Streamlining Project
Team Proposal Summary
Creating a streamlined forest information management model…
August 2005
Greg Goss, Project Manager
Presentation Overview

The Streamlining Project

Scope

Process

Working principles

Why change is needed, to which processes

Business Proposals


Cutblock Integration (4)

Road Administration (5)

Information Access (6)
Moving forward

Transition from business rules/standards --> business
requirements --> application and procedure change
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Streamlining Project Scope
Integrated Forest Information Cycle
Plan
Operational
planning
FSP
Harvest
authority
process
Cruise, Appraisal,
CP application
Notify
Report
Harvest
notification
Harvest
completion
Notification of
commencement
Harvest
completion
reporting
Silviculture
reporting
Silviculture
activity
Regen/ FG
Milestone
Inventory
update
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The Streamlining Project
Three Phases

Phase I:



Phase II:



Issues identified, resulting in high level recommendations
FRPA notification and reporting streamlined
Cross-corporate teams developed proposals to improve
business
Proposals were reviewed by government and industry, and
revised as needed based on feedback.
Phase III:



Communicate business proposals to responsibility centres
Responsibility centres develop training, policies, guidelines,
and systems to support changes
Cross-corporate Business Integration Group co-ordinates
and supports implementation efforts
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Streamlining Teams

Road Administration

Cutblock Integration

Business Process Alignment

Information Access

Teams included:

District and regional staff

Representation from stakeholder branches in MoF and MSRM
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Working Principles

Information will be shared within government where
possible

The focus is on the business - not the systems

Solutions will meet operational needs of districts and all
licensees (large and small)

Clarity and integration of the business will enable future
systems improvements (transition to full e-business)

Major business processes will be provincially consistent

The comparison of planned, permitted, and actual
activity will be possible (C&E, Revenue, Monitoring)
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Why change…?

New legislation (FRPA) has increased the need to share
information more effectively

The move to consolidated electronic systems requires a
more consolidated, integrated approach to the business

Access to information is split among many corporate and
district silos; simplified access is needed

Long-standing information quality issues need to be fixed
with clear, practical standards and robust business
processes
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Which processes are affected?

FSP development, submission, tracking

Appraisal submission

Road and cutting permit application/issuance

Start-up (harvest, road) notification for C&E

C&E risk assessment and inspection (information needs)

Silviculture activity and milestone reporting

MSRM mapping information, tools, and products (e.g.
LRDW)
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The Streamlining Team Proposals

The following slides contain the main proposals put
forward by the Streamlining teams

These proposals are backed by more detailed reports

The proposals were subject to a province-wide review by
government and licensee operational staff

Proposals have been communicated to responsibility
centres, and implementation is now underway
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #1
Electronic FSP Submission

Submit FSPs in an electronic format to:

Expedite approval

Enable tracking

Improve amendment efficiency

Provide C&E with operational access to the electronic FSP
results and strategies as required to conduct inspections

Provide Stewardship staff access to FSP information to
enable more efficient monitoring/evaluation
This proposal is being addressed by the FSP Tracking
Project (www.for.gov.bc.ca/hfp/FSP/)
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #2
Permit Bundle Submission

Bundle the appraisal and cutting permit application in an
electronic submission

Layer the map submission to:


Reduce the number of transactions (from 2 to 1)

Improve consistency between the processes (addresses
systemic problem)
Automatically split out layered map submission for
processing by each MoF business area

No added complexity for MoF

Reduces the need for licensees to remove detail and
duplicate submissions
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #2
Permit Bundle Submission Cont’d
Key attributes:

Map outer boundary is common to both business
processes (multiple submissions not required)

Permit bundle map layers are overlaid on the existing
FSP map to ensure that they fall within the FSP boundary

C&E receives the permit bundle once a cutting permit is
issued, for risk assessment and inspection planning

