5100 sites, 8100 samples

…and counting!

Towards an Ontario Flowing Waters Monitoring Network

“ …a new way of doing business”

Les Stanfield Ontario Ministry of Natural Resources,Southern Science and Information Section

Statement of Problem:• Flowing waters: the circulatory system for ecosystems.... Maximum contact with humans• Monitoring conditions or assessing impacts annually worth millions?

• data that are: not comparable; inaccessible; and difficult to share ….. Results in

“duplication of effort/increased costs & qa/qc issues”

•patchy distribution (temporal, spatial, indicator type) hinders broad scale monitoring and state of resource reporting

•inability to develop tools/advance science to support management, policy and planning in all areas

But there is some good news!

The “informal” Ontario River Monitoring Network:

• partnerships• foundations:

• standard protocols• standard database• sharing (data in …data out)• training• data to further science, build tools

OBBN, EMAN, LOMT, show it can work!

standard protocol

CAs MNR DFO NGOs

training

databaseapplications

questionsresearch

tools

reportexport

Planning • species at risk• storm water protection

Current Situation

• development• biodiversity• state of resources

Show me the “DATA”…• cost of spatially

extensive data is essential to land use impact studies !!!

• No one agency could afford this

• Citizen initiatives well placed to populate database

2500 data points and counting in Lake Ontario tributaries

“Issues” with the “interim” Ontario River Monitoring Network

• lack of coordination and formal structure to support a network (hard to obtain institutional support)

• insufficient resources within any single agency (let someone else pay for it ….)

•standard methods only available for wade able streams

•no “functional” database for storing, archiving, sharing and analyzing data

• insufficient and unrecognized training/certification

standard protocol

CAs MNR DFO NGOs

training

databaseapplications

questionsresearch

tools

reportexport

Planning • species at risk• storm water protection

• development• biodiversity• state of resources

science

supportexpert

consultation

A formalized Network would

• coordinate activities with the “community”– (site selection, study design, data gap filling etc)

• facilitate the development/review of more standardized monitoring protocols

• establish data management system that encourages standardization, enables data access and sharing among partners and the public

• provide training and support (establish certification protocol)

Additional Benefits....

• improves communication among partners and science community

• ensures science is incorporated into policy efficiently

• breaks down barriers and jurisdictional gridlock

• creates a data archiving system!

Recent Progress!

One step at a time....

Information Management• A variety of applications

(typically Access) that facilitate local use (i.e., Habprogs, LFlow, OBBN, individual CA’s, Fishnet etc.,)

• Key fields within one system but..... Between systems Nightmare!

• Generally desktop only2006: User Needs Survey – direction for action

FWIMS Framework

Flowing Waters

Information System

(WaterlooServer)

External Partner DataContributed via Online

Forms or Batch Upload

External Viewing via WWW

WMS/

WFSFlowing WatersDatabase

MNR Aquatic Resource Area

(ARA)Survey Point(LIO Server)

WMS/

WFS

Other ExternalPartnerData?

(WMS/WFS Servers)

WMS/

WFS

DFO MunicipalDrain DB

(GRCA Server)WMS/

WFS

ScientificCollectors

PermitOSAP DