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Montana Enlists Cutting-edge Technology to Protect and Conserve Greater Sage Grouse

The custom Sage Grouse Web App decreases operational costs and risk while improving analysis and results sharing

The Montana Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program operates

under MCA 76-22 and Executive Orders 12-2015 and 21-2015 which

require the program to review all proposed activities in sage grouse

habitat designated as a core area, general habitat, or a connectivity

area. The Program works to sustain viable sage grouse populations

and their habitat via a custom web application that facilitates data-

driven consultation on proposed projects that could impact the

threatened species.

CustomDevelopment

Customer Success

Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s mission is to help ensure that state land and water resources provide benefits for present and future generations. The Department supports the Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program which was created to facilitate implementation of the Executive Orders across state government, by federal land management agencies, and private entities seeking to develop projects in key sage grouse habitats.

S I T K A C A S E S T U D Y : M O N T A N A D N R C

THE CHALLENGE

In 2015, the Montana Department of Natural Resources and Conservation’s

(DNRC) IT team spent a few weeks creating a Sage Grouse Web Application to

support consultation on proposed projects that could impact sage grouse habitat.

Ranchers, developers, state agencies, and others seeking assistance used the

initial application website to submit new project activities to the DNRC. For

proposed projects in core habitat areas, Department staff would be required

to calculate the density of disturbance levels within the project area using the

Density Disturbance Calculation Tool.

While the initial Web Application was beneficial, DNRC realized the proposal

review process could be improved. By streamling the review process, proponents

could receive more immediate proposal feedback thereby helping them make

more informed decisions about project siting prior to beginning the permitting

process. This improvement would minimize the role of the regulator, reduce

workload for staff reviewers and IT teams, and increase the timeliness,

consistency, and quality of consultation services.

In April of 2016, DNRC issued a request for proposal (RFP) for an external firm

to build the next generation version of the Sage Grouse Web App. Sitka was

chosen to be that firm.

THE SOLUTION

Start with the People

Thanks to the high-level detail provided in the RFP, Sitka had a good

understanding of the overall needs of the Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation

Program. During the first meeting in August of 2016, Sitka staff facilitated a card

sorting activity with state IT and Conservation Program staff. The purpose of

this activity was to build a common vision of the user tasks the new system will

support. Instead of using traditional prioritization schemes, Program staff were

asked to sort tasks into piles based on criticality and then by frequency.

Sitka conducted an abbreviated DataDiagnostic™ with core DNRC staff at the headquarters in Helena.

A proponent is the

project applicant who is

proposing a disturbance

or conservation project.


Greater sage grouse were

once found across the

13 western U.S. states

and three Canadian

provinces. Due to oil

and gas development,

conversion of land for

agricultural use, climate

change, and human

development, sage

grouse now inhabit only

half their historic range.

Population

100,000 to 500,000

Height

2 feet

Weight

2-7 pounds

Length

21-30 inches

Habitats

Grasslands

Following the card sorting activity, Sitka staff combined the two criticality and

frequency ratings to arrive at an index score of the importance for each identified

task. These scores were instrumental in ensuring the design and development

stage of the new Web App was focused on key areas of most benefit for internal and

external stakeholders.

In addition to the above analysis, a thorough technical review of existing

applications, databases, geospatial assets, workflow models, partnering systems

(e.g., ePASS, DNRC ESRI environment, and File Transfer Service API), and state

guidelines was completed.

Keep It Focused

Once the analysis was complete, the Sitka team produced a clearly-defined

“broadsheet” documenting the key high-level requirements to be reviewed and

accepted by the core team. Broadsheets are instrumental in forming the basis

for defining web applications, web services, and database structures. Below is a

snapshot of a few of the pages from the final broadsheet presented to the core team

in late 2016.

Page: 1 Created by Sitka Technology Group – www.sitkatech.com

BroadsheetforprojectKevin

Last Modified:: Fri Apr 21 2017

–ProjectOverview,Objec9ves,&Personas

BackgroundMontana’sSageGrouseHabitatConserva4onProgram(SGHCP,or“Program”)wascreatedtofacilitateimplementa4onoftheExecu4veOrdersacrossstategovernment,byfederallandmanagementagencies,andprivateen44esseekingtodevelopprojectsinkeysagegrousehabitats,andtoimplementtheGreaterSageGrouseMi4ga4onStewardshipAct.TheProgramisoverseenbytheMontanaSageGrouseOversightTeamandisadministra4velyhostedbytheMontanaDepartmentofNaturalResourcesandConserva4on(DNRC).Montana’sgoalistoconservegreatersagegrouse(SG)andkeysagebrushhabitatssothatMontanawillmaintainauthoritytomanageitsownlands,wildlife,andeconomybyavoidingESAlis4ng.Theprogram’sprimaryac4vityistooperateaconsulta4onprocessthatavoidsorminimizesimpactsandrestoresimpactedareas(onsitemi4ga4on)byreviewingALLproposedac4vi4esinSGhabitats,andrequirescompensatorymi4ga4onifnecessary(asalastresort).

