The State has contracted SFEI to provide intellectual, scientific, and technical resources to support its efforts to monitor and report on the ever-growing problem of cyanobacterial blooms in its lakes and rivers. These blooms are such a serious concern because they can generate harmful toxins which can threaten wildlife, livestock, pets, and in certain cases, human life.
SFEI's Tony Hale helped to lead a collaborative effort to advance California's management of its environmental data and derived information. This white paper is a synthesis of ideas explored during the Data Summit (June 2014) based on initiatives, current programs and the experiences of individuals from State and federal agencies, academia, private and non-governmental entities.
TARI (Tahoe Aquatic Resource Inventory) was established to meet regional needs for wetlands and stream monitoring. One primary objective was to apply standardized monitoring tools to ensure data comparability and consistent, documented quality. These data help agencies and organizations assess the extent and condition of wetlands in local watersheds and identify and prioritize opportunities for ecological restoration and enhancement in a watershed context.
Help us improve CD3 to better meet your visualization and reporting needs by completing a brief survey. We're interested to learn which features you use and to read your suggestions on any desired, new functionality.
California's EcoAtlas provides access to project tracking information for effective wetland management. The maps and tools can be used to create a complete picture of aquatic resources in the landscape by integrating stream and wetland maps, restoration information, and monitoring results with land use, transportation, and other information important to the state’s wetlands.
CRAM is a standardized, scientifically defensible rapid assessment method for monitoring the ecological conditions of wetlands throughout California. Because it is standardized, one can compare ecological conditions of wetlands locally, regionally and statewide.
SFEI representatives Cristina Grosso and Josh Collins helped to foster the use of EcoAtlas and related tools in the Lahontan region during a recent workshop. The objective of the workshop was to train interested parties inside and outside of the Tahoe Basin on EcoAtlas’ watershed-based decision support tools. The workshop began with a presentation on the applications of watershed-based decision support tools in the regulatory context. A Technical Demo Session and Open Lab provided hands-on training for EcoAtlas’ planning (CARI/TARI, CARI Editor), tracking (Project Tracker), and visualization tools (Landscape Profile Tool).
How can someone click on a map and almost immediately determine the upstream catchment area to that designated point? StreamStats is a web service provided by the US Geological Survey to perform that critical function.
The service can be seamlessly incorporated into web maps to enhance their catchment-finding abilities. In July 2015, USGS released a new version of their StreamStats service, which SFEI recently incorporated into EcoAtlas.
Under the aegis of the Delta Stewardship Council, SFEI helped usher forth a vision document with recommendations for enhancements to California's information technology infrastructure and associated practices. Called "Enhancing the Vision for Managing California's Environmental Information," the white paper was highly collaborative, with a team of writers contributing their ideas from private industry, non-profits, and various state agencies. Dr. Tony Hale, SFEI's Program Director for Environmental Informatics, served as the white paper's chief editor.
With the conclusion of the first round of funding for the Green Plan Bay Area project http://www.sfestuary.org/our-projects/water-quality-improvement/greenplanning/, SFEI produced GreenPlan-IT in collaboration with SFEP, a technical advisory committee, pilot partners, and BASMAA. GreenPlan-IT is an innovative planning tool to help municipalities evaluate multiple management alternatives for green infrastructure in the urban landscape.
