FORT Science in Action, Part 14: Science, leadership, and innovative technical solutions for efficient decision-making
FORT’s Ecoinformatics and Wildlife Technology (ECOTECH) Branch works closely with state, federal, tribal, and nongovernmental partners to address complex challenges at the intersections of energy, infrastructure, resources, and species management, to reduce the need for regulatory actions. ECOTECH delivers the science, leadership, and technology required for transparent, data-driven decisions.
ECOTECH provides science, leadership, and user-centered technology to support national-scale biological monitoring and decision-making. Their work spans wildlife disease, invasive species, and conservation, helping partners make transparent, defensible, and data-driven decisions.
ECOTECH scientists bring decades of experience in defining requirements, data standards, and analytics tailored to statutory authorities and government use cases. They have successfully developed cost-efficient, cloud-native systems capable of processing millions of records monthly—at a fraction of traditional costs—and have led the creation of cross-agency, public-facing applications.
Their portfolio includes:
- Mapping-based tools for landscape assessment (e.g., Surface Disturbance and Reclamation Tracking Tool, SDARTT) that collate visualize and summarize broad-scale spatial data.
- Information systems for acquisition, processing, and delivery (e.g., Chronic Wasting Disease Genetic Repository, DOI Bison Metapopulation Dashboard, NABat Partner Portal, SIREN, and the Development and Environmental Review Permitting Portal).
- Science products leveraging monitoring data and modern statistical approaches that help to optimize resource management decisions and reduce the need for regulatory interventions.
ECOTECH is actively collaborating with partners to advance cloud engineering, cybersecurity, authentication, user interfaces, data standards, machine learning, and project lifecycle management. For example, the modernization of the North American Breeding Bird Survey (BBS) system will enhance speed, security, and usability—ensuring continued delivery of trusted science to inform wildlife and habitat decisions nationwide.
Near-term goals include reducing security risks, lowering cloud hosting costs, and consolidating AWS-based development. Long-term, ECOTECH aims to integrate machine learning workflows, statistical modeling, and data pipelines with ScienceBase to build a new suite of enterprise-level tools.
More FORT Science in Action
This September, FORT is highlighting how our science projects support sound decision-making. Each day, we will highlight a new project and its applications. To see more, follow the tab below.
FORT Science in Action, Part 13
FORT Science in Action, Part 15
Related
Research to support conservation of America’s national mammal, the bison
Fish and wildlife science in support of heritage preservation, efficient decision making, wild ungulate management, and outdoor recreation
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
North American Breeding Bird Survey
Surface Disturbance and Reclamation Tracking Tool (SDARTT)
Related
Research to support conservation of America’s national mammal, the bison
Fish and wildlife science in support of heritage preservation, efficient decision making, wild ungulate management, and outdoor recreation
North American Bat Monitoring Program (NABat)
North American Breeding Bird Survey