Tim Kern
Biography
Tim Kern is the Information Science Branch Chief and a Supervisory Computer Engineer at the USGS Fort Collins Science Center. After graduate school Kern has worked as a semiconductor process engineer, section head in charge of high energy plasma processes, and as a computer engineer on Department of the Interior projects. Kern became branch chief in 2013. The Information Science Branch currently provides data capture, analysis, management, and distribution support to U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) mission areas, Department of the Interior bureaus, and other Federal agencies. This support allows science center partners to implement an integrated information environment that supports both scientific research and natural resource decision making.
Science and Products
Using Cell Technology to Track Species Movement
The Information Science Branch explored and developed ways to track species locations using a standard cellular phone network. This technology provides more tracking data at a faster rate and lower cost than traditional satellite tracking systems. The initial implementation of this approach currently provides support for the California Condor recovery program and is being extended to include...
ScienceCache
Working with the Northern Rockies Science Center, the Information Science Branch designed and developed ScienceCache, a scientific geocaching mobile application framework. Initially developed for citizen science data collection, the application was extended to work for any field data collection effort. The lead researcher controls the data collection route, collection forms, and data...
Surface Disturbance and Reclamation Tracking Tool (SDARTT)
Working with the Bureau of Land Management (BLM), the Information Science Branch helped design, develop, and implement the Surface Disturbance and Reclamation Tracking Tool (SDARTT). This effort produced a national data collection and reporting application, allowing BLM offices to build an inventory of geospatial landscape disturbance data and then apply planning scenarios for further...
ScienceBase
The Information Science Branch provides Agile project management, technical oversight, software research and development, and architectural support to the USGS ScienceBase project. ScienceBase provides a number of features that scientists can use to build data collections, share data through web services, and ensure these data are preserved for use by future researchers. The project involves...
National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Center Tools
Information Science staff help the National Office of the National Climate Change and Wildlife Science Centers and individual Climate Science Centers with a variety of project and data management activities, including storing, managing, and distributing datasets; building and maintaining metadata; discovering datasets; and delivering their data and metadata as web services through various...
Community for Data Integration 2016 annual report
The Community for Data Integration (CDI) represents a dynamic community of practice focused on advancing science data and information management and integration capabilities across the U.S. Geological Survey and the CDI community. This annual report describes the various presentations, activities, and outcomes of the CDI monthly forums, working...
Langseth, Madison L.; Hsu, Leslie; Amberg, Jon J.; Bliss, Norman; Bock, Andrew R.; Bolus, Rachel T.; Bristol, R. Sky; Chase, Katherine J.; Crimmins, Theresa M.; Earle, Paul S.; Erickson, Richard; Everette, A. Lance; Falgout, Jeff T.; Faundeen, John L.; Fienen, Michael N.; Griffin, Rusty; Guy, Michelle R.; Henry, Kevin D.; Hoebelheinrich, Nancy J.; Hunt, Randall; Hutchison, Vivian B.; Ignizio, Drew A.; Infante, Dana M.; Jarnevich, Catherine; Jones, Jeanne M.; Kern, Tim; Leibowitz, Scott; Lightsom, Francis L.; Marsh, R. Lee; McCalla, S. Grace; McNiff, Marcia; Morisette, Jeffrey T.; Nelson, John C.; Norkin, Tamar; Preston, Todd M.; Rosemartin, Alyssa; Sando, Roy; Sherba, Jason T.; Signell, Richard P.; Sleeter, Benjamin M.; Sundquist, Eric T.; Talbert, Colin B.; Viger, Roland J.; Weltzin, Jake F.; Waltman, Sharon; Weber, Marc; Wieferich, Daniel J.; Williams, Brad; Windham-Myers, Lisamarie
Community for Data Integration 2015 annual report
The Community for Data Integration (CDI) continued to experience success in fiscal year 2015. The CDI community members have been sharing, learning, and collaborating through monthly forums, workshops, working groups, and funded projects. In fiscal year 2015, CDI coordinated 10 monthly forums with 16 different speakers from the U.S. Geological...
