Data and Monitoring

Air Toxic Emissions Inventory
The newest Great Lakes Regional Air Toxic Emissions Inventory is part of an effort to measure the toxic air emissions that affect the air and water quality and the communities of the Great Lakes basin. Funded by the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, it lists emissions by type, quantity and source. For more information, contact Jon Dettling at dettling@glc.org

Air Toxic Emissions Software (RAPIDS)
The Great Lakes region's leadership role in toxic emission estimation technology. The Regional Air Pollutant Inventory Development System (RAPIDS) is the first ever multi-jurisdictional pollutant emissions inventory software that has been developed. This software is an important product of the binational steering committee effort to design and implement a regional inventory containing sources of toxic air contaminants. For more information, contact Jon Dettling at dettling@glc.org

Beach Health
The U.S. EPA Great Lakes National Program Office is supporting the Great Lakes Commission in using the Great Lakes as a pilot for communicating the results of USEPA's National beach survey a beach health survey, assessing the current degree of consistency with beach closure and restriction advisories, generating a report of action items, and expediting a Great Lakes mapping effort that will connect with and enhance a national database. For more information, contact Christine Manninen at manninen@glc.org

Coastal Wetlands
Coastal wetlands in the Great Lakes basin have critically important ecological values and functions, yet there are currently few basinwide data available for assessing their ecological health. The Great Lakes Commission has convened a coastal wetlands consortium of scientists and policymakers to expand the monitoring and reporting capabilities of the U.S. and Canada under the Great Lakes Water Quality Agreement. For more information, contact John Hummer at jhummer@glc.org

GIS Online
The Geographic Information Systems (GIS) Online project builds upon the regional Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN) to provide Internet-based access to, and online mapping capability for, a variety of consistent spatial data layers covering the Great Lakes Basin. For more information, contact Stuart Eddy at seddy@glc.org

GLINDA Clearinghouse
The Great Lakes Information Network Data Access (GLINDA) Clearinghouse includes "metadata" on a host of coastal zone and watershed data from across the region. Metadata is a systematic approach to describing information holdings including its source, lineage, accuracy, completeness, quality, availability and other important characteristics that can be queried for by web search engines. Data listed include information on political boundaries, demographics, transportation, land uses, terrain information, soils, geology, hydrology and photography or satellite imagery. For more information, contact Stuart Eddy at seddy@glc.org

Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS)
The Great Lakes Commission is leading development of an integrated Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) to provide critical real-time data for multiple users, including, among others, resource managers, researchers, homeland security interests, the commercial shipping industry and the recreational boating community. For more information, contact Roger Gauthier at gauthier@glc.org

Inland Sensitivity Atlas
Since 1992, the Great Lakes Commission has provided support to the U.S. EPA Region 5 and the Inland Area Planning Committee (IAPC) in developing the Area and Regional Contingency Plan and associated Sub-area Plans under OPA and the National Oil and Hazardous Substances Pollution Contingency Plan (NCP), including Sub-area Plan preparation and data compilation through the use of a geographic information system (GIS) in the Great Lakes States. For more information, contact Stuart Eddy at seddy@glc.org

Lake Erie Habitat Classification
This project will develop an integrated habitat classification and map for the Lake Erie basin that can be used to assist the Lake Erie Lakewide Management Plan (LaMP) to develop a bi-national inventory of the status and trends in the quantity and quality of fish and wildlife habitats in the basin. The integrated habitat map will be used to track improvements in habitat quantity and quality resulting from preservation, conservation, and restoration efforts and to guard against further loss or degradation from land use alterations. For more information, contact Anne Sturm at asturm@glc.org

Lake Michigan Online Atlas
The Lake Michigan Online Atlas provides internet access to a number of information resouces related to the Lake Michigan basin. Reference maps offer an overview of the region. Geospatial data layers can be downloaded for use in a geographic information system (GIS). Hyperlinks and contact information improve access to regional resources. An online mapping tool allows internet users to explore data and create custom maps using standard web browsers. For more information, contact Stuart Eddy at seddy@glc.org

Michigan Clean Water Corps
The Michigan Clean Water Corps (MiCorps) was created through an executive order by Governor Jennifer M. Granholm. The mission of MiCorps is to network and expand volunteer water quality monitoring organizations statewide for the purpose of collecting, sharing and using reliable data; educate and inform the public about water quality issues; and foster water resources stewardship to facilitate the preservation and protection of Michigan’s water resources. For more information, contact Matt Doss at mdoss@glc.org

Monitoring Initiatives

Environmental Monitoring Inventory for the Great Lakes Basin
The Great Lakes Commission is working with U.S. and Canadian federal, state/provincial and local agencies to complete a comprehensive inventory of environmental monitoring programs in the Great Lakes Basin. This inventory will provide a much-needed mechanism for information sharing throughout the region. For more information, contact Anne Sturm at asturm@glc.org

Lake Michigan Tributary Monitoring
This report includes a comprehensive review of monitoring programs at the federal, state and local levels for targeted Lake Michigan watersheds; an analysis of gaps, inconsistencies and unmet needs; an assessment of the adequacy of existing efforts to support critical ecosystem indicators; and recommendations for addressing major monitoring needs, particular those considered most important for lakewide management decisionmaking. For more information, contact John Hummer at jhummer@glc.org

Lake St. Clair Monitoring Inventory
The Great Lakes Commission has been tasked by the U.S. Army Corps of Engineers and local government agencies to develop an inventory of monitoring programs in the Lake St. Clair basin. The Lake St. Clair monitoring inventory will provide a much-needed mechanism for information sharing throughout the region. For more information, contact Anne Sturm at asturm@glc.org

Regional Data Exchange
The Great Lakes Commission plays a key role in coordination of information holdings between states, provinces and federal agencies. The Commission also compiles metadata (information about data) on its servers to facilitate user access to critical information. The Commission also hosts conferences and workshops focused on distributed mapping tools, data exchange agreements between parties and decision support system design and implementation. For more information, contact Christine Manninen at manninen@glc.org

Great Lakes tributary modeling
The Corps is directed to develop sediment transport models for tributaries to the Great Lakes that discharge to Federal navigation channels or Areas of Concern (AOCs). These models are being developed to assist State and local resource agencies evaluate alternatives for soil conservation and nonpoint source pollution prevention in the tributary watersheds. The Great Lakes Commission facilitated coordination with Great Lakes States and implemented a public outreach program to explain what sediment transport models are for, what questions they can address, and how they might be applied in Great Lakes tributaries. For more information, contact Jan Miller at jan.a.miller@usace.army.mil