ScopeThisproject’sfocusistostreamlinetheprogram’sconsulta4veprocess,andspecificallyitsreviewofproposeddisturbances(“projects”)insagegrousehabitat.Buildingontheworkdonetocreatethefirstversionofawebapplica4oninlate2015,thisproject,codenamedKevin,willresultinasecondgenera4onwebapplica4on(i.e.,“version2.0”).WhileKevindevelopmentwillbedoneexternallybySitkaTechnologyGroup,itwillbehostedbyMTDNRC’sOITgroupat:sagegrouse.mt.gov.Thisprojectincludescrea4nganewgeo-spa4allyexplicitdatabasethatisseededwithinforma4onfromtheexis4nginternalSQLdatabaseandArcGISserver.Sincethecoreofthewebappmustsupportproposedprojectsandthereviewofthem,thefollowinglogicalfunc4ondiagramishelpfulforvisualizingthisproject’sscope:

UserPersonasInourini4alanalysisweiden4fiedsixmainusertypesorpersonas.EachofthesehavedifferentgoalsandthuswillinteractwiththeSGHCPinuniqueways,howeverinearlydiscussionswiththeKevincoreteamwedeterminedthisprojectshouldfocusonthethreeboldedpersonasbelowforthecurrentphase;theotherpersonasmaygetsomededicatedfocus(andfunc4onalityoutofthesystem)insubsequentphases.

• “Proponents”–landusersproposingnewac9vi9esthatrequireapermit• “Seekers”–peopleseekingfundingortechnicalassistancefornon-regulatedac4vi4esindesignatedSGhabitats• “Govies”–stateorfederalagencystaffundertakingstateac4onsindesignatedSGhabitats• “Reviewers”–SGHCPstaffprovidingconsulta9onservicestoLandUsers,Seekers,orSta9es• “Admins”—DNRCstaffchargedwithhelpingsupporttheSGHCPprogramanditsstaff• “Permibers”–stateorfederalagencystaffprovidingpermicngservicestoLandUsers

Ourusertaskanalysis(seenextpagefordetails)focusedontasksperformedbythethreeboldedpersonas,andaeeranalyzingtheusertaskdataprovidedbyafewreal-worldrepresenta4vesfromeachpersona,weinferredthedescrip4onsandgoalstatementsbelow.

Objec9vesThisprojecthasnumberofobjec4ves:

• reduceworkloadonSGreviewersbyautoma4ngasmuchofthereviewprocessaspossible

• reduceworkloadonOITteambyautoma4ngentryofprojectgeometries

• increaseconsistencyandqualityofreviewservices

• decreasewait4mesforproponents

• provideimmediatefeedbacktoproponentsonprojectimpactssotheycandotherightthingontheirownwhenmakingdecisionsonprojectsi4ng,therebyminimizingtheroleoftheregulator

• answerques4onsabouthoweffec4veprogramis,orques4onsfrompermibers&regulators

• improveresiliencyandaudit-abilityofreviewsandprogramdecisionsbyestablishingageo-spa4allyexplicitdatabase

SageGrouseHabitatConserva9onProgram

ProposedProjectakadisturbance

DraP DueDiligence CompletedReview

Permitter

Proponentsarelandusers,orhiredconsultantsproxinglandusers,whowanttodeveloporuselandinawaythatmightimpactsagegrousehabitat.Theywouldrathernothavetogothroughaconsulta4onprocessontheirwaytogecngtheirprojectpermibed,andmayviewtheSGHCPasanextralayerofgovernment“hoop”theyhavetojumpthrough.Proponentshaveawiderangeofunderstandingofsagegrouseandtheirhabitatneeds.Theymayberanchers,farmers,foresters,commercialorresiden4albuilders,u4lityprojectdevelopers,orresourceextractors.Theircomfortwithcomputersandthewebrangesfrom“barelytouchthestuff”to“hardtoimaginelivingwithoutthem.”

GOAL:Getprojectapprovedasefficientlyaspossibleandknowthey’redoingrightbythesagegrouse.

