TREE Replication Recommended Procedures Table of Contents

Transcription

1 TREE Replication Recommended Procedures Gulf TREE Project Team (Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience Community of Practice) Date: November 2018 Table of Contents Summary of Gulf TREE page 2 Purpose of TREE Recommendations page 2 Procedure 1: Wholesale Transfer of the TREE and Use of Branding page 3 Procedure 2: Partial Transfer of the TREE page 7 Procedure 3: Consultation for Similar Projects page 9 Appendix A: Partner organization insert for TREE branches page 10 Appendix B: Best practices for retiring tools page 11 1

2 Summary Gulf TREE (Tools for Resilience Exploration Engine) is an online web resource, developed through an EPA Gulf of Mexico Program grant. The purpose of the resource is to provide guidance in climate tool selection for users from a variety of stakeholder groups. The primary product is a website that uses a decision-support tree framework to act as a search engine by matching users with a relevant climate resilience tool quickly, easily, and confidently. While Gulf TREE is relevant to only the Gulf of Mexico coastline (coastal watershed counties in Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama, and Florida; see map here: 2.amazonaws.com/goma-staging/goma-county-map-labels.png), the site is intentionally set up for expansion to other regions and the Project Team is ready and willing to work with partners in order to make the TREE system a reality. This document was prepared to serve as guidance on the preferred approaches for transfer of the TREE system originally developed by the Gulf TREE Project Team (Team). Purpose This document was written to provide guidance on how to transfer the TREE system through one of the following processes: 1) Wholesale transfer of the TREE and use of branding 2) Partial transfer of the TREE 3) Consultation for similar projects While these are not requirements, they are highly recommended by the Gulf TREE Project Team. The Team encourages any party that is interested in transfer of the TREE system to contact the Team and explore bringing in a Gulf TREE representative (i.e., coordinator or other designated project team member) to assist the project. The Team recommends that any situation not specifically documented within this guidance document be discussed with a Gulf TREE representative. In the event that a transfer process does not fit perfectly into one of the three (3) categories, the Team recommends the interested party approach a Gulf TREE representative to discuss their options. The Gulf TREE Project Team is happy for your interest and looks forward to working with you as you pursue a TREE branch! 2

3 PROCEDURE 1: Wholesale Transfer of the TREE and Use of Branding Applicability Creating a TREE branch; e.g., California TREE, New England TREE, etc. Representation of Project Team It is highly recommended that a Gulf TREE Coordinator or designee to be included on the project team of the new product. This includes being involved in discussions and actions seeking funding to create the new TREE branch and having an active role on the project team beyond an advisory capacity. Funding for the Coordinator s time to participate should also be considered. If the Gulf TREE Coordinator and project team have moved on, turn to the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative (NGOM SSC) for a point of contact for the project. (NGOM SSC coordinated the project.) Acknowledgement of original TREE The original Gulf TREE should be acknowledged on the new TREE branch and a link to the original tool ( should be provided. Additionally, the Team would like for the TREE branch to include information on the original three partner organizations and the original funding source; our recommendation for this information is provided in Appendix A. Radish Lab (web development contractors) transfer of information The Team recommends that the new TREE s project team work with the original web developers, Radish Lab. The Gulf TREE Representative can make this connection. Radish Lab has already developed the Gulf TREE resource, enabling them to create a TREE branch at lower cost. They also benefit from lessons learned during the original TREE development. Stakeholder engagement Gulf TREE was driven by end-users; all questions and information provided were formed around stakeholder needs. It is highly recommended that the new TREE branch go through a stakeholder engagement process in order to accurately understand their stakeholder s wants and needs and to create a TREE branch in response. Specifically, the TREE branch Project Team should learn what stakeholders in their region are trying to accomplish as well as important drivers of their tool selection. More information on the process used for the original Gulf TREE resource can be found via published reports (Mohrman, 2017, Heming & Collini, 2018) and from the Gulf TREE representative. Summarized, there was a round of seven (7) workshops across the Gulf Coast in all five (5) states. These workshops obtained information regarding what users needed to know to select an appropriate climate tool selection and what climate questions they are trying to answer. Alpha testers were solicited for feedback on all aspects of the website during the website development stage. After development of a robust beta-version of the website, there was a second round of seven (7) workshops across the Gulf Coast, also in all five (5) states. These workshops beta- 3

