203 In Tennessee, a state park is never more than an hour’s drive away. The state’s 57 parks and 84 natural areas offer residents and visitors year-round, no-cost access to lush forests, scenic trails, and idyllic bodies of water. Rangers manage all the diverse amenities, management activities, cultural resources, flora, and fauna using the One Smart Park map-based application. “The rangers are the experts,” said Leah Fuller, a GIS specialist with the Tennessee State Parks Division of Strategy and Support. “We listened to their needs and frustrations and then built out a platform to fit those needs.” Fuller worked with conservation GIS manager Andrew McDonagh using GIS technology to develop One Smart Park. The application contains 15 data layers including park boundary reviews, trail assessments, natural history, asset management, invasive species location and treatment, and prescribed burn planning. Rangers and park managers can view all the data in one place and add new information for shared, real-time situational awareness. The app serves 290 staff who share knowledge across the state. “We make applications that every state park uses. Everything that state parks do, we put into GIS so the park rangers can see it on the map.” — Andrew McDonagh, GIS manager, Tennessee State Parks When new rangers are hired or employees transfer to another location, One Smart Park gives them a comprehensive view of their new park. Those in the field can easily orient How Tennessee State Parks Reached Real-Time Operational Awareness Safeguarding Habitats and Wildlife A Tennessee State Parks ranger uses the One Smart Park app to record observations at Harpeth River State Park. (Image courtesy of Tennessee State Parks)
RkJQdWJsaXNoZXIy MjA2NTE0Mw==