{"id":364102,"date":"2020-09-10T07:02:09","date_gmt":"2020-09-10T14:02:09","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/?post_type=blog&#038;p=364102"},"modified":"2022-03-29T14:51:00","modified_gmt":"2022-03-29T21:51:00","slug":"mapping-helped-virginia-process-seed-reports","status":"publish","type":"blog","link":"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/about\/newsroom\/blog\/mapping-helped-virginia-process-seed-reports","title":{"rendered":"Solving the National Seed Packet Mystery: Mapping"},"author":6882,"featured_media":0,"parent":0,"menu_order":0,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"_acf_changed":false,"sync_status":"","episode_type":"","audio_file":"","podmotor_file_id":"","podmotor_episode_id":"","castos_file_data":"","cover_image":"","cover_image_id":"","duration":"","filesize":"","filesize_raw":"","date_recorded":"","explicit":"","block":"","itunes_episode_number":"","itunes_title":"","itunes_season_number":"","itunes_episode_type":"","_links_to":"","_links_to_target":""},"categories":[318502],"tags":[287722,254362,471432,961],"industry":[],"esri-blog-category":[478532],"esri_blog_department":[478222],"class_list":["post-364102","blog","type-blog","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-environmental","tag-reporting","tag-response","tag-seeds","tag-spatial-analysis","esri-blog-category-analytics","esri_blog_department-conservation-and-environment"],"acf":{"video_source":"","video_start":"","video_stop":"","short_description":"When Virginia agency was overwhelmed by mysterious seed reports, putting them on a map helped guide response and analyze potential harm.","pdf":{"host_remotely":false,"file":"","file_url":""},"flexible_content":[{"acf_fc_layout":"sidebar","layout":"standard","image_reference":null,"image_reference_figure":"","spotlight_image":null,"section_title":"","spotlight_name":"","position":"Right","content":"The Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services put mysterious seed reports on a map to improve customer service and assess the situation.\r\n\r\nKey Takeaways\r\n<ul>\r\n \t<li>Putting seed reports on a map helped direct responses and reduce workloads.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Capturing the location of seed reports led to analysis of potential environmental threats.<\/li>\r\n \t<li>Knowing where seeds were reported helps agency plan strategies should they carry disease or prove invasive.<\/li>\r\n<\/ul>","snippet":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"It was one of the stranger twists in an already strange summer. Across the country, thousands of people were receiving unsolicited parcels delivered by the US Postal Service. The parcels, which contained unlabeled packages of seeds, appeared to originate from China.\r\n\r\nFederal authorities swiftly determined the packages to be part of a massive \u201cbrushing\u201d scam. For many online retailers, an order delivered to a valid address is considered \u201cverified,\u201d regardless of whether the occupant placed the order. The sender can then post a positive review of the product that appears to be written by the recipient.\r\n\r\nAlthough the scam easily revealed itself, there was still the problem of millions of unidentified seeds finding their way into the country with no safeguards. Some people planted them, more simply disposed of them, but quite a few turned to government agencies for guidance.\r\n\r\nThe Virginia Department of Agriculture and Consumer Services (VDACS) office in Richmond, received the first reports on Thursday, July 23. By the end of that work week, VDACS counted 50 emails and 75 phone calls. Before staff went home for the weekend, VDACS released a statement to local media, urging Virginians who received the seeds not to plant them.\r\n<h3><strong>In the Spotlight<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nOn the evening of Friday, July 24, a national news organization ran a story on the seed packages. The report named VDACS as a clearinghouse for information. Thus began the deluge. By the following Monday, VDACS had received 800 emails and the main office voicemail box was full.\r\n\r\n\u201cWe got three days\u2019 worth of people from every state in the country calling us to report that they had received unsolicited packages containing seeds,\u201d said David Gianino, program manager for VDACS\u2019 Office of Plant Industry Services. \u201cWe were getting overwhelmed with calls and emails.\u201d By the end of the week, the three or four people who handle calls and emails for the office were struggling to get out from under over 2,500 responses."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":364162,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"One possible solution, an automated email response, had obvious shortcomings. Anyone making multiple reports would receive multiple responses containing the same information. It also wouldn\u2019t be much of a timesaver for VDACS, since there are no easy ways to filter out data, especially regarding whether the sender was reporting from outside of Virginia.\r\n\r\nInstead, Gianino and his colleagues used the automated response to direct respondents to a reporting form built on a geographic information system (GIS) online hub. The hub provided guided information for Virginians, instructing them on how to handle the seeds and how to file a report. The hub directed out-of-state residents to their respective agriculture agency.\r\n\r\nOnce the report was submitted, Virginia residents were instructed to send their packaging and seeds to the <a href=\"https:\/\/www.aphis.usda.gov\/aphis\/ourfocus\/planthealth#:~:text=APHIS'%20Plant%20Protection%20and%20Quarantine,safe%20trade%20of%20agricultural%20products.