inefficient current workflow

 Modernization of existing data flow system that is more efficient and processing of tasks is faster. Also, will accommodate an upgrade to the tools we use to get rare species data into the Biotics rare species database, resulting in less staff time and more efficient data flow.

Legislation (N.J.S.A. 13:1B-15.147 and 15.148 -- Public Law 1988, c. 127, s.3.) directs the state to track data on the location of rare species, which we do by maintaining and updating the Biotics database. In recent years, with the help of BGIS, we have developed a database, NJ Wildlife Tracker, that serves as a mechanism to receive data from DEP staff, partners, and the public in a user-friendly way, and also allows our species experts to review the data, for a much more efficient flow of data from the field to Biotics. With NJ Wildlife Tracker, we also expanded the type of data we collect, by also including not just rare species observations, but observations of wildlife with any status that is observed on a roadway in order to inform our Connecting Habitat Across New Jersey (CHANJ) project.
We now would like to modernize/update the management and flow of data, while also accommodating an update to the data management system, Biotics, that NatureServe made recently, into which the rare species data flow.