In addition to the hard-copy maps shown in Chapter 3, maps of renewable resources on Indian lands and the U.S. transmission grid are available electronically at the following National Renewable Energy Laboratory (NREL) website: http://maps.nrel.gov/gis.html

These maps are dynamic in the sense that one can examine the maps in greater or lesser detail. One can also include or exclude major geographic features from the maps, such as Interstate highways and metropolitan areas. Obtain information on how to use the map server by clicking the button "Map Server Info" in the lower left-hand corner of the screen.

The maps shown are the result of overlaying the Indian lands map with resource and transmission grid maps. As a result, it is not possible to manipulate any data used to build the maps (e.g., create a list of all Indian lands with wind resource class greater than or equal to 4). It is possible to develop such a capability, however, because NREL created the maps using the Arc View geographic information system (GIS). Further capability exists to develop map-based links to non-map data (e.g., electricity generator data by longitude-latitude, county Census data) and use Arc View GIS techniques to develop downloadable spreadsheets with both map- and nonmap-based data. This would permit one to develop a user-friendly tool that both policymakers and project proposers could use, based upon a common set of data.