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In 2007, Washington State legislators requested a trails database, but funding to complete that statewide project was not made available at the time.
In 2009, the Federal Government outlined the need for trails database schema in their Data Standards Review Committee, stressing the efficiency in management decisions that a streamlined database can provide.
“The collection, storage and management of trail related data are important components of everyday business activities in many federal and state land-managing agencies, trail organizations and businesses. From a management perspective, trails data must often mesh closely with other types of infrastructure, resource and facility enterprise data.”
In 2014, the Washington State Office of the Chief Information Officer's (OCIO) Geospatial Program Office acquired a Nonhighway and Off-Road Vehicle Activities (NOVA) Program grant through the Washington State Recreation and Conservation Office (RCO) giving the OCIO initial funding to develop a statewide trails database based on Federal Geographic Data Committee standards. Using the same standard for all trails data will allow land managers and recreational users throughout the state to access and use the data regardless of administrative boundary.
"Data standards will make it easier for trail information to be accessed and exchanged and used by more than one individual agency or group…Ease in sharing data increases the capability for enhanced and consistent mapping, inventory, monitoring, conditions assessment, maintenance, costing, budgeting, information retrieval, and summary reporting for internal and external needs.”
Along with streamlining data and facilitating efficiency in management practices across agencies, the database will provide a source of trails information that is open and free to the public.
Additional details about the project can be found here:
https://ocio.wa.gov/initiatives/washington-state-trails-database-project