Licensee can electronically track processing status

Planned WTPs are included in bundled submission


Planned internal WTPs are needed in Appraisal
Optional submission of planned external WTPs– updated in
LRDW (to enable CP/RP statusing)
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #2
Permit Bundle Submission Cont’d
Automatic map
splitting
Appraisal layer
for appraisal
Check
against
FSP map
Permit bundle submission (not a
working map on its own)
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #2
Permit Bundle Submission Cont’d
Automatic map
splitting
Appraisal layer
for appraisal
Check
against
FSP map
Permit bundle submission
CP application
layer for Ex. A map
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #2
Permit Bundle Submission Cont’d
Automatic map
splitting
Appraisal layer
for appraisal
Check
against
FSP map
Permit bundle submission
CP application
layer for Ex. A map
Planned WTPs
to LRDW
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #3
Bundled RESULTS Reporting



Bundle RESULTS reporting for more efficient electronic
submission:

Harvest activity

Standards Units

Vegetation update (forest cover)

Internal and external reserve timber
Layer map information to reduce the number of
transactions (from 3 to 1)

Legislation-enabled

Requires minor changes to systems and procedures
Improves consistency between the processes (addresses
systemic problem)
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #3
Bundled RESULTS Reporting Cont’d

Automatically split out layered information on the
submission for processing by MoF and MSRM

No added complexity for MoF or MSRM

Reduces the need for licensees to duplicate submissions
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #4
Integrated Mapping Standards

Provincially consistent mapping standards are being
developed where they currently do not exist

Mapping standards will be integrated across business
processes to facilitate improved information exchange

Standardization and integration will enable comparison of
actual results to planned activity

Feedback for Revenue, C&E, and Stewardship
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Cutblock Integration Proposal #4
Integrated Mapping Standards Cont’d

Mapping standards address, across business areas:

Submission format

Submission information requirements

Digital mapping standards (resolution, precision,
administrative identifiers)
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Road Administration Proposal #1
Provincial Road Permitting Process

Corporately consistent road permitting process flows
have been developed

Corporate consistency is required on a number of
important key elements

Flexible district administration is allowed where possible
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Road Administration Proposal #2
Standard Road Naming and Usage

MoF to use the name the licensee submits for a road in
their application

Avoids current renaming practice

Road name integrity also applies to Forest Service Roads

This proposal is backed by road naming guidelines and
standards for licensees (currently under development)
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Road Administration Proposal #3
Bundled Appraisal/Road Permit

Bundle road permit application and road related appraisal
info together for more efficient electronic submission



Automatically split out layered information for processing
by each MoF business area




Reduces the number of transactions
Improves consistency between the processes (addresses
systemic problem)
No added complexity for MoF to issue permit and rate
Allows Revenue and Tenures staff to do tasks
simultaneously to speed up processing
Licensee can track processing status
Electronically issue rate and permit to licensee at the
same time
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Road Administration Proposal #4
Separate Tenure from Timber Mark

Introduce a new timber marking procedure that
separates the tenure from the timber mark


Uses different numbers in FTA to separate the authority to
build or maintain a road from the identification of a timber
mark
Continue to support two legitimate permitting models:

An individual, geographically-based road permit model

A “blanket” road permit model with geographic subdivisions
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Road Administration Proposal #5
Cross-Boundary Road Permits

Modify FTA to allow the tenure for a road permit to cross
boundaries of overarching licences for a single licensee

The mantra for this proposal is: “A road is a road is a road”
(regardless of administrative boundaries)

Roads could cross TFL and FL boundaries without a road
tenure change

Reduces the amount of information that must be tracked
and reduces confusion for all parties
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Information Access Proposal #1
The “Forest Information Mall”
District and licensee staff need:

One stop shopping for the information and systems they
need to do their jobs

Transparent, scaleable, task-defined access

Access to communities of practice and user forums where
knowledge and learning can be shared

One place to find the experts and contacts for questions
and feedback
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Information Access Proposal #1
The Forest Information Mall Cont’d
Attributes of the proposed Forest Information Mall:

Gateway to all relevant MoF and MSRM systems (including access
application process and access to viewing tools)

Access to information needed for planning and reporting:

FRPA Objectives, Resource Features, Inventory, etc.

