterprise Program - Pilot Sites

GIS Technical Group

District FDP and Harvesting Contacts

From: Insha Khan, Manager Forest Planning Solutions

Information Management Group

On Behalf of the Forest Development Plan Template Team

Re: Forest Development Plan Digital Template (Version 2) Submission Specifications – Review Package
Description
This is the second round of reviews for Version 2 of the Forest Development Plan (FDP) Template: voluntary digital submission standards. Initial reviews with MOF, MELP and licensees took place August-October, 1999. All review comments have been incorporated into this set of digital FDP submission specifications, for both spatial and attribute (text/tabular) information. In addition, an FDP Map User Guide, released with Version 1.0, has now been integrated with the digital submission specifications.

Background

In June 1998, the Operational Planning Standardisation Team, a joint Ministry of Forests/ Environment, Lands and Parks and forest industry initiative, released a provincial data standards template (Version 1.0) for forest development plans (FDP’s). This template was designed to improve the preparation, review and comment process for FDP’s. Its release was scheduled for compliance with the Code changes effective October 15, 1998, and those elements required for business purposes as defined in the FDP Supplement referred to in this review package. Version 1.0 consists of MS Word based text/tabular and IGDS representational mapping components. It does not have any relational database functionality or other database rigour for the tabular (attribute) component nor is the mapping component directly applicable to GIS use.

Version 2 consists of digital submission data capture standards for both the tabular and mapping components and an attribute (tabular) data capture/review application for internal Ministry use (Small Business FDP creation and MOF review of FDP submissions from all plan proponents). The FDP application links electronically to the MS Word text/tabular template already available as part of Version 1.0. Version 2 which directly reflects the core content and mapping representation found in Version 1.0 has been created by the FDP template team. This team consists of MOF Forest Practices Branch (FPB), Small Business, Information Management Group (IMG), and Resource Tenures and Engineering Branch (RTEB) staff as well as MOF and MELP operational staff. The contents of FDP Digital Template (Version 2) are now ready for a final review.

Benefits

Use of digital FDP submission standards should provide the following benefits for Districts and licensees:

• 
  increased efficiencies in preparing, submitting, reviewing, amending and updating FDPs,
  
• 
  improved data management,
  
• 
  enhanced ability to merge plans and link strategic plans with FDPs,
  

• 
  posting of FDP’s on the Internet for review and comment.
  

Scope and Purpose of the Review
This package is intended for review and feedback purposes only and the contents are not for operational use or guidance at this time. Feedback is requested to ensure that we have the best basis to fully implement the FDP digital standards and associated application. As for Version 1.0, submission to digital specifications will be purely voluntary for all plan proponents. All reviewers are requested to provide a final review of the Digital Data Specifications and Standards (DDSS) and FDP data description. Please note that the DDSS covers both IGDS and ArcInfo formats: due to the size of the DDSS, reviewers may want to concentrate their review on one of these formats as appropriate.

Intended Audience
The intended audience for this final review is as per the previous review: Ministry of Forests, Ministry of Environment Lands and Parks and industry staff involved with the creation, submission, referral, review and approval of FDP’s, including planning and technical staff and MOF Small Business Forest Enterprise Program staff.

Description and Location of Review Package
The review package consists of a self-extracting executable named FDPDIGITALSPECS.EXE with the following files in order of priority for review:

• 
  FDP Digital Data Specifications and Standards (DDSS): DDSS Revised Jan31 2000.doc;
  
• 
  FDP data model and data descriptions documents: FDPattdef.pdf, FDPentdef.pdf, FDP_ERD2.doc;
  
• 
  FDP MS Access default database: Default.mdb;
  

This package can be located at the following ftp address through the web:

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/ftp/Branches/Information_Systems/external/!publish/Web/FDPTemplate/DigitalSubmissionStandards/

Please note: the related FDP Supplement has already been distributed separately and is available at the following ftp address through the web:
http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/ftp/Branches/Information_Systems/external/!publish/Web/FDPTemplate/

To reference attribute values for core attribute data, the MOF Code List table can be accessed at:

http://www.for.gov.bc.ca/ftp/Branches/Information_Systems/external/!Publish/Web/Contractor_Software/Incosada/MDBs/

Duration of the Review Process
The review period is three weeks from February 21 to March 17, 2000 during which time all comments and input is to be forwarded to the contacts listed below.

Contacts
All comments and suggestions should be sent to Graham Hawkins, IMG, with cc to Sheldon Gagne, FPB, at the following e-mail addresses:
[e-mail]

Ph. 250-356-0721

[e-mail]

Ph 250-356-2081

Technical support for accessing the review package is available from the IMG Support Centre, at:

SMTP:[e-mail]

Technical support for the pilot site FDP application is available from Brad Dillen, Sierra Systems Consultants Inc. at:

[e-mail]

Ph. 250-727-0727

Fax [phone]

Next Steps
This is the second and last round of feedback: input from this review will be collated towards publication of the final specifications March 31, 2000. Adoption of these digital specifications would then be optional for creation and submission of FDP’s, either from Small Business or licensees. Thank you in advance for your time and effort in completing this review.

cc Doug Konkin, Executive Director Operations Division

cc John Ellis, Director Information Management Group

cc Ralph Archibald, Director Forest Practices Branch

cc FDP Template Team