ProjectReviewersareStateofMontanaemployeeswithscience,publicpolicy,orlegalbackgroundswhosejobitistoprovideconsulta4onandevalua4onservicestoLandUsersproposingprojectsthatcouldcausedisturbanceinsagegrousehabitat.Theyarewellawaretheyarenotregulators,butmaybeperceivedtobe.TheystrivetobeasresponsiveaspossibletoLandUsers,andwanttobeseenashelpful,informa4ve,andeven-handed.Theycaredeeplyaboutprotec4ngsagegrousehabitatsothatthebirdsdonotbecomeanESAlistedspecies.

GOAL:Beresponsive,informa4ve,even-handedwhileimplemen4ngExecu4veOrders;beabletoanswerques4onsaboutprojectsefficientlyandaccurately.

Adminsworktosupportthedailyopera4onsoftheSGHCP.TheycurrentlyworkwithinMontana’sDNRCandofferarangeoftechnicalservicesthatincludeGISskillsandanalyses,datamanagementandanalyses,databaseandwebserveradministra4on,soewaredevelopment,visualdesignandcommunica4ons.Theydidn’tini4allyknowmuchaboutsagegrouse,butoverthepastmanymonthshavelearnedaconsiderableamount.Whileitsaveryhighpriority,suppor4ngtheSGHCPisnottheonlyresponsibilityforAdmins.

GOAL:EnsuretheSGHCPrunsassmoothlyaspossibleandthatinforma4onsummarizingitis4melyandaccurate.

Proponent Reviewer Admin

Noteon“personas”:whileiden:fyinguserrolesandstakeholdershelpsusunderstandlinesofpowerandpoli:cs,personasserveasarchetypesforsystemdesignandinforma:onarchitecture.

1

2

Proponent

SGHCP Reviewer

3




–RolePermissionsThispageprovidesasnapshotofthepermissionsforeachRoleinthesystematthe6mewehandedoverthecodebasetoMontanaOITteam.FurtherhistoryofdecisionsregardingUserRolescanbefoundinMingleinstories#154,#155,and#211.

Proponent▪ cancreateProjects,editProjectswhenstageisDraJorReturned▪ canSubmitorWithdraworArchiveaprojectwhenstageisDraJorReturned▪ canviewsomeProjectDetailsforONLYtheirprojects(e.g.cannotviewReviewConclusionsonprojectDetailspage).▪ canaddanewaTachmentfromProjectDetailspagewhenStageisDraJorReturned▪ canseeonlysystemgeneratedeventsintheHistorytable▪ canviewtheprojectlist,butitwillonlyshowtheirprojects▪ candownloadthecontentsofanydatagridlistinthesystem(see/accessthe“DownloadTable”feature)▪ canviewtheiruserpage,butnototherusers’pages▪ canedittheirowncontactinforma6onexceptfortheirfirstandlastname(comesfromePass)▪ canNOTseedetailedLekinforma6onorDistancetoLeklayer

Reviewer• AllthingsProponentcando,withsomeexcep6ons:

• canNOTeditprojectsthattheydidn’tcreatewhenstageisDraJorReturned• canNOTeditANYprojectswhenstageisWithdrawnorArchivedorCompleteReview• caneditbasicinfoaboutaproject(fromProjectDetailspage),includingstage,whenstageisDueDiligenceorFinalReview

• fortherecord,Sitkathinksthisisbad,butwhatwewereaskedtodo.ThisenablesReviewerstobypassexpectedworkflowsandgenera6onofthingslikesnapshoCedDDCTResultsandProjectMapandemailno6fica6ons.ItalsoallowsthemtooverrideStagefromDueDiligencetoCompletedReview,butthennotbeabletorevertitbacktoDueDiligence.

• canaddanewaTachmentfromProjectDetailspagewhenStageisANY• canseetheManagemenu(InternalProgramMap,DisturbanceTypeList,PermitAgencyList,ArchivedProjectlist,UserList)• caneditProjectTypeInstruc6ons(fromManagemenu)• canviewdetailedLekinforma6on• canseetheHistorytableontheReview&Submitpageofprojectwizard• canedit/saveReviewCommentsoneachprojectwizardpage• canviewandedit“ReviewConclusions”pageofprojectwizard• canReturn,Forward,Withdraw,andFinalizeaprojectreview(througheachac6ondependsonthecurrentstage)• cancontrolvisibilityofATachments• canseealleventsintheHistorytable

SuperReviewer• AllthingsReviewercando.• caneditprojectsviawizardpagesinANYstage

• thisincludes“helping”aProponentfillouttheirprojectproposal• caneditprojectsBasics(fromProjectDetailspage)inANYstage,whichmeanstheycanmanuallyoverrideStage

• again,thisisdangerousbecauseitcanbeabusedandbypasstheexpectedworkflows,causingthesystemtonotgenerateexpectedthingslikeauto-generatedaCachmentsandemailno6fica6ons

Administrator• AllthingsSuperReviewercando.• caneditanyuserinforma6on,includingseangUserRole

Proponent

Reviewer

Admin

SuperReviewer

Broadsheets make it easier to focus on a shared vision for the system that is then captured in an implementation roadmap.