\">Plant Protection and Quarantine<\/a> division of the US Department of Agriculture\u2019s Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service (APHIS).\r\n\r\n\u201cAs soon as I saw what the reporting tool could do, I said this is what we need,\u201d Gianino said. \u201cWe needed a form that people could fill out so our staff could receive the data in a way that helped them get caught up on handling the reports. The tool was what we hoped the reporting email could have been, but the email and its automatic response couldn\u2019t tabulate data or location information.\u201d\r\n<h3><strong>Taking Stock of the Situation<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nThe GIS tool bought Gianino\u2019s team some time. \u201cAs soon as we made the reporting form public, our staff could shift our efforts towards building a nice landing page or hub where the information could be laid out very consistently and cleanly,\u201d he said.\r\n\r\nWhen people reported their seeds, the landing page walked them through all the steps of reporting, securing the seeds, and sending them to the USDA.\r\n\r\n\u201cIt provided our staff relief to pivot and say, \u2018Okay, now we can take a break from answering phones and emails and focus on what <em>our<\/em> next steps are,\u2019\u201d Gianino said.\r\n\r\nBeyond the immediate logistical relief, the online hub provided an optimal way for VDACS to analyze the unfolding situation. Recipients could even attach a photo of the seeds so the agency can begin to understand what these packages contain, and if there were any discernible patterns in the geographic distribution or in the types of seeds inside them.\r\n<h3><strong>Assessing the Dangers<\/strong><\/h3>\r\nWith so little known about the seeds and their origins, it was difficult to tell how dangerous they might be. The seeds could contain pathogens such as boxwood blight, a destructive fungus, or they could be harboring invasive insects or noxious weeds.\r\n\r\n\u201cIf imported seeds go through the right channels, they\u2019re being declared and inspected,\u201d Gianino said. \u201cAuthorities can then certify if the seeds are free of disease or insects.\u201d"},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":364152,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":""},{"acf_fc_layout":"content","content":"Whoever was sending the mystery seeds was not even declaring them as seeds, compounding the danger. \u201cNot only do we not know what the plant is,\u201d Gianino explained, \u201cwe don\u2019t know if it\u2019s safe to grow.\u201d\r\n\r\nEven without diseases, the seeds posed dangers. Virginia has multiple protected areas with ecosystems vulnerable to non-native invasive plants. These plants could also potentially damage Virginia\u2019s commercial farms.\r\n\r\nUsing its GIS program, Gianino\u2019s team will be able to assess nearby problem areas when they receive reports of invasive plant issues possibly linked to the unsolicited seeds.\r\n\r\n\u201cWithout a way to track where invasive plants become introduced, their spread can get out-of-control quickly,\u201d Gianino said. \u201cThe more information we have up front, the better we can focus our response if any of these seeds are in fact invasive.\u201d\r\n\r\nIf any of the seeds that were planted are invasive and they find their way into the environment, an idea of where they were planted will help the department identify locations for survey and control measures.\r\n\r\nGianino explained: \u201cIf someone calls to say they have a new and prolific vine growing all over their house now, and they planted these unsolicited seeds, our staff can look at the area and see if there are farms nearby, or a body of water we need to protect, so it doesn\u2019t spread.\u201d\r\n\r\nBecause all the reports will reside on the GIS hub, VDACS can get a head start on potential problems, even bringing the data into the field. \u201cIt\u2019ll make us more efficient, and not just for handling reports,\u201d Gianino said. \u201cIf inspectors need to collect survey data, they don\u2019t have to take the data back to their computers and input the data at another time.\u201d\r\n\r\nAlthough the overwhelming reports of unsolicited seed packages have been disruptive to VDACS\u2019 operations\u2014and the seeds themselves pose a threat to state agriculture\u2014Gianino took advantage of the dilemma.\r\n\r\n\u201cI used this isolated incident to identify our need for a reporting tool,\u201d he said, noting the department now has a streamlined, long-term solution to handle resident reports and collect and report critical survey data. The hub and contributed data will help his team identify where future invasive species are coming from and where to focus their efforts.\r\n\r\nAnd, Gianino finds another bright side to the whole mystery seed episode: \u201cSome days I wake up and think \u2018Oh my gosh, there are 180 more reports in the reporting tool,\u2019 but those are 180 people that are at least paying attention and being engaged.\u201d\r\n\r\n&nbsp;\r\n\r\nSee how other <a title=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/environment-natural-resources\/overview\" href=\"https:\/\/www.esri.com\/en-us\/industries\/environment-natural-resources\/community\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\">state and local government agencies are using GIS<\/a> to engage and collaborate with communities."},{"acf_fc_layout":"image","image":364142,"image_position":"center","orientation":"horizontal","hyperlink":"https:\/\/unsolicited-seed-packet-reporting-opis-vdacs.hub.arcgis.com"}],"references":null},"yoast_head":"<!-- This site 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