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58 C h a p t e r 5 An interactive database was developed to provide ready access to the CEAA technical guidance and supporting strategies for regulatory assurances and environmental crediting. The data- base is designed to integrate with and support the website developed by Project C01, Transportation for Communities: Advancing Projects through Partnerships, (ICF International 2012). The siteâs full practical application will have links to key decision points. A permanent repository for the website will be developed in collaboration with TRB and FHWA. The website is intended to serve as a hub, promoting inter- disciplinary collaboration by filtering the vast quantities of information and resources supporting local and regional transportation planning and ecosystem-based management according to four themes: tools and methods; cases; references; and data. Thematic content will be linked across these four areas and will follow the nine steps of the Framework, provid- ing multiple access points for practitioners to locate relevant information. The interactive database and website represent a valuable platform to make research and resources readily avail- able to communities and for this information to be in the form of a living document that is constantly updated and refined. Users will be able to access information in the following ways: ⢠Search by Concept. The user wants to better understand how off-site mitigation might be done and why it is useful. The user wonders about predictive species modeling and why it is relevant to transportation planning. ⢠Search by Case Study. The user is wondering what neigh- boring states are doing. The user can search by location or type of work being done (such as cumulative effects assess- ment, and spatially explicit long-range planning). ⢠Search by Eco-Logical Step. The user is familiar with the Eco-Logical framework steps but want to understand one of them in more depth or how others have implemented this step in the framework. ⢠Search by Data. At a recent conference, the user heard about a source of data or a new type of data that might be useful in his/her state, and he/she is trying to understand more about it and where in the state he/she might be able to acquire it. ⢠Search by Tool. The user heard about a tool and want to understand how it can be useful in integrating conserva- tion and transportation planning. The primary audience for the technical guidance is trans- portation agency staff, state and federal fish and wildlife agencies, and other environmental regulatory agencies. To fully realize the vision, a secondary audience is also addressed. This audience includes nonregulatory agencies and organiza- tions that typically create data and other products such as conservation priorities of use in the assessment process. The database and resulting website are written in an acces- sible, hierarchical way so that users can begin with the overall Framework and hyperlink to increasing levels of detail based on their role and interests. For example, a manager may want to understand the overall Framework, whereas a resource specialist will want to link to details about specific tools, data, and analytical procedures. The site has interactive search capabilities and the ability to tap into a rich database of sister sites. The site will provide forums for practitioners to com- municate informally and highlight innovative programs and activities. The website is designed to be flexible, easily refined, and expanded as the process evolves and is implemented. The project team thinks the guidance set forth by the CEAA pro- cess ultimately will best be updated through the volunteer efforts of the transportation community, much like open- source software. The Web Tool