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EnviroAtlas-Communities: Identifying Nature’s Benefits, Deficits, and Opportunities for Equitable Distribution in Populated Places
Citation:
Jackson, L., A. Neale, D. Nowak, A. Sears, C. Rudder, AND D. Pilant. EnviroAtlas-Communities: Identifying Nature’s Benefits, Deficits, and Opportunities for Equitable Distribution in Populated Places. Presented at Mauritius Embassy Earth Day event, Port Louis, MAURITIUS, April 22, 2014.
Impact/Purpose:
Mauritius U.S. Embassy Earth Day poster session
Description:
Cities, towns, and Tribes rely on clean air, water and other natural resources for economic sustainability and quality of life. Yet natural resources and their benefits are not always fully understood or considered in local decisions. EnviroAtlas is a web-based, easy-to-use mapping tool designed for citizens and planners to assess the status of local and surrounding natural resources and their benefits to society. The Communities component emphasizes connections between ecosystem services and public health and well-being. More than 100 ecosystem services metrics and indicators, socioeconomic data layers, and societal benefits are summarized at the U.S. Census block-group level. Community data can also be used with EnviroAtlas national data, summarized by 12 digit HUC (USGS hydrologic units). These resources help to identify where natural infrastructure meets community demand and where supply falls short. The initial public release of EnviroAtlas features six pilot communities: Durham, NC; Portland, ME; Tampa, FL; Pittsburgh, PA; Milwaukee, WI; and Phoenix, AZ.