State Projects

In cooperation with State partners, OSM provides technical assistance on mining related issues facing State Regulatory programs. The process is initiated through a request for technical assistance through the respective State TIPS contact. (For a list of contacts, go to Contact US: Service Managers on the main navigation page) The request will be routed through the Western Regional Office, the headquarters of TIPS, and assigned to appropriate personnel. TIPS has provided funding, expertise and software in response to requests, depending on budgetary and manpower constraints. Below is a list and short summary of several current technical assistance projects.

• Wyoming Pilot Project
  The State of Wyoming, Department of Environmental Quality, recognized a need for a bond release tracking system in the vast Powder River coal basin. Partnering with OSM, Western Region in Denver, CO, the two agencies utilized the latest GIS, GPS, E-Permitting technology to build the tracking system. Nineteen major tasks were identified for project implementation ranging from acquiring the digital imagery to building a GIS database. For more information go to: www.tips.osmre.gov/WY_GIS_Bond_Project_Jan_2005.pdf
  


• Remote Sensing Technology
  OSM is partnering with the U.S. Forest Service (USFS) to test airborne thermal imaging remote sensing technology to locate and map coal seam fires. The USFS is using an airborne thermal imaging sensor called the Star SAFIRE III to map wildland fire area perimeters and hot spots to assist in directing fire fighting forces on the ground. If this prototype is successful, coal seam fires can be accurately in a GIS over large areas. Subsequent coal seam fire mapping can be done to monitor coal seam fire mitigation progress, and to detect new coal seam fires over time. For more information contact Dianne Osborne (303.844.1400, ext 1417 or dosborne@osmre.gov)

• Virtual Private Network
  OSM TIPS personnel just completed assisting the Navajo Nation Abandoned Mined Lands Agency (Navajo AML) in linking their three offices in Window Rock, AZ; Ship Rock, NM and Tuba City, AZ together in one Microsoft Windows Active Directory Domain. As part of this project, we connected these offices together in a Virtual Private Network (VPN) using their existing DSL connections and some firewall appliances provided by the Nation.
  
  Bringing the computer systems at these three offices under the control of one Directory will allow their one-person IT department to much more efficiently manage and administer computers in all offices. Before this system, the IT support person spent significant amounts of time driving the hundreds of miles between these offices to perform routine administrative duties. Now, with the VPN connections and other tools that allow remote administration and remote help desk functions, his road-time should be cut considerably. For more information contact Greg Morlock (303.844.1400, ext 1477 or gmorlock@osmre.gov)