Local district information (when information isn’t up to date in the
corporate databases)

Business process maps, policies, legislation, guidelines,
standards, forms

Single location for forestry user forums

Government staff expertise directory (“expert locator”)

Creates one integrated location for user feedback for all aspects
of the business
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Information Access Proposal #1
The Forest Information Mall Cont’d

Example of task-sensitive viewing for key aspects of the
business:
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Information Access Proposal #2
Consolidated Spatial Information Access

District and licensee staff need consolidated access to
spatial information

Current access is split among many corporate and district
silos

Staff need task-sensitive views to reduce information
overload and find the information they need

All forestry spatial information should be accessed in one
location and be “analysis-ready”

Spatial information should include information on the
currency, accuracy, and source of data
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Information Access Proposal #3
Core Information

There is a set of core spatial information that is the
foundation to many different business areas and should
be consolidated, shared, and updated accordingly

Different and duplicative versions of core information
exist. This must be minimized to ensure there is only one
“working copy”

Core information includes two types of information:


Biophysical base

Common features, e.g.

Contours

Land status and ownership

Water

Vegetation resource inventory

Roads

Imagery
Users should be able to customize viewing of core
information
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Information Access Proposal #3
Core Information Cont’d

Viewers and tools should provide task-sensitive and core
information as a start, and allow user customization
Report
Plan
Tasksensitive
information
Core
Information
Revenue
Operational
planning
Reporting
Revenuespecific
information
Operational
planningspecific
information
Reportingspecific
information
Common
features
Common
features
Common
features
e.g. land status and
ownership,
vegetation resource
inventory,
orthophotos
e.g. land status and
ownership,
vegetation resource
inventory,
orthophotos
e.g. land status and
ownership,
vegetation resource
inventory,
orthophotos
Biophysical
base
Biophysical
base
Biophysical
base
e.g. water features,
roads, contours
e.g. water features,
roads, contours
e.g. water features,
roads, contours
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Information Access Proposal #4
Streamlined User Access

Currently there are multiple websites and protocols for
accessing systems and information

Consolidation of user access is needed

New access protocols should recognize that forestry
systems and information users are clients well known to
government

Licensees that provide landbase updates to standard
should have no-fee access to landbase information
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Information Access Proposal #4
Streamlined User Access Cont’d


Consolidate and
simplify access
protocols for
required data and
systems
Systems access and BCeID
request form
Scaleable security
access:
 Yes: ____________


Access is
provided only to
those who need it
Groups of users
gain predetermined levels
of access
Help
Name: ___________
Company: __________
Phone: ___________
Email: ____________
Do you have a current BCEID?
 No
Please choose the application(s) for which you are
requesting access from the list below
 LRDW
 ECAS
 FTA
 ESF
 HBS
 RESULTS
Why do you require access to this system?
Tenure #: ______________________
Other application-specific questions…
 SPAR
Streamlining Project Proposals for Improvement
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Information Access Proposal #5
Data quality

Ensure all forestry information has a clearly articulated
custodian

Prioritize and resource data clean-up with business and
application specialists

Build data quality assurance, including standards, into
systems and procedures to ensure “cleaned” information
isn’t subsequently corrupted

Ensure there is an integrated MoF/MSRM data
custodianship structure for forest information to support
data quality improvements

Communicate with operational staff about data standards
and custodianship roles/responsibilities
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Information Access Proposal #6
Activity Notification

Clear, provincially-consistent electronic process to
support FRPA notification of harvest and road
construction activity has been developed

Activity notification is shared across affected business
processes and systems

Notification mechanism should be delivered via Forest
Information Mall website
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Moving forward

Interactions of the major MoF business processes and
associated systems were mapped and posted to the
Business Information Centre (BIC)

Relationships and linkages have been fostered between
MoF, MSRM, Industry and District Operations staff

Each business area is improving integration and client
focus

Operational staff have appreciated having this project to
bring forward concerns regarding tools, processes, and
policies
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Moving forward

FRPA legislation now requires road/harvest activity
notification

Electronic notification methodology has been developed and
is being implemented

FSP Tracking and Information Support projects are
underway

LRDW access is being improved (content and viewing
tools)

Forest Information Mall business requirements
development is underway
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