FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE Contact: Anastasia Burton
(HELENA)---The Montana Natural Resource Information
System (NRIS) today announced the results of its user survey, which was
conducted on the NRIS website throughout the month of September.
The survey, which received 269 responses, was
designed to help NRIS evaluate its services.
A little over 63% of those who took the survey were from the private
sector. About 30% of respondents said
they visit the NRIS website several times per month; nearly 47% said NRIS
services were essential to their business, agency, or personal needs. One survey respondent wrote, “This is one
of the finest services of its kind in the country. This type of service has the ability to provide a vast amount of
data to the public, for no direct charge, that would otherwise be buried in
agency files and for the most part, unavailable to the public.”
An overwhelming number of
respondents (68%) said they use NRIS web based services, versus those who need
assistance from NRIS staff for data retrievals and/or technical support. NRIS Director Jim Hill said, “We’re really
pleased that people find our website to be such a valuable resource. This finding shows it’s been useful for us
to devote the major part of our resources toward serving our data through the
Internet. People have access to a
wealth of data any time, any where – all they need is Internet access.”
Nearly half of the respondents tap NRIS to research
information for a variety of uses and topics; over one-third use NRIS
information for planning; and another third for resource management. More than half the users download geographic
information system (GIS) data, such as stream and road information, which
enables them to make their own customized maps. Over half also use the NRIS TopoFinder, which allows users to
search for a topographic map by a variety of criteria. The NRIS Water Information System is
consulted by over one-third of users.
NRIS responds to thousands of inquiries each month
via its website. During the month
of August, NRIS’ web pages received over 930,000 “hits” during 53,500 visitor
sessions, which lasted approximately 11 minutes each. That translates to 316 person-hours each day spent on the NRIS
site.
Visitors to www.nris.state.mt.us
will find a variety of data, reports, maps, and tools for searching and
displaying information. These items
help inform users about important issues facing Montanans, including: drought,
wildfires, water quality, and plants/animals of concern. Website users can also learn more about
fishing opportunities, birdwatching, and wildlife management. The survey results can also be viewed by
visiting the NRIS website.
NRIS
was established seventeen years ago by the Legislature. A division of the Montana State Library,
NRIS acts as the state’s clearinghouse for natural resource information. Its staff provides expert assistance to link
users with the best available information on natural resource issues.
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