Assessing User Needs for Improved Access and Visualization to Statewide Historic Natural Resource Data
The Wisconsin Historic Landscape Database was derived from the 1832-1866 General Land Office survey of Wisconsin, which collected detailed information about soils, vegetation, cultural features, and wetlands. Wider use of the database is limited by the complexity of its GIS (Geographic Information System) format. In 2015 the UW-Madison Baldwin Wisconsin Idea Endowment awarded a small grant to the Forest Landscape Ecology Lab and the State Cartographer’s Office to hold a series of free public forums around the state to gain a better understanding of the user community and help make the database more useful to interested citizens, community organizations, landowners, government agencies, land information professionals, educators, and others.
Outcomes
Results of the forums show a diversity of interests in the Historic Landscape Database, including educating students and the public about how the present landscape has been altered, improved land stewardship focusing on restoration and conservation, better understanding of the past to model future change trajectories, and improved land management practices. Participants articulated a need for access to raw and interpreted data, additional education and training, simple data access and visualization tools for non-technical users, and advanced tools for custom data integration and analysis for more advanced users. These findings will be used in future grant proposals to ensure that funding is used to achieve goals of value to the community.
Focus Areas
Project Leader
David Mladenoff
Professor
- Department/Unit
- Forest and Woldlife Ecology
- School or College
- College of Agricultural and Life Sciences