Distributing stand inventory data and maps over a wide area network

High-speed networks connecting multiple levels of management are becoming commonplace among forest resources organizations. Such networks can be used to deliver timely spatial and aspatial data relevant to the management of stands to field personnel. A network infrastructure allows maintenance of cost-effective, centralized databases with the potential for updating by distributed personnel. Using networks as a delivery medium also opens up the possibility for inexpensive sharing of data with relevant persons outside the organization: for example, the general public for a state agency. The software tools necessary to implement such an approach are described, as is one particular implementation as applied to geographic information systems and stand inventories.