After finalizing the broadsheet but before development started, key Sitka staff

clustered the tasks from the user task analysis into related groups. These groupings

helped establish the information architecture for the new Web App. Working

closely with the Montana team, Sitka planned sprints that focused development

on the most important users tasks first and established optimal interaction design

patterns early in the project.

The core team consisted

of key stakeholders

from DNRC

responsible for software

engineering, application

development, database

analysis, and web/

media properities. The

program manager and

a project reviewer from

the Sage Grouse Habitat

Conservation Program

rounded out the team.

“My team loves working

with you, and I really

appreciate all of

your efforts.”

Kreh Germaine, IT Director,

Montana DNRC




–HighLevelDataModelComple'ngtheini'alUserTaskAnalysisandWorkflowdiagramsletsuscreateanini'alHigh-LevelDatamodelwithconfidence.Considerthismorelogicalthanphysical—notalltableswewouldexpectinthedatabaseatthe

endofthefirstphaseofthisprojectarerepresented,buttheprimaryen''esshouldallbeshownandtheircardinality(one-to-one,one-to-many,many-to-one,many-to-many)rela'onshipsshouldpassthesmelltestbythe

Kevincoreteam.So,pleasestudythisandletusknow…Areanykeybusinessobjectsmissing?Aretherela'onshiplinesintherightplaces?Doesthismakeyourheartleap?

User

Proponent Reviewer

Review Event(History/Audit Log)

Project

User Role

Ques<onsforKevinCoreTeam

• HowdoesMSGHCPmanageupda'ngkeyreference

layers(e.g.Leks,Exis'ngDisturbances,etc.)today?Are

theyversionedinanyway?Whathappenstoin-flight

projectreviewswhenreferenceslayersthataffectDDCT

arechanged?

Answer:???

• CanwehostcopiesofkeyreferencelayerswithinKevin

(thereareacoupleofpoten'aladvantageswecan

elaborateon)oraretherebusinessreasonsrequiring

KevintodynamicallyqueryMT-hostedlayers?

Answer:???

• ShouldwebemodelingGrantsorcredit-sideen''es?

Answer:???

SG Threats

Primary Entity

Secondary Entity

Lookup

Reference Asset

Organization

Assessment

Review Question

Disturbance Type

Disturbance

Proposed Disturbance

Existing Disturbance

Reference Assets

Land Ownership layer

Lek layer

EO Habitat Classification layer

No Surface Occupancy (NSO) layer

Sage Grouse Mgmt Zone layer

Disturbance AreaDDCT Result

Event Type

Project Stage

Legend

Conceptuallywewanttobeablehandlebothtypesofdisturbances.Un:lwecanbe;erdefinetheworkflowthatexplicitlyrelatesaproposeddisturbanceintoan“exis:ng”one(i.e.,projectwasconstructedandactualdisturbancewasmeasured/validated),wethinkwe’llneedtwoseparatetablesandthey’llneedtobemanuallyde-duplicatedtoensurenodouble-coun:ngwhenrunningtheDDCT.

Restassured,ReviewEventsincludethingslikegenera:ngdraPLe;ers,enteringInternalNotes,loggingacommunica:on(email/phone)withproponent,etc.Wethinkthisabstrac:onwillenableaveryhandy“completechronology”or:melineviewoftheSGHCPconsulta:on.Also,willenabletheopera:onalstats/efficiencymetricsCarolynisinterestedin.

Project Type

“Assessment”maybeanewterm…butweneedadatastructuretosupportthedynamicques:onnairethatKevinwillhaveProponentsfilloutbasedonthedisturbancetypestheyiden:fied.

Akeya;ributeofaProposedDisturbanceisitsgeometry(apoint,line,orpolygon).

Needtobe;erunderstandthese.BothwereimpliedinCarolyn’slistofmgmtques:onsshe’dliketobeabletoaskofKevin.Wethinktheseareimportanta;ributesofaprojectuponwhichanalysiscanbedone,buttoconfirmthismodelingiscorrect,weneedtohearmoreaboutthem.

