GRASS

It's no news that we all use maps to do our jobs. There are often

problems using them in the traditional paper form, particularly when we can't seem to get the right information in the

right format when we need it. There should be a better way. GRASS is a

Geographic Information System or GIS. It's a better way to manage, store and use your mapped information. GRASS is simply

a computerized system which stores, analyzes and displays different types of mapped information. GRASS supports

installation managers in carrying out their mission with higher reliability in a cost-effective manner. GISes

reduce costs, improve result and

conclusions, produce more defendable data and are more acceptable to

the public. GRASS is currently

established at Forts McClellan, Hood

and Lewis, and the Yakima Firing Center as well as

National Guard Bureau Head Quarters. It will be established soon

at several additional army locations as well as other governmental agencies. So don't keep your

information about soils, vegetation, roads

or archaeological sites rolled up

in map tubes or stuffed into drawers. Keep it in

a computer. GRASS can consist

of any number of different layers, with each layer representing

a different theme. These layers are related or registered the same map base. So they

can be overlayed onto each other automatically, without ever having

to adjust scales or match coordinates first. GRASS eliminates many

of the problems which occur with paper maps. GRASS can

also let you use the information on your installation in

ways which would be difficult or impossible with more traditional

techniques. Let's see how.

Finding the map of a particular feature is not a problem with GRASS. All the map

layers are kept in a computer. You have immediate access to any layers such as elevation, streams or to any combination of layers. To relate

maps of different scales on paper can be difficult and tedious. With Grass, all of

your layers are registered to the same base. So you can combine maps of different scales automatically. Don't be limited in the types of map combinations and overlays you can cope with manually. You can combine any number of layers to produce new maps. You can see where certain specified combinations of features occur. Updating

a paper map is a bother. Changes can mean the entire map has to be redrawn by hand. Unless you happen to have a full time artist on your staff, producing to Automaps by hand is not possible.

data in GRASS are in Because the data in GRASS are in a computer system, keeping installation

information up to date is

straightforward and systematic. You can

also keep track of changes over time and get an

updated paper copy right away when you need it. GRASS

lets you display your information quickly at a tremendous variety of formats, sizes, scales and colors. In addition, a user can overlay layers to find where certain unique combinations of features exist, much as Ian McHarg proposed in his book Design with Nature. You can create entirely new layers for your installation by combining existing maps in various ways. These new layers can be added to GRASS. On your installation,

GRASS can be used to help answer questions about installation

resources; answers like critical habitat

zones for endangered species such as red-cockaded woodpeckers; or legally

required noise contour zones which impacts civilian areas. These can be generated for public presentation or for inclusion in environmental impact assessments or statements. Other

questions may deal with finding the amount of highly erodible

soil present on a new multipurpose range complex or potential

hazardous waste landfill sites or the location of areas which

will be within a proposed firing rain safety fan. GRASS

can also be used to monitor changes or trends in installation resources. It can compute areas, lengths, distances or do profiles of topographic elevations automatically.

How can these capabilities be

applied to your installation? Suppose

you need to know where undiscovered archaeological sites are most likely to occur. If locations

of known archaeological sites can

be correlated with combinations of environmental features such as vegetation

types, soil types, elevations or

nearness to water. GRASS can be used to display other areas at the installation where

these same combinations of features occur. You have thereby created

a map of potential archaeological site locations. This same approach

can be used to find potential recreation areas like game hunting zones by using specified

combinations of features - terrain,

vegetation or restricted zones. Suppose you have to locate a

new landfill. One of the factors in landfill siting is the access to paved roads within a limited distance of the cantonment area. GRASS can

be used to find all locations meeting these requirements. The

results of any of these analyses can be displayed in virtually any format tailored to

meet your particular needs including

placing them directly into required documents like environmental impact statements. We have gotten some idea

for the potential uses of GRASS for your installation. Now,

let's look at a specific example of how GRASS is

being used at an army installation. At Fort Hood, one

weapon system requires a five kilometre line of clear sight

for training. Using conventional survey techniques, only a few appropriate training areas could be found.

And because of that those areas were being heavily used by this one particular tank. We determined in a hurry that these areas were being used too much and that the soil was being terribly disturbed at the grass land for being degraded a very, very rapid rate. And if we continued, as we were, we would going to end up with a virtual desert.