Langseth, Madison L.; Chang, Michelle Y.; Carlino, Jennifer; Bellmore, J. Ryan; Birch, Daniella D.; Bradley, Joshua; Bristol, R. Sky; Buscombe, Daniel D.; Duda, Jeffrey J.; Everette, Anthony L.; Graves, Tabitha A.; Greenwood, Michelle M.; Govoni, David L.; Henkel, Heather S.; Hutchison, Vivian B.; Jones, Brenda K.; Kern, Tim; Lacey, Jennifer; Lamb, Rynn M.; Lightsom, Frances L.; Long, John L.; Saleh, Ra'ad A.; Smith, Stan W.; Soulard, Christopher E.; Viger, Roland J.; Warrick, Jonathan A.; Wesenberg, Katherine E.; Wieferich, Daniel J.; Winslow, Luke A.
Improve wildlife species tracking—Implementing an enhanced global positioning system data management system for California condors
U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service (USFWS) staff in the Pacific Southwest Region and at the Hopper Mountain National Wildlife Refuge Complex requested technical assistance to improve their global positioning system (GPS) data acquisition, management, and archive in support of the California Condor Recovery Program. The USFWS deployed and maintained...
Waltermire, Robert G.; Emmerich, Christopher U.; Mendenhall, Laura C.; Bohrer, Gil; Weinzierl, Rolf P.; McGann, Andrew J.; Lineback, Pat K.; Kern, Tim J.; Douglas, David C.
Community for Data Integration 2014 annual report
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) researches Earth science to help address complex issues affecting society and the environment. In 2006, the USGS held the first Scientific Information Management Workshop to bring together staff from across the organization to discuss the data and information management issues affecting the integration and...
Langseth, Madison L.; Chang, Michelle Y.; Carlino, Jennifer; Birch, Daniella D.; Bradley, Joshua; Bristol, R. Sky; Conzelmann, Craig; Diehl, Robert H.; Earle, Paul S.; Ellison, Laura E.; Everette, Anthony L.; Fuller, Pamela L.; Gordon, Janice M.; Govoni, David L.; Guy, Michelle R.; Henkel, Heather S.; Hutchison, Vivian B.; Kern, Tim; Lightsom, Frances L.; Long, Joseph W.; Longhenry, Ryan; Preston, Todd M.; Smith, Stan W.; Viger, Roland J.; Wesenberg, Katherine; Wood, Eric C.
Community for Data Integration 2013 Annual Report
The U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) conducts earth science to help address complex issues affecting society and the environment. In 2006, the USGS held the first Scientific Information Management Workshop to bring together staff from across the organization to discuss the data and information management issues affecting the integration and delivery...
Chang, Michelle Y.; Carlino, Jennifer; Barnes, Christopher; Blodgett, David L.; Bock, Andrew R.; Everette, Anthony L.; Fernette, Gregory L.; Flint, Lorraine E.; Gordon, Janice M.; Govoni, David L.; Hay, Lauren E.; Henkel, Heather S.; Hines, Megan K.; Holl, Sally L.; Homer, Collin G.; Hutchison, Vivian B.; Ignizio, Drew A.; Kern, Tim J.; Lightsom, Frances L.; Markstrom, Steven L.; O'Donnell, Michael S.; Schei, Jacquelyn L.; Schmid, Lorna A.; Schoephoester, Kathryn M.; Schweitzer, Peter N.; Skagen, Susan K.; Sullivan, Daniel J.; Talbert, Colin; Warren, Meredith Pavlick
MODIS phenology image service ArcMap toolbox
Seasonal change is important to consider when managing conservation areas at landscape scales. The study of such patterns throughout the year is referred to as phenology. Recurring life-cycle events that are initiated and driven by environmental factors include animal migration and plant flowering. Phenological events capture public attention,...
Talbert, Colin; Kern, Tim J.; Morisette, Jeff; Brown, Don; James, Kevin
U.S. Geological Survey community for data integration: data upload, registry, and access tool
As a leading science and information agency and in fulfillment of its mission to provide reliable scientific information to describe and understand the Earth, the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) ensures that all scientific data are effectively hosted, adequately described, and appropriately accessible to scientists, collaborators, and the general...
USGS Twitter Earthquake Dispatch (@USGSted)
@USGSted (USGS Twitter Earthquake Dispatch) distributes Twitter alerts for earthquakes worldwide with magnitudes of 5.5 and above. When citizens feel shaking activity, they often use the popular social media application, Twitter, to "tweet" what they are experiencing.