Integration of Ecosystem Services

into a Decision Support Framework

Mark Judson, CEO

Environmental Monitoring Sensor Intelligence Corp (EIM SENSOR)12801 Worldgate Drive, Suite 500

Herndon, Virginia 20170

mark.judson@eimsensor.com

(703) 232-7111

http://eimsensor.com

What we are doing with EPA

Mission Statement:Mission Statement:

Provide the Provide the information and methodsinformation and methods needed by decision makers to assess the needed by decision makers to assess the

benefits of ecosystem goods and services to human wellbenefits of ecosystem goods and services to human well--being for inclusion in being for inclusion in

management alternatives.management alternatives.

EPA Key Issues: EPA Key Issues: Water, Air, Climate, Wastes and Pollution, Green Living, Human

Ecological Research ProgramEcological Research Program

EPA Key Issues: EPA Key Issues: Water, Air, Climate, Wastes and Pollution, Green Living, Human

Health, and Ecosystems Services.

Decision Support Initiatives: Decision Support Initiatives: By 2013 The EPA and partner organizations will By 2013 The EPA and partner organizations will

complete four sitecomplete four site--specific demonstration projects that illustrate how regional and specific demonstration projects that illustrate how regional and

local managers can proactively use alternative future scenarios to conserve and local managers can proactively use alternative future scenarios to conserve and

enhance ecosystem goods and services in order to benefit human wellenhance ecosystem goods and services in order to benefit human well--being and to being and to

secure the integrity and productivity of ecological systems.secure the integrity and productivity of ecological systems.

Tampa Bay Place Based Study

Services– Water Quality Regulation

– Water Quantity Regulation

– Flood Protection

– Habitat/Refugia Support

– CO Sequestration

Tampa Bay Ecological Research Pilot

– CO2 Sequestration

– Food and Fiber Production

– Recreation and other Cultural

services

Research Prioritization

• Basic C-maps defined.

• Stressors:– Nitrogen Loading

– Phosphorus Loading

– Mercury Loading– Mercury Loading

– Atmospheric CO2

– Temperature

– Precipitation

– Sea Level

GIS Application Integration

Working with GIS-enabled information and

dynamic KML, data visualization can be provided

directly into GIS applications such as Google

Earth.

“Any tool is only as good as it is accessible”

-- Marc (Nietsche) Russell

Spatial Datasets

Seagrass maps

TopoBathymetry Crop Data Layer

Percent Impervious Percent CanopySoils

Internet Telemetry

Monitor and control a broad range

of environmental factors.

• Water Level, Flow Rate, Temperature,

Soil Moisture, Air Quality, Humidity, PH,

Wind Direction, Barometric Pressure, Wind Direction, Barometric Pressure,

Rain Gauge.

Remote Telemetry Units are compact

with a rugged design for easy

installation.

Impact Analysis

Many Factors are converging at once.

�Miniaturization of sensors

�Wireless Capabilities

�Cost Factors�Cost Factors

�Ubiquitous Internet

�Interoperability (XML, GIS)

Focus areas for EPA

Monitoring

Decision

Support

Data Quality

Coverage

Granularity

MappingModeling

In other words…

We must tie the Maps, Models and Monitoring into a common framework

This is NOT AN EASY TASK!

EIM Sensor Decision Framework

Pressure Sensor Temperature Sensor Moisture Sensor

Satellite, GSM, RFID

GPS GPS

Satellite Adaptor GSM Adaptor RFID Adaptor

Sensor and/or Location Data

GIS Reporting

Command and

Control GUI

Interface

Data WarehouseStatistic

Analysis

Disparate

Sensor

data

overlay

Trigger/

Alert

Processing

EIM SENSOR Rule Engine

Data

Correlation

and

Discovery

Command

& Control

Satellite Adaptor GSM Adaptor RFID Adaptor

XML Gateway

Internet

Email/Pager

Concept: Buoy Sensor Data-

Driven Beach Monitoring

• Health Departments• Beach Electronic Billboards• Regulatory Agencies• Academic Scientists

Decision Support Platform• Mapping, Modeling, and Monitoring Integration Solution

– Combine GIS applications with Sensor Data.

– Online search, monitor, and control features.

• Monitor and Control

– Ability to integrate virtually any type of sensor with GIS web application.

– Decision dashboards provide near-real time access to information.

• Market Applications• Market Applications

– Urban Planning Land Management

– Water Quality Management

– Transportation Planning

– Risk Mitigation/Disaster Recovery

– Oil Pipelines/Utilities

– Natural resources and environmental monitoring

Hillsborough County Case Study

Decision Support ToolGoal: To provide tools, decision support platforms and

simulation models to local managers to make informed

decisions on affect on different ecosystems by changing

economic development and land use.

Products:Products:

– Atlas of ecological services under various alternate

futures

– Interactive county map showing connectivity between

ecological services and humans

– Fully customizable map tool for running scenarios

Region of Interest: HillsboroughLocated midway along the

west coast of Florida,

Hillsborough County is

mosaic of land (1,048 mi2)

and inland water (24mi2).

Why Hillsborough?•Diversity of ecosystems

•Fast developing County

•Large GIS data depository

Valuation of Ecosystem Services

Texas A&M Corpus Christi has been

working with the EPA to establish Non

market valuation techniques and apply it to

Tampa bay.

•First: inventory of ES

•Second: Addressing the gaps in•Second: Addressing the gaps in

valuation studies. Value

transfer is convenient but requires a

valid study.

• Third: The value of an ES is

not the end-all when it comes

to making decisions about the

environment

Policy Making Workshop

� Alternate Futures for Tampa Bay Region

� Scenario generation 2050

� Add 3.2 million people and 1.5 million jobs to the current landscape

Better Smart Growth Decisions

Visualization Tools

Spatial Searching Engine for

retrieving ecosystem services

within Hillsborough County

Interactive simulation modelsfor simulating the impact of ecosystem services based on user defined factors

Acknowlegements

�Working Team:

•EIM Sensor �Barney, Petrova, Gustafson, Yang, Garrett

•Gulf Ecology Division�Russell, Dantin, Devereux, Genthner, Harvey, Lewis, Nestlerode,

and Raimondo

•Gulf of Mexico Program•Gulf of Mexico Program�Hayes

•Texas A&M Corpus Christi�Yoskowitz

�Tampa Bay Steering Committee:•Headed by Tampa Bay Estuary Program of Tampa Bay.

Questions and Answers

Back-up Slides

Example Pathway

Production Function

GraphsGraphs

Literature

12%21%62%

National National Watersheds:Watersheds:

Data model based on an inventory of Data model based on an inventory of

data layersdata layers

Mapping, Modeling, Monitoring Watersheds

�Increased Nitrogen Loading�Increased Phosphorus Loading�Increased Atmospheric CO2�Increased Atmospheric CO2�Increased Temperatures�Changes in Precipitation�Sea Level Rise