Emmet Grey, Head of Fort Hood Environmental Office, approached the trainers with a plan to locate and develop more training areas using GRASS. They liked

the idea since it met their training scenarios. In such a system, we would spread the hurt - so to speak. We would have the same amount of training going on but in a greater area. This suited my needs

as a land manager tremendously.

It suited their needs as a training exercise actually better

since they had more land

to deal with. Higher-level authorities are also taking an interest in GRASS like Colonel Kelsey at the Army's Environmental Office.

The National Environmental Policy Act and the President's Council on Environmental Quality required the consequences of proposed actions be fully considered and integrated into the planning and decision making process. For years the army has searched for tools and methodologies to develop and present high quality environmental analyses to decision makers and the public. The Construction Engineer Research Laboratory has developed the best currently available tool to assure this commitment to excellent analysis. The three greatest benefits of GRASS from the NEPA perspective are, first, that the environmentalist now has the ability to get involved with projects and project planning in an early phase and assist the proponent in designing in desired mitigations. Secondly, I think the advancement in quality of environmental documentation will be significant, both from an analysis and graphic presentation perspective. And finally, and this too is related to excellence and analysis, is the objectivity of our analyses and the associated credibility gained through the process. This is accomplished while reducing the cost and time normally associated with environmental analysis. What do

you need to implement GRASS at your location? A GIS has four components: the analysis

software, the installation specific data,

the computer hardware, and the

operating staff. USA Searl has

developed the GRASS software component of the last several years.

It is publically available software

for governmental agencies with land management or environmental planning requirements.

The extensive family of options are designed to be accessed

through user friendly menus. Only

minimal training is required to begin to make GRASS responsive to your needs.

The second component is the installation’s specific data layers. The layers most commonly included are vegetation or land cover, topography, installation boundaries,

training areas, roads and trails. Additional layers can also be added later. Remember, you may not have to collect and

enter as many layers as you first think because some

can be created or derived from others. For example, slope and aspect layers can be

derived automatically from elevation data.

On the other hand, the more specific the questions you want to ask, the more detailed the map layers must be and usually the higher the cost to collect and enter the necessary data. Besides

the data you already have

at your installation, other types are available. Remote sensing can

include traditional techniques such as

aerial photography as well as

the use of data collected by sensors and satellites or

aircraft. Aerial photography usually has to be interpreted and then transferred into the installation base map before it can be entered into GRASS. Data collected

by satellite, on the other hand, comes in computer-ready form

on digital tapes. The new Landsat Thematic Mapper Data have

resolution down to thirty meters on an edge suitable for many installation applications. Though it

must be scanned to get into computer form, high altitude,

false color images are inexpensive and relieve and resolve individual trees and cars. Topographic data

for your installation can be also acquired in computer-ready digital form. Data which are not

already in digital form need to be digitized. The GRASS software also includes utilities to

construct this kind of computer data. Of course, your system

is more than just software and data. It also includes the third component: The computer

equipment or hardware. GRASS has been established on the Masscomp

and Sun Mini computers. It is possible to run it

on any computer which uses the Unix operating system. The Unix operating environment ensures that

GRASS code can be ported to new computers such as the AT&T 3B2 or other microcomputers.

Besides, the computer itself, a monitor and color display terminal, a printer and plotter

are usually necessary. Hardware costs are currently in the range

of fifty thousand Dollars for the entire configuration. In time, this will drop as computer

costs go down and as GRASS is ported from the

mini to micro computer level. The fourth and very important

component is the operating staff. Do you and your staff have to be computer specialists? No. GRASS is very user-friendly

and interactive. A professional with minimal previous computer exposure will

be able to obtain useful GRASS analyses after some initial

training. However, maintenance requires a

trained technical assistant on your staff knowledgeable in regular computer systems support and largely dedicated to GRASS support. GRASS can

help you whenever you need to access information on your installation quickly; to determine aerial planimetric amounts; to combine, overlay

or analyze the information to answer specific questions; to compare alternatives; or to predict the

effect of certain events. If you're not satisfied with hand-drawn

out of date maps, using GRASS can help improve your effectiveness as an installation manager

and make better use of limited manpower and smaller budgets. GRASS can help you take

better care of the resources for which you are responsible.