Planning for a statewide Cave Information System (CIS)



Recognizing the need for a permanent archive for Colorado cave data, and an opportunity to create a resource for future cave exploration, conservation, and research the CCS has begun planning for a statewide Cave Information System (CIS). The new system will be a largely autonomous offshoot from the existing CCS political structure and will be separate from the paper files the CCS has maintained over the years. Data contributions will be voluntary and release of data from the CIS will be carefully controlled.

A committee has been mapping out plans for the CIS since October 2007 and reports from each of the planning meetings are available in PDF form below. Also below are links to other materials that relate to planning for the CIS. If you would like more information, want to get involved, or have comments, criticisms, or suggestions, feel free to contact the cavers who are part of the committee.

Cave Information System committee
Carl Bern
Stuart Marlatt
Marty Morey
Steve Reames
 Email: cbern5 (at) juno.com
Email: Stuart_Marlatt (at) comcast.net
Email: skiandcave (at) gmail.com
Email: spreames (at) diskdrive.com


CIS Outreach Materials
"The Evolution of the Colorado Cave Survey", published in Rocky Mountain Caving, Summer 2007 issue. Although this article focuses primarily on the CCS constitutional amendment relating to paper files, it is good background information.

"Planning for the future", published in Rocky Mountain Caving, Spring 2008 issue. A short article discussing why the CIS should be created and how the planning process will work.

"A comprehensive, centralized, cave-database for Colorado: Scientific, political, and social considerations". These are Power Point slides from a presentation at the 2008 Rocky Mountain Speleoseminar. Without the verbal portion this may be tough to follow, but you can get the gist of it. Some of the graphics have been altered to reflect refinement of plans for the CIS. (need to insert latest flow charts)

"What Have You Heard About the Cave Information System" Article original published in the Winter 2009 Rocky Mountain Caving. Describes the CIS and dispels may rumors and myths which may be associated with the system.

Summaries of CIS committee meetings

For each meeting, or couple of meetings, a written summary or report has been produced and links below will take you to those documents. Charts and graphics that appeared in earlier reports have been removed if significant changes were made at a later meeting.
CIS Report 1
CIS Report 2
CIS Report 3
CIS Report 4
CIS Report 5
CIS Report 6
 Main topics: Purpose of CIS and data sensitivity
Main topics: Classifying data sensitivity, local coordinators
Main topics: Flow charts for data release
Main topics: Structure of the CIS and jobs within it
Main topics: Land manager data access, CIS associate application
Main topics: Data submissions, data format