Education, awareness and prevention are the best tools of an informed public. This project on the County web site has current data relevant to: 1. Property/home ownership, 2. Agriculture, 3. Recreation, 4. Human health, 5. Environmental health. Links will be developed to pertinent sites on the web. Information will be provided through web pages linked to a series of databases. Project partners provide these databases. Most of the data has a spatial or geographic component and the project will answer specific user questions based on an interactive mapping interface.
As stakeholders define questions, answers are supplied via a web site. Users will encounter a graphical map interface of the area from which they can then select a number of tools. These tools execute a number of operations defined by each user. Operations are conducted on databases behind the interface. Some databases contain data that are more or less constant. Other databases will be updated regularly, such as land use, zoning, parcel boundaries. There are additional data fed into the system in real time, such as rainfall, stream flow, illegal dumping incidents and environmental spills, meteorological information, etc.
The partners will provide analyzed, interpreted environmental data using the County website as the access point. Survey methodology is used to provide feedback for modification. Staff will be work with schools, libraries and community groups to publicize this project. A Stakeholders Advisory Group will be created including all user groups. Stipends are offered to classrooms for Science Fair/ Olympic ventures using project data.
Learning Objectives: During this session, participants will learn about an innovate use of GIS mapping and tools used to bring analyzed and interpreted environmental data to a variety of community resident user groups in an easily accessed and understood format enabling the users to make informed decisions about their everyday health and safety
Keywords: Communication Technology, Challenges and Opportunities
Presenting author's disclosure statement:
Organization/institution whose products or services will be discussed: None
I do not have any significant financial interest/arrangement or affiliation with any organization/institution whose products or services are being discussed in this session.