PUBLIC LANDS: Interior, USDA seek to improve data on recreation activities
Phil Taylor, E&E reporter: Greenwire
Friday, March 6, 2015
The Interior and Agriculture departments want to hear from technology gurus, entrepreneurs, recreationists and academics on how they can make recreation data more accessible to the public, part of an effort to expand the use of public lands.
The agencies on April 11 and 12 will host a developer summit at Interior headquarters in Washington, D.C., to discuss how government information on campgrounds, scenic spots and interpretive tours, among other recreational opportunities, can be made "more readily available and useful."
"This developer summit will focus on developing products, services and other resources that promote and protect America's public lands and waters," according to the summit website. "This event will bring together technologists, developers, outdoor enthusiasts, government, academia and industry to build better products to enhance our appreciation, utilization and protection of one of our greatest national assets: federal lands and waters."
The myAmerica Developer Summit will look for ways to improve current online resources and allow data to be shared more easily.
"The myAmerica initiative will unlock the creativity of the private sector to make it easier for people to discover and experience America's natural and national treasures," Interior Secretary Sally Jewell said in a statement. "Engaging entrepreneurs and enthusiasts to help transform disparate sources of information on public lands into useful, user-friendly formats will inspire visitors to explore our public lands and resources, while boosting tourism, outdoor recreation, jobs and economic activity in local communities."
Interior lands including parks, refuges, monuments and other public lands welcomed more than 400 million recreation visits in 2013, the agency said. Those visits provided $41 billion to the economy and supported about 355,000 jobs nationwide, it said.
