What
is the Midwest
Partnership for Watershed Management Decision Support
Systems?
In
April 2002.US EPA Region 5, Michigan State University,
and Purdue University co-hosted the Midwest Web-based
Spatial Workshop in Chicago. Various decision support
and GIS systems were demonstrated, and experiences and
"wisdom" learned were shared amongst practitioners.
In attendance were:
-
State, Federal, and Tribal water resource managers
- Land
Grant University Extension community
- Watershed
managers and local government representatives
One
outcome of the workshop was a commitment by the participants
to advance Region-wide web-based decision support efforts
for watershed management. The Midwest Partnership for
Watershed Management Spatial Decision Support Systems
is another outcome of the workshop. (More
about the Workshop, its objectives, and attendees.)
Local watershed management forms the basis for continued
economic development and environmental improvement in
the United States. Success depends on an integrated
approach that brings together scientific, education
and training advances made across many individual disciplines
and modified to fit the needs of the individuals and
groups who must write, implement, evaluate, and adjust
their watershed management plans. The purpose of our
5-year project is to:
-
Improve the management of watersheds in Region 5 through
the development, promotion and use of a web-based,
user-friendly, geo-spatial watershed management data
and decision support system (WMDDSS).
-
Help set the standard for other watershed management
programs across the country.
The
partnership includes:
-
Indiana Department of Environmental Management
- International
City/County Management Association
- Michigan
State University, Institute of Water Research
- Purdue
University - Agricultural and Biological Engineering,
Forestry and Natural Resources
- State
University of New York at Buffalo
- University
of Wisconsin Extension
- U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Region 5 - Office
of Public Affairs, Water Division and the Office of
Information Services
- Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources
What
are Spatial Decision Support Systems?
What
Work Are We Doing?
The
partnership workgroups have drafted
documents that describe key strategies for delivering
spatial decision support systems to users. 
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Case
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