75th Celebration: 1990 - Fish and Wildlife Information Systems

Have you ever used Idaho Fish and Game's Hunt Planner? Checked out the mapping section? Or entered a wildlife observation? If you have, then you've experienced the power of data in today's high tech world. At Idaho Fish and Game, biologists have collected scientifically-based data to help them manage fish and wildlife for decades. This includes precise surveys and measurements of animals. This data has been recorded on paper forms, index cards, write-in-the-rain booklets and complex multi-page forms. All this information inevitably ended up in file cabinets. It was difficult to retrieve and was seldom used beyond its original local purpose. With the advent of the personal computer in the 1980s, compiling, storing and sharing data took a new trajectory. Today, Idaho Fish and Game Information System (IFWIS) builds department-wide databases and applications that capture data into centralized, state-wide databases for analysis across regional boundaries. The arrival of the Geographical Information System (GIS) in 1992 and acceptance of the Internet and the World Wide Web since 2000 have provided powerful tools for sharing the data and making it available to the public. Simply stated, a GIS is a database system of stored data coupled with a computerized mapping system that allows for the visualization of the spatial location of data and tools to analyze the spatial characteristics of data. In other words, GIS creates a map out of all the data. A convenient data portal where all these data resources can be easily found in one place was deployed in 2010. The Idaho Fish and Wildlife Information System data portal (http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/ifwis) makes it easy for biologists and the public to find what they need. A blog providing technical information is also available, GIS data sets can be searched for and downloaded, and feedback can be sent to IDFG staff who maintains the portal. Take some time to check out and explore the Idaho Fish and Wildlife Information System and see how data management and information technology contributes to the management and use of Idaho's fish and wildlife resources. For more on Idaho's Fish and Wildlife Information System and other 75th Celebration stories, visit http://fishandgame.idaho.gov/75th