Thisisthederivedproductbasedonthispar:cularProject’sProposedDisturbance,allprevioussubmi;edProposedDisturbances,Exis:ngDisturbances,EOHabitatlayer,Leklayer,etc.

WeliketheideaofagenericOrganiza:onlist,someofwhichwillbePermi`ngAgencies(asimplea;ribute),otherswilljustbeorganiza:onstheUserisaffiliatedwith.

1 many


Build It Agile

With the key requirements defined and the roadmap in place, actual application

development began. The Sitka team quickly transitioned into an iterative

development cycle where priority functionality was delivered every few weeks for

review by the core team. This agile development process resulted in high-quality code

in predictable timeframes – code that is simple, flexible, well tested, and on target.

Make It Secure

Designing a secure system from the start is a critical component of all workflow

systems Sitka develops. In this case, Sitka leveraged Montana’s existing ePass

service for account management, authorization, and authentication. Security

within the Web App was designed to support role-based user experiences that

ensure data — such as user profile information and submitted projects — is

protected from unauthorized access. In Sitka’s experience, role-based security

coupled with multiple workflow stages requires a complex set of permissions to

ensure sensitive data is not inadvertently exposed. The Sitka developers used well-

established software patterns and testing practices to effectively support these types

of complex scenarios.

THE RESULTS

When the new and improved Sage Grouse Web App (sagegrouse.mt.gov) went live

in April 2017, landowners, industry groups, state agency partners, federal regulators,

and environmental advocates (collectively known as “proponents”) all lauded it

for its ease of use and significant improvements over the prior system. The chief

information officer for Montana DNRC, Kreh Germaine, noted, “The new Sage

Grouse Web App is one of the best applications we have ever seen built, state-wide.”

Proponents are able to follow simple workflow steps when they propose projects using the Sage Grouse Web App.

“The new Sage Grouse

Web App is one of the

best applications we

have ever seen built,

state-wide.”

Kreh Germaine, IT Director,

Montana DNRC


http://sagegrouse.mt.gov

Now, proponents are guided through the online proposal process via a handful of

simple steps. Project proposals include drawing on a web map or uploading GIS

files for each proposed disturbance, identifying the type of disturbance (e.g.,

road, building, communication tower, pipeline, etc.), and then answering a suite

of questions specific to the disturbance type. By making it easy and intuitive to

provide all information up front, the consultation process is more efficient and

enjoyable for both the developer and the state biologists conducting the consultation.

Prior to submitting the proposal, the proposer can run the environmental

accounting calculator, known as the Density Disturbance Calculator Tool

(DDCT), within the Web App. A PDF of the tabular results is immediately

generated. This PDF is then appended to the individual project and is available

for the proponent to view, download, and print. The application also saves the

DDCT spatial and tabular results to the existing SDE relational database, where

reviewers are able to access the data and produce the final review letter that is

shared with the proponent.

Thanks to this custom-built solution, Montana DNRC has experienced decreased

operational and maintenance costs as well as reduced risk by standardizing the

consultation process. The Sage Grouse Habitat Conservation Program is now able

to conduct more detailed analyses and share results more easily. Finally, since

the Web App has made it simpler for land users to propose new disturbances and

ensure “debits” are calculated accurately with full chain of custody, Montana has

been able to maintain authority to manage its own lands, wildlife, and economy

by avoiding ESA listing.

NEXT STEPS

In April of 2019, Montana DNRC issued a new RFP to extend the functionality of

the Sage Grouse Web App. One key initiative outlined in the proposal is the desire

to develop a parallel review path and data storage for conservation or “credit”

projects that mirrors what Sitka developed for disturbance projects. Sitka was

awarded this additional work in May.

Sitka Technology Group • 920 SW 6th Avenue, Suite 111, Portland, OR 97204 • 1.800.805.6740 • [email protected] • www.sitkatech.com • @sitkatech

GET STARTED

For organizations interested in custom software development solutions, please contact us at 1.800.805.6740 or [email protected] For more information, please visit: www.sitkatech.com

Sitka Technology Group is the leading provider of enterprise-level software solutions to streamline and power the acquisition, management, and visualization of field data for environmental conservation efforts.Copyright © 2019 Sitka Technology Group. Sitka and the Sitka logo are registered trademarks of Sitka Technology Group. All rights reserved. All other trademarks are the property of their respective owners.

The Density Disturbance

Calculator Tool is used

to evaluate the level of

uses and activities (i.e.,

disturbance) of suitable

sage grouse habitat

within the area affected

by a proposed project.


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