sue willits forest inventory and analysis program confidentiality of plot coordinates - how do we...

Sue Willits

Forest Inventory and Analysis Program

Confidentiality of plot coordinates -

How do we make it work?

August 1, 2002National FIA Users Group Meeting

Forest Inventory and Analysis

Why does FIA care so much about plot confidentiality??

Protect landowners – the new legislation requires that there is no way to associate individual plot data with a specific property owner. Access to private property is granted voluntarily. So, we want to preserve landowner privacy and reduce the nuisance factor of having strangers on their property.

Protect the integrity of the plots – all visits involve the risk of impacting the elements of the plot (trampling vegetation, etc)

Protect the reputation of FIA for providing unbiased information – plot confidentiality assures that management of the plot area is typical of surrounding lands


Why can’t FIA give out the coordinates, like you used to??

Actually, the exact coordinates on private lands have never been generally available, just fuzzed coordinates. New restrictions were added in 2000.

Exact coordinates on some FS lands used to be publicly available, but they are covered by the same legislation as private lands, and are now protected.


Why did you guys change the rules all of a sudden??

New legislation – H.R.3423, 1999 – amended the Food Securities Act of 1985

This amendment specifically describes:

1) the confidentiality of FIA plots, and

2) the acceptable disclosure of FIA data

The law also prescribes a fine of $10,000 and/or 1 year in prison for unauthorized disclosure


Can I still get the fuzzed coordinates??

Not right now.

We need to develop a policy to implement the new (to us) law and still meets our partner, customer, and client needs.

What about owner groups? Are they still available?

The legislation specifies that there be no way to associate individual plot data with a specific owner. For this reason we may need to aggregate plots from several owners or owner groups in some way. Until this method is developed, we will typically only specify ownership as public or private.

The same policy that is under development should clarify this issue.



I’ll just file a Freedom of Information Request then, and get the coordinates that way.

The enabling legislation specifically exempts FIA data from FOIA requests

( You can’t get statistics on grade and staple length of cotton, either )


So just who can get the coordinates??

That depends…


Internal users (FIA & FIA Agents)

•Exact Coordinates

•Detailed ownership or ownership class

•Data will be provided as needed on a project by project basis.

So just who can get the coordinates?? (part 1)


Who can become an FIA Agent?

Someone who does work that:

•Is assigned by or done in collaborative nature with FIA

•Advances or enhances the FIA mission

•Is consistent and compatible with current and future FIA direction (RWUD, Strategic Plan)

•Delivers products which provide mission solutions now and in the immediate future.

•Is doing a project which requires detailed information


What are the conditions of becoming an FIA Agent for access to coordinates?

•Agent Status can only be granted by the FIA program.

• FIA is a research program, not simply a data provider. We are interested in cooperative research whenever possible.

•The need for the exact data as well as the objectives of the study and the confidentiality measures must be documented in a written agreement.

So just who can get the coordinates?? (part 2)

External Users

Fuzzed Coordinates

Masked Ownership (rule of 3, swapped, stratified)


What do you mean by fuzzed, masked, swapped, and stratified?

Fuzzed – +/- ½ Mile or more

Masked – 3 or more similar owners in the

area of interest

Swapped – switching plot location with similar plots

Stratified – creating an aggregate of data for a defined strata

More on this at the end………………..


Is there any way the general public can get work done with exact coordinates??

Send your layers to FIA: We will perform the intersections and send you the results. This also will involve scheduling constraints, and may involve reimbursement of direct costs of analysis.

Arrange to bring your GIS layers to FIA: We will work with you to perform your intersections on our computers, using the real coordinates. All resulting products must meet the disclosure law. This will be at your cost, and will involve meeting scheduling constraints.

FIA GeoSpatial Service Center: This may be the method into the future. Once fully active, it will provide a centalized location for spatial data requests.


I want to correlate mouse nest occurrence with down woody debris. Can I visit your plots to measure mouse nests?? (Adjunct Inventories)

Almost certainly not. The same concerns that drive the confidentiality issue will probably preclude your visit.

All requests for plot visits must go through your Regional Program Manager.

Forest Inventory and Analysis PNW Research Station

In that case, will you measure the mouse nests for me??

Again, the answer is almost certainly no. We collect a core set of national data elements, and an extended set of regional add-ons.

Getting a new regional add-on adopted is a long, and very expensive process.


YES!! The national FIA grid, the standard plot design, the GPS coordinates, and our QA/QC procedures make FIA data unsurpassed for regional analysis.

Is there an up-side to any of this??

The confidentiality rules described here assure our data to be unbiased.

These rules may seem onerous, but imagine what would happen to our integrity if landowners denied us access to their lands, or we could not guarantee our data to be unbiased…


Who do I talk to if I want to use FIA coordinates??

Regional FIA Program Managers:Chip Scott, NEJohn Kelly, SRSDennis May, NCMichael Wilson, RMRSSue Willits, PNW

FIA Geospatial Service Center:Mike Hoppus

sue willits forest inventory and analysis program confidentiality of plot coordinates - how do we...

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