Hawaii Geospatial Data Repository Online Web Mapping Services

EPSCoR Researchers(s): 

Donna Delparte

There is a growing need within the scientific community to access and use valuable data generated by the research community. The NSF EPSCoR IMUA III project is meeting that need for ecosystem and climate researchers in Hawai‘i through an easily accessible data resource, the Hawai‘i Geospatial Data Repository. This repository hosts multiple types of data from the Hawaiian Islands including commonly used State and county GIS data, long term monitoring of rainfall and species diversity profiles that can be accessed through free web based online services such as ArcGIS Online or ArcGIS Explorer. This data is accessible to scientists and the community through an intuitive and easy to use interface that combines point and click accessibility with multiple displays in map and tabular format. See demonstrations and tutorials at: http://geodata.sdal.hilo.hawaii.edu/

As data sharing practices become more widely accepted, scientists will be able to access and combine data from multiple sites, facilitating collaborations, speeding research discoveries and serving as a trusted knowledge base for community decision makers involved in regional planning and resource allocation, disaster mitigation and environmental impact. This data is especially valuable due to the uniqueness of Hawai‘i’s geography, broad species diversity and unique island ecosystems. Hawai‘i EPSCoR is on a mission to make Hawai‘i based, commonly used, scientific data available as an online public service.

One of the biggest obstacles facing the scientific community is its ability to effectively communicate its involvement, importance, or results to the general public in a form that is both accessible and easily understood. Putting valuable data into the hands of community decision makers as well as other scientists boosts the impact of the research beyond its original aims. The Hawai‘i Geospatial Data Repository is poised to become an important resource for the citizens of Hawai‘i and ecosystem scientists around the globe.