![Aerial view of the TN mountains](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_21_9__1920x825/public/2025-10/aaron-clinard-GotlA8g1Qdk-unsplash.jpg?itok=TQRfXtxd) # Inside Tennessee’s GIS-Powered Conservation Efforts As rapid population growth pressures Tennessee's natural resources and parklands, the state is leveraging advanced GIS technology and real-time data to balance urban development with conservation, streamline park operations, and foster cross-agency collaboration. October 29, 2025 [ Stephen Goldsmith ](/stephen-goldsmith) We typically think of a dichotomy when imagining urban spaces; the trees lining the sidewalk are living organisms, while the asphalt is not. City parks, rivers crisscrossed with bridges, and miles of greenways are, of course, living organisms – but so are the cities they make up. There is inherent tension in balancing both the growth, life, and rejuvenation of urban spaces with the universally important care for the nature that winds through it. And with the [changing migration patterns following the COVID-19 pandemic](https://www.brookings.edu/articles/how-the-pandemic-changed-and-didnt-change-where-americans-are-moving/), which brought more residents to smaller cities and metros, and accelerating economic growth, public agencies face mounting challenges in balancing development with the preservation of natural resources. Tennessee, one of the fastest-growing states in the US, has experienced significant migration to Middle Tennessee, the central area of the state that includes the capital and largest city, Nashville. It also features [the Duck River](https://tnwf.org/duck-river/), the most biodiverse river in the country. Development pressure conflicts with rare habitat preservation efforts, the increase in recreational use stresses parks, and increased withdrawal for drinking water puts pressure on the supply. Tennessee Department of Environment and Conservation (TDEC) Commissioner David Salyers approaches these issues both as an owner of Parks and a regulator of important natural resources such as the Duck River. TDEC discharges two main responsibilities under one umbrella: conservation (Parks and Natural Areas) and environmental protection. Thanks to air, stream and other IoT sensors, drone-secured images, user photos, and LiDAR data, TDEC doesn’t lack data. In fact, Salyers’ team receives a constant flood of information. The challenge becomes organizing it in a way that allows public employees and customers alike to derive meaning and make decisions. Salyers, an engineer by training, employed GIS as the organizational backbone for everything from real-time air quality monitoring to security prevention to restoration activities to park maintenance. “What started organically has become a more formalized approach to integrate GIS into our data systems and technology platforms,” Salyers said, “These strategic investments in people, positions, and programs make sense to me because I’ve personally seen the value of GIS over my career.” When organized spatially, this [data also serves as the foundation for cross-agency understanding and collaboration](https://www.bing.com/ck/a?!&&p=2f61ec57733a21f840b6649f9902430276b748779a1b29a3bdd1bed583c2b92bJmltdHM9MTc1Njk0NDAwMA&ptn=3&ver=2&hsh=4&fclid=098d1044-f35e-63ec-374d-0659f2b96248&psq=collaborative+cities&u=a1aHR0cHM6Ly93d3cuYW1hem9uLmNvbS9Db2xsYWJvcmF0aXZlLUNpdGllcy1NYXBwaW5nLVNvbHV0aW9ucy1Qcm9ibGVtcy9kcC8xNTg5NDg1Mzk0). GIS serves as a virtual scaffolding for sharing important information and approaches with other land-holding agencies, such as the Tennessee Department of Agriculture and the Tennessee Wildlife Resources Agency. TDEC, like many environmental departments, has long used GIS to organize data, but operationalizing that data and using GIS to support entire workflows was initially borne out of needs within their State Parks agency. The need to collaborate and communicate between central office and their roughly 300 park staff across the state was a challenge, but ArcGIS Online afforded them quick and agile ways to stand up workflows for real-time operational awareness that has now formally become their “One Smart Park” initiative. The state’s One Smart Park initiative currently includes several features, such as habitat management mapping to combat invasive species, prescribed fire mapping to document effective burn plans with GIS, and law enforcement incident mapping to help rangers efficiently deploy to areas within the park. In 2026, One Smart Park will offer Tennessee State Parks even more features, including virtually all state park operations seen through a GIS lens that supports search and rescue, asset management and nearly all park operations. The GIS organization has also helped spur the state's park system growth and management of other natural resource assets in the midst of substantial population growth. As Commissioner, Salyers orchestrated $1.3 billion in drinking and wastewater improvements while also creating twelve new state parks. Each new park asset is geotagged to help rangers, maintenance officers, and recreators alike understand the locations of improvements. Rangers can also track asset conditions to alert managers about necessary repairs. The Tennessee state parks data-driven approach has not only improved operations but also allows the department to measure key performance indicators (KPIs) and their economic impact - especially in rural areas and counties designated as “distressed” by the Appalachian Regional Commission. The ability to measure results and tell a place-based story has contributed to TDEC’s ability to garner budgetary support for these efforts. Tennessee’s experience shows that new forms of organizing data, and the widespread incorporation of IoT devices, can help mitigate the complexity of mediating between growth and conservation while advancing maintenance excellence. GIS enables responders to navigate key park features, reducing risk and improving response times, whether for a maintenance or safety issue. “We’re driving toward a system where GIS is fully integrated,” said Commissioner Salyers “this is really the innovation that supports everything we are trying to do.” ## About the Author ### Stephen Goldsmith ![Headshot of Stephen Goldsmith](/sites/g/files/omnuum10826/files/styles/hwp_1_1__100x100_scale/public/datasmart/files/goldsmith_headshot_2018.jpg?itok=_stVEJro) Stephen Goldsmith is the Derek Bok Professor of the Practice of Urban Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School and the director of Data-Smart City Solutions at the Bloomberg Center for Cities at Harvard University. He previously served as the mayor of Indianapolis and deputy major of New York City. [Read Professor Goldsmith's full bio here](/stephen-goldsmith). See also:- [ Asset Management and Sustainability ](/topics/asset-management-and-sustainability) - [ Data Visualization ](/topics/data-visualization) - [ Environment ](/topics/environment) - [ GIS ](/topics/gis) - [ Infrastructure ](/topics/infrastructure) - [ Internet of Things ](/topics/internet-things) Share on:- [ Facebook ](#) - [ Twitter ](#) - [ Linkedin ](#)