4 tested the site and obtained feedback for any site changes in preparation for the official launch. The Team recommends that the Gulf TREE representative be consulted in the event that the stakeholder engagement conducted by the new TREE branch s team results in requests for substantial changes to the TREE approach or website. Tools Standards for inclusion in a TREE branch All TREE branches are requested to maintain the original requirements for tools in Gulf TREE, i.e., tools must involve or be relevant to climate resilience in some way. Tools in the new TREE branch should not be more narrow (e.g., sea-level rise tools) or more general (e.g., resilience tools not incorporating climate change). This ensures standardization of content across branches. Additionally, all tools added should conform to one or more of the three Tool Types as defined in the Gulf TREE glossary: models, decision-support tools, or visualization tools. Tools on the Gulf TREE website that are relevant to the new branch s geographic scope should be transferred in the new branch as-is (excepting for adjustments to any geographic references, as necessary). Other than geographic adjustments, these tools should carry over the same factsheet and filter tags (for those relevant to the TREE branch). A list of national-scale tools database entries are available from the Gulf TREE representative. Note that tagging for tools are output-driven. This means that the TREE tags chosen for any particular tool should be chosen due to their outputs and not based on any required input. For example, a tool may show beach erosion based on inputs regarding sediment. In this case, sediment is an input and should not be included as a tag. Erosion, however, is the output and should be included as a tag. The Team recommends continuing this for consistency with TREE branches. Finally, consistency for this web resource is key even across different geographies. TREEs are helpful for a variety of stakeholders, including non- and lay-scientists. For this reason, the tone and descriptive language used in Gulf TREE should be mimicked as closely as possible in the new TREE branches. The Gulf TREE representative can be consulted if any questions arise while writing new factsheets. Factsheets Factsheets should be developed by the project team to ensure consistency and be vetted with developers for accuracy once produced. Creating these factsheets independently ensures clarity, easy-to-understand language, and removes marketing that a tool developer might include were they to write the factsheet. Static pages About the Project This page should be replicated on the new TREE branch, with room for adjustment for newer project details. Note that this is a recommended location for the aforementioned acknowledgement of original Gulf TREE project. 4

5 Gulf TREE s (and all other TREEs s) About the Project will be updated to reflect the addition of the new branch. The Gulf TREE representative should be contacted so they know to update. Glossary This page should be replicated on the new TREE, with room for additional terms for specific project or regional needs. The Team suggests discussing additional terms with the Gulf TREE representative; they may have lessons learned or previously considered the terms and may be able to provide context. Additionally, if appropriate, the new terms may be added to Gulf TREE s (and other relevant TREEs ) glossary. Case Studies and Libraries These pages should be kept but links should be adjusted to regional/project-specific links. Links that are not relevant to the regional scope of the new branch should be removed. National links should remain. Retired Tools The Team highly recommends that this page be replicated and be updated as necessary. Please follow Gulf TREE best practices for retiring tools and confirming/documenting, as listed in Appendix B. FAQs The FAQ page should be replicated. The Team recommends that the questions be replicated, but the answers should be adjusted to reflect the new TREE branch. New FAQs may be added, though the Team recommends that this be done with consultation of the Gulf TREE representative so that, if appropriate, the new FAQ may be added to Gulf TREE. Partners The new TREE branch should include a Partners page. This is another recommended location for the aforementioned acknowledgement of the original Gulf TREE partner organizations. Funding This page should have a counterpart on the new TREE, but the information should be adjusted to reflect the new project. Gulf TREE funding information should be mentioned, specifically the reference to the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program grant award, as the funding for the development and execution of the original concept, design, branding, and overall website. Contact The Team recommends that the new TREE project use a generalized contact (i.e., do not use a specific person s for the contact ). It is recommended that the new project matches Gulf TREE with an info@xxxtree.org address, but this is simply for preferred consistency. 5

