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NILS
The National Integrated Land System (NILS) project is a phased effort to develop a common data model and toolset for managing land records in a Geographic Information System (GIS) environment. The common data model and toolset will meet the core survey and parcel management business requirements of the Bureau of Land Management and the US Forest Service. The four NILS models include: 1. Survey Management: Survey Management is a set of applications that provides surveyors with the ability to manage survey data collected in the field. It allows for exporting data to a variety of survey equipment and for importing data back into the Survey Management database. GIS, raster, and field data are all integrated within Survey Management for data validation and decision making while in the field. Survey Management will provide field surveyors with tools to research survey data that can be taken into the field. Additional tools will assist in the calculation of field data and observations. A subset of coordinate geometry and layout calculation tools will also be available. Next implementation is scheduled for March 2003. 2. Measurement Management: Measurement Management is a desktop GIS application that allows surveyors to analyze and adjust surveyed data from the field. Measurement Management allows for the combination of measurement data from a variety of sources and reliabilities to create a seamless measurement network. Measurement Management contains a suite of mathematical formulas that allow the transformation of raw survey data into the measurement network. This is referred to as the legal description fabric. The legal description fabric can then be used to create the parcel fabric, which can be used by land managers for decision making. Measurement Management contains tools to input and import data, construct measured features, edit measurement data, adjust and analyze the measurement network, perform least square adjustments, perform coordinate geometry and layout, and create a parcel fabric. Next implementation is scheduled for March 2003. 3. Parcel Management: Parcel Management will be a desktop GIS application that provides tools for land managers to create and manage parcel features and their legal area descriptions. The parcel fabric can be vertically integrated with survey features captured and managed using the Survey and Measurement Management applications. A set of tools for standardizing and facilitating land management workflow processes will be provided with the parcel management suite of tools. 4. GeoCommunicator: GeoCommunicator is an interactive Web-based land information portal, powered by ESRI's Geography Network, that uses the Internet to effectively deliver maps, geographic activities, map and image services, clearinghouses, spatial solutions, reference documents, potential cost sharing partners, and much more to individual user browsers and desktops, allowing data providers, service providers, and users throughout the United States to communicate, access, and share land-based information. Additional information available at "http://www.blm.gov/nils/index.htm" [Summary provided by the Bureau of Land Management]