The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) of the US Department of the Treasury is offering a short-term internship to a student with GIS mapping experience to assist in creating a web map of American Viticultural Areas for use on the TTB website.
About the Program:
The Alcohol and Tobacco Tax and Trade Bureau (TTB) is a bureau under the Department of the Treasury. We employ staff across the country, including our Headquarters Offices in Washington, D.C., and the National Revenue Center in Cincinnati, Ohio.
Our mission is to collect Federal excise taxes on alcohol, tobacco, firearms, and ammunition and to assure compliance with Federal tobacco permitting and alcohol permitting, labeling, and marketing requirements to protect consumers.
American Viticultural Areas
American Viticultural Areas (AVAs) are designated grape-growing regions with delineated boundaries, an official name, and distinctive features that affect how the grapes are grown and differentiate the AVA from surrounding regions. TTB establishes AVAs based on petitions, which are typically submitted by or on behalf of the local wine industry members. Using an AVA designation on a wine allows vintners to describe more accurately to consumers the origin of the grapes used to make their wine. Establishment of an AVA is neither an approval nor an endorsement by TTB of the wine produced in that area. Currently, there are 240 established AVAs all across the country.
Proposal:
TTB has digitized versions of the boundaries of almost all of the established AVAs, which were created by a contractor using ESRI mapping software and the official boundary descriptions of each AVA contained in the TTB regulations. TTB is now seeking an intern to help in determining the best way to present these AVA boundaries as an interactive map that can be made available to the public on the TTB website. Providing these maps online will allow wine industry members, other members of the public, and TTB employees to easily visualize the boundaries of the AVAs for the first time. This information can help industry members determine where a new AVA may be established or where an existing AVA could be expanded. It will also help TTB in its market compliance investigations and wine label review process.
The intern will work with the existing digitized AVA boundaries and ESRI mapping software to create an internet-ready interactive web map that meets TTB’s requirements. Furthermore, the resulting web map must be Section 508 compliant, to be accessible to persons with disabilities.
The intern may also be asked to digitize the boundaries of up to five (5) newly-established or newly-modified AVAs, following the official boundary descriptions.
Because TTB anticipates maintaining and updating the web map on its own in the future, the intern will also provide written instructions on:
(a) creating new digitized AVA boundaries;
(b) editing existing digitized AVA boundaries;
(c) updating the web map to reflect the new/modified AVAs; and
(d) creating new web maps from existing files (such as a separate map to show proposed AVAs).
(Note TTB employees have a basic familiarity with ESRI mapping software (ie, Arc Map), but have not had extensive practical experience using the software.)
Requirements:
Graduate or undergraduate (preferably junior or senior year) level (will probably only accept one or possibly two students)
TTB is unable to accept international students for this internship.
Required skills:
The student(s) must be familiar with and have experience using ESRI mapping software, specifically Arc Desktop/Arc Map and Arc Online, and ESRI out-of-the-box apps for creating web maps and map galleries. The student(s) must also be comfortable creating written instructions for others to follow on how to use the software. Finally, although the student(s) will be provided with guidance and a project staff member will be available daily to answer questions, the students should also be comfortable working autonomously.
Program Dates:
Summer or Fall internship
Security Protocols:
The student must meet all TTB security requirements consistent with the service to be performed.
The university shall report to TTB any proven misconduct of the student while attending school, where school policy and applicable law permit such reporting.
