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Title: A conservation ontology and knowledge base to support delivery of technical assistance to agricultural producers in the united states

Author
item CARLSON, JACK - Collaborator
item BUTLER, DAVID - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item DAVID, OLAF - Colorado State University
item ROJAS, KEN - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item Ascough Ii, James
item LEAVESLEY, GEORGE - Colorado State University
item OAKS, WENDELL - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item PRICE, LANE - Natural Resources Conservation Service (NRCS, USDA)
item Ahuja, Lajpat

Submitted to: Environmental Modeling International Conference Proceedings
Publication Type: Proceedings
Publication Acceptance Date: 5/20/2010
Publication Date: 12/15/2010
Citation: Carlson, J.R., Butler, D.B., David, O., Rojas, K.W., Ascough II, J.C., Leavesley, G.H., Oaks, W.R., Price, L.C., Ahuja, L.R. 2010. A conservation ontology and knowledge base to support delivery of technical assistance to agricultural producers in the united states. In: Swayne, D.A., Yang, W., Voinov, A.A., Rizzoli, A., and Filatova, T., editors. Environmental Modeling International Conference Proceedings. International Modeling and Environmental Software Society, Modeling for Environment's Sake, July 5-8, 2010, Ottawa, Canada. p. 1861-1869.

Interpretive Summary: Information systems supporting the delivery of conservation technical assistance by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to agricultural producers on working lands have become increasingly complex over the past two decades. The extent to which USDA information systems interoperate is due to implicit understanding of core concepts across business interests. Domain knowledge has been embedded in policy and technical documents for more than 60 years, and with the advent of computing systems, some knowledge has been transformed into metadata of entity-relationship models and data dictionaries. A USDA-Natural Resources Conservarion Service (NRCS) core conservation ontology and knowledge base (NRCS-COKB) has been developed to work towards resolving these limitations. The NRCS-COKB establishes core domain classes and their relationships for area of interest, assessment unit, management unit, response unit, management effect, conservation practice, management system, land use, land cover, management period, and management operation. It will provide the foundation for a conservation delivery streamlining initiative.

Technical Abstract: Information systems supporting the delivery of conservation technical assistance by the United States Department of Agriculture (USDA) to agricultural producers on working lands have become increasingly complex over the past 25 years. They are constrained by inconsistent coordination of domain knowledge across databases, business applications, science models, and other repositories. The extent to which they interoperate is due to implicit understanding of core concepts across business interests. Domain knowledge has been embedded in policy and technical documents for more than 60 years, and with the advent of computing systems, some transformed into metadata of entity-relationship models and data dictionaries. However, these metadata usually are not transparent outside the particular business interests involved. A core conservation ontology and knowledge base (COKB) has been developed to work towards resolving these limitations. The COKB establishes core domain classes and their relationships for area of interest, assessment unit, management unit, response unit, management effect, conservation practice, management system, land use, land cover, management period, and management operation. It will provide the foundation for a conservation delivery streamlining initiative.