Effective
management of the Great Lakes resources at the ecosystem level requires
considerable coordination of efforts from many groups. Geospatial data
that can assist management efforts are collected at many scales ranging
from small, site-specific projects to basin-wide examinations. Because
of the fragmented nature of the data available, management decisions
are often hampered by a lack of critical information that may exist
but is either not immediately available or not in a useful form. Geographic
Information Systems (GIS) and Decision Support Systems (DSS) are mechanisms
that can be used to provide managers with the capability to integrate
and analyze multiple data sources on a desktop computer. The Great Lakes
Basin Ecosystem Team formed a GIS/DSS Core Group to explore and determine
how to advance the use of this important natural resource management
tool to better serve our mission and work with partners.
USFWS
Geographic Information Systems Strategic Plan, 8/15/06 (pdf-345Kb)
GIS-Decision Support Systems Applied in the Great Lakes: Great
Lakes Islands
The Great Lakes Islands Committee had an identified
need for GIS support to prioritize Great Lakes island acquisition for
the Refuge system. The Core Group determined the needs of the Islands
Committee were the best example to demonstrate the utility of GIS/DSS
to the Team.
Visit the Great
Lakes Islands GIS/DSS website (U.S. Geological Survey-Upper Midwest
Environmental Science Center)
Great Lakes Lake Sturgeon
A project to significantly enhance a unified, interactive web-based
GIS application and meta-database of Great Lakes lake sturgeon information
important to researchers and managers is underway. The database will
improve upon the existing maps and database developed for the 2000 and
2002 GLFT Lake Sturgeon Workshops. A draft of this project has been
developed through a cooperative effort of the U.S. Fish and Wildlife
Service-Fishery Resources Offices in the Great Lakes Basin, U.S. Geological
Survey-Upper Midwest Science Center, and numerous state, tribal, provincial,
university, and other researchers.
Other Great Lakes GIS/DSS-related links
Great
Lakes Geographic Information System
A cooperative effort by the U.S.
Fish and Wildlife Service, Great
Lakes Fishery Commission, U.S.
Environmental Protection Agency, Michigan
Department of Natural Resources' Institute
for Fisheries Research and the University
of Michigan. The primary objective of the Great Lakes
Geographic Information System Project is to integrate data from each
lake basin into a common database to provide an inventory of basinwide
aquatic resources. The User Guide is intended to introduce and orient
users to the Great Lakes GIS Project. Users can find information on
goals and objectives, data and projects available in the Great Lakes
GIS.
Great
Lakes Region GIS Data by Topic on GLIN (Great Lakes Information Network)
View or download maps of the Great Lakes Region organized by topic:
biota, political boundaries, elevation, etc. Maps are available in a
variety of formats such as GIF, PDF and Google Earth.
