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Computer mapping makes DNR biologists' jobs easier(Charleston Gazette, The (WV) (KRT) Via Thomson Dialog NewsEdge) Jan. 22--ELKINS -- The work Mike Dougherty does isn't flashy. Clicking a computer mouse doesn't exactly require the panache of, say, flying a fighter jet. But without Dougherty, biologists for the state Division of Natural Resources would have a much more difficult time managing West Virginia's fish and wildlife. As the agency's Geographic Information System specialist, Dougherty is helping biologists to know with pinpoint precision where on the Mountain State landscape problems have cropped up and where solutions are needed. "In years past, biologists made management decisions based on a bunch of pins stuck in a topographic map," said Dougherty, a geographer currently studying for his doctorate. "Now, using computers, we can overlay maps with all sorts of information and get a much better picture of what's going on." As an example, Dougherty cited the DNR's ongoing study of chronic wasting disease in Hampshire County's deer herd. "If that had happened 20 years ago, the teams that went out and shot deer to sample for CWD would have plotted each animal's location on a grid drawn over a county highway map," Dougherty said. "That system required a certain amount of guesswork as to the animals' location. "Now the teams carry Global Positioning System receivers, which record the location of each animal with less-than-a-meter accuracy. We store those locations in a database make computer-generated maps with them. On those maps, we can overlay information we already have -- such as habitat, land use, roads, rivers and ridges." Armed with Dougherty's GIS data, DNR biologists have been able to learn exactly where each of the five CWD-positive deer were killed, and hope to make educated guesses as to how the disease might have spread to those locations. "For example, if all those deer had been found in a particular river bottom, biologists might be able to determine that the disease was carried into the state by deer following that river," Dougherty said. Use of the GIS system dates back to the late 1980s and early 1990s, when most maps were being converted from their traditional paper-and-ink format to a computer-based digital format. "Scientists found out they could take those digital maps and, for instance, lay satellite images of the terrain right over them," Dougherty said. "Suddenly, what was happening 'on the ground' became very clear." Armed with GIS data, DNR biologists will be able to determine whether CWD-infected deer are being found in the woods or in farmers' fields. They can tell whether infected animals inhabit ridges or valleys, or if they stick close to major water sources. "It's a little bit of science and a whole lot of art," Dougherty said. Other recent GIS projects include mapping of the state's wildlife management areas and catch-and-release trout streams, as well as a stream morphology study of the upper Shavers Fork watershed. Some people might find computer-based work to be boring, but Dougherty said he's having a good time. "It's a lot of fun," he said. "I get to work with people who are doing a lot of really cool research, and to help them to make sense of that research. It's very rewarding." |