GNIS Component of the Montana Wildland Fire Base Map Project

The Geographic Names Information System (GNIS) was developed by the USGS in cooperation with the U.S. Board on Geographic Names and contains information about proper names for places, features, and areas throughout the United States. GNIS datasets exist on both state and national levels where the state datasets are used to update and maintain the national dataset. The NCLFA investigated incorporating GNIS data into the Montana Wildland Fire Base Map, which provides a base map data model, standardized map products, and a distribution method to provide timely and accurate base data to wildland fire incidents.  The inclusion of GNIS data will allow text-based geographic searching within the web application and will further inform the cartographic data model supporting the project.

Due to data inconstancies, the Montana GNIS dataset is not utilized within the Base Map project, or other Montana framework dataset applications, at this time. The USGS asked the NCLFA to propose a data structure for GNIS for the state of Montana, the associated processes and procedures necessary for updating and maintaining geographic names data in Montana, and to utilize GNIS as a business process within the Base Map project. 

The NCLFA identified differences (feature locations and name attributes) between the Montana GNIS names data and the national GNIS dataset by performing several dataset comparisons. The final report also proposes a data structure for GNIS as a framework dataset for Montana.  This data structure will support both the national GNIS data structure and local and state GNIS data requirements. Additionally, the NCLFA will demonstrate the utilization of the GNIS within the Montana Wildland Fire Base Map application. Read the NCLFA's final report on the GNIS in Montana project (pdf).

Principal Investigator: Lee Macholz
Project Staff: Craig Comstock, LiMei Piao
Project Partners: Mike Sweet, UM College of Forestry and Conservation
Lance Clampitt, USGS
Lowell Whitney, Montana DNRC (State Names Authority)
Montana State Library's Natural Resource Information System (NRIS)