Current |
 Environmental
Mercury Mapping, Modeling, and Analysis (EMMMA): Understanding
the causes and consequences of mercury contamination in the
environment is a problem of enormous geographic scope and scientific
complexity. Effectively addressing this task requires the integration
of data and expertise from many scientific disciplines.
Visit the EMMMA Web site,
a joint effort of the USGS and National Institute of
Environmental Health Sciences, designed to support environmental
and health researchers and land and resource managers
for the following tools:
 Online mapping tools, USGS maps, images and other thematic data
Online model for mercury in fish tissue
Easy access to key environmental mercury datasets
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Future
If you are interested in these decision support systems please contact Paul Hearn. |
| Land Use Portfolio Modeler – Memphis, Tennessee:
Memphis, Tennessee, is one of the sites chosen by the USGS to develop science-based
decision support tools to assist local governments in more effectively
mitigating the risk from natural disasters. Memphis lies within the New
Madrid seismic zone, which is the most well studied earthquake-prone
region in the Central and Eastern U.S. Memphis is also at risk from periodic
flooding by the Mississippi River and other tributary rivers that flow
through the area.
The USGS with the City of Memphis and
Shelby County Department of Planning and Development (DPD)
developed a prototype GIS-based decision support system that provides
citizens and officials in Memphis with the capability to optimize
approaches for mitigating the risk of a major earthquake. The decision
support system, known as the Land Use Portfolio Model (LUPM) integrates
natural science, socioeconomic, and base map data to assist decision
makers in evaluating the economic consequences of various hazard mitigation
strategies. The LUPM estimates changes to the aggregate financial value
of various private and public properties and structures (Portfolios)
under selected natural hazard scenarios, allowing different mitigation
policies to be compared.
A
prototype version of the LUPM was demonstrated to officials of the City
of Memphis and Shelby County on September 30, 2005.
The
LUPM software was installed on GIS systems in both DPD and Office of the
Tax Assessor. Based on discussions with DPD management in 2006, it was
determined that the LUPM could be more effectively made available to key
analysts and decision makers by developing a Web-based version of the software.
Work continues with the DPD in FY2007 to
develop, test, and deploy a Web-based version of the LUPM and evaluate
its usefulness. |
Land Use Portfolio Modeler – Ecosystems Analysis in South
Florida: The Ecosystem Portfolio Modeler (EPM), a web-based
tool, will investigate and communicate
ecological values of land between the Everglades and Biscayne
Bay, in Miami-Dade County, Florida. This tool is being developed
in conjunction with partners at the National Park Service, the
Fish and Wildlife Service, the University of Florida, and the University
of Pennsylvania. The tool will be used to develop, assess, and
communicate strategies for restoring and protecting important ecological
values of the remaining open land in southern Miami-Dade County.
There is intense development pressure in this area that will adversely
affect Everglades and Biscayne National Parks, and the land bridge
in between them.
EPM users will
explore
different land use, restoration, and development scenarios,
and
explore tradeoffs between priorities.
Calculation of the ecological value
of a location will take into account biodiversity potential,
threatened and endangered species, rare and unique habitats, water
quality, landscape patterns and fragmentation, and restoration potential.
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U.S. Department of the Interior |
U.S. Geological Survey