6 The Gulf TREE Team requests that the following text be included on the new TREE branch s Contact page: For more information on the original Gulf TREE project, info@gulftree.org. Homepage The original Team would like the Homepage as it is on Gulf TREE to be replicated. The Team is open to text changes, though would like any text changes other than geographic references to also be reflected across all TREE branches and be discussed with all regional TREE coordinators (see Method of communication). The Homepage graphic (behind the Gulf TREE words) is the bathymetry of the Gulf of Mexico. The Team suggests the graphic for the new TREE reflect either the bathymetry (for coastal areas) or topography (for inland areas) of the TREE branch s region. Logo The Gulf TREE text logo (top-left on the Homepage) was specifically designed for easy replication to new TREE branches. The new TREE branch should have Radish Lab, the original contracted web developers, match the original logo and be adjusted for the region (see Naming). Naming The Team recommends the TREE acronym be somewhere in the new resource s title for consistency and name recognition. The Team further recommends that an effort be made to keep the overall name short and simple (e.g., the original resource is titled Gulf TREE instead of Gulf of Mexico TREE ). Method of communication A method of communication across all the TREE branches should be established and maintained. The Team would like to ensure that changes are communicated and agreed upon collaboratively throughout website development and regular website maintenance. This provides an opportunity to leverage limited resources and to be strategic in a cohesive expansion. It also ensures that all branches be responsible as needs change nationally. 6

7 PROCEDURE 2: Partial Transfer of the TREE Applicability Using the Gulf TREE process but not building a TREE; e.g., the site acts like Gulf TREE but does not look like Gulf TREE (utilizes the back-end but not the front-end) Representation of Project Team It is highly recommended for a Gulf TREE Coordinator or designee to be included on the project team of the new product. This includes being involved in discussions and actions seeking funding to create the new TREE branch and having an active role on the project team beyond an advisory capacity. Funding for the Coordinator s time to participate should also be considered. If the Gulf TREE Coordinator and project team have moved on, turn to the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative (NGOM SSC) for a point of contact for the project. (NGOM SSC coordinated the project.) Factsheets The factsheet should not be written by a third party by this, the Team means that it should be written by someone other than the tool developers. Factsheets should be developed by the project team to ensure consistency and be vetted with developers for accuracy once produced. Creating these factsheets independently ensures clarity, easy-to-understand language, and removes marketing that a tool developer might include were they to write the factsheet. Acknowledgement of original TREE The Team requests that the original Gulf TREE be acknowledged and a link to the original tool ( be provided. It would also be helpful to include what aspects of Gulf TREE were applied to the project. Recognition of the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program as the original funding source should also be included. Gulf TREE text For instances not specifically noted in this Procedure of this document, other text may be taken from the Gulf TREE website but the Team requests that if this is done, the source ( is noticeably cited. For official citations, the Team recommends the following citation: Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and Gulf of Mexico Climate Outreach and Resilience Community of Practice Gulf Tools for Resilience Exploration Engine (Gulf TREE). Accessed on [date]. In the event text is taken from Gulf TREE, please make a Gulf TREE representative aware. The Gulf TREE Team requests that the new product s project team keep the text up-todate with the text of the Gulf TREE website, which is subject to change. 7

8 Stakeholder engagement Gulf TREE was driven by end-users; all questions and information provided were formed around stakeholder needs. It is highly recommended that the new TREE branch go through a stakeholder engagement process in order to accurately understand their stakeholder s wants and needs and to create a TREE branch in response. Specifically, the TREE branch Project Team should learn what stakeholders in their region are trying to accomplish as well as important drivers of their tool selection. More information on the process used for the original Gulf TREE resource can be found via published reports (Mohrman, 2017, Heming & Collini, 2018) and from the Gulf TREE representative. Summarized, there was a round of seven (7) workshops across the Gulf Coast in all five (5) states. These workshops obtained information regarding what users needed to know to select an appropriate climate tool selection and what climate questions they are trying to answer. Alpha testers were solicited for feedback on all aspects of the website during the website development stage. After development of a robust beta-version of the website, there was a second round of seven (7) workshops across the Gulf Coast, also in all five (5) states. These workshops betatested the site and obtained feedback for any site changes in preparation for the official launch. The Team recommends that the Gulf TREE representative be consulted in the event that the stakeholder engagement conducted by the new TREE branch s team results in requests for substantial changes to the TREE approach or website. Radish Lab (contracted web developers) transfer of information The Team is pleased to recommend the contracted web developers for the original Gulf TREE, Radish Lab. If necessary, information regarding how Radish Lab contributed to this process is available upon request and with permission from Radish Lab. Please contact the Gulf TREE representative if you are interested or have any questions. 8

9 PROCEDURE 3: Consultation for Similar Projects Applicability Receiving advice and/or lessons learned Representation of Project Team In cases where the functionality of a project is very similar to Gulf TREE, it is recommended a Gulf TREE Coordinator or designee be included on the project team of the new product. If the Gulf TREE Coordinator and project team have moved on, turn to the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative (NGOM SSC) for a point of contact for the project. (NGOM SSC coordinated the project.) Acknowledgement of original TREE The Team request that the original Gulf TREE be acknowledged and a link to the original tool ( be provided. The Team recommends the following citation: Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative, Gulf of Mexico Alliance, and Gulf of Mexico Climate Outreach and Resilience Community of Practice Gulf Tools for Resilience Exploration Engine (Gulf TREE). Accessed on [date]. 9

10 APPENDIX A. Partner organization insert for TREE branches. The original TREE resource, Gulf TREE, was created for the Gulf of Mexico by three partner organizations: the Gulf of Mexico Alliance (GOMA), the Northern Gulf of Mexico Sentinel Site Cooperative (NGOM SSC), and the Gulf of Mexico Climate and Resilience Community of Practice (CoP) with funding from the EPA Gulf of Mexico Program. GOMA is a non-profit organization with a mission to collaboratively enhance the ecological and economic health of the region by engaging a broad array of stakeholders across six priority issues, including coastal resilience. The NGOM SSC is one of five SSCs within the NOAA Sentinel Site Program. The Cooperative partners with a broad array of organizations to fill identified gaps and needs in sealevel rise and inundation science and management in the northern Gulf of Mexico. The CoP brings together extension, outreach, and education professionals and community officials in the Gulf of Mexico to learn how coastal communities can adapt to sea-level rise, precipitation changes, and other climate-related issues. Learn more about the original TREE resource at 10

11 APPENDIX B. Best practices for retiring tools. Retiring tools is a complicated process but is necessary to keep things relevant and up-to-date. This also provides information on tools that TREE users may have previously used but are no longer maintained or have been superseded. Tools can be retired for a number of reasons. At times, the developer will retire it because they cannot maintain it. Other times, it is up to others to decide that the tool should be retired from the TREE database. The original TREE finds it important to provide both on the Retired Tools page. Tools that were officially retired are listed alongside those that the TREE team and Coordinator have decided to retire. Some, but not all, reasons a tool would be retired include if its data are no longer kept up-to-date, if it has been superseded by a new tool, if its scale makes it nonrelevant to a region, or if technologies have surpassed it. When possible, a confirmation by a representative of the tool should be sought. Note that this is not always possible due to reasons for retirement or lack of maintenance. Tool developers can petition to have their tool removed from the retired list if they can plan to keep it relevant. Un-retiring a tool is up to the Team s judgement, though this decision for all national-scale tools and tools relevant to other geographies should be discussed among all relevant TREE representatives. In the event that a tool lapses in relevance, it must be retired again. Do not include a link to the retired tool (in the event there is still a link). If a user wants to, they can search for the retired tool independently, but TREEs should not encourage the use of a retired tool. In the event a tool was superseded, either intentionally or by happenstance, by another tool on the TREE resource, that tool can be linked in the Reason for Retirement blurb under the tool name. Note that retired tools do not include tools that were decided not to be relevant to Gulf TREE (either due to lack of climate relevance or geography). 11