Carbon Project to Help Online Invasive Species Monitoring

We're pleased to announce The Carbon Project has been selected to help develop an online data exchange for invasive species monitoring.

The project, funded by a grant from the US EPA, will feature tools to transform Michigan and US Great Lakes invasive species observations into standard, integrated datasets and online data services. The data services will be housed within the National Environmental Information Exchange Network and shared with users through the Great Lakes Information Network.

The National Environmental Exchange Network is a partnership first envisioned in 1998 and includes representatives from States, Tribes, Territories, and EPA collaborating to provide better access to high-quality environmental data to help make better environmental decisions. The Great Lakes Information Network began in 1993 as one of the earliest collaborative information sharing sites on the internet and remains the premier clearinghouse for Great Lakes data and information.

The threat of invasive species transcends borders. We look forward to helping regional partners share mapping data for faster detection and monitoring.

 

According to Mike Beaulac of the Michigan Department of Environmental Quality (MDEQ), “the developed application will allow both agency staff and, more importantly, interested members of the public and local groups to document the location and confirm the identity of invasive plant species.”

Invasive species experts at the Great Lakes Commission note the number of engaged individuals and groups concerned about invasive species and support the project for its “potential to leverage data from local, state and regional programs by using the Exchange Network’s data transformation tools.”

The MDEQ is managing the project in partnership with the Great Lakes Commission and Michigan State University's "Midwest Invasive Species Information Network", with participation from regional partners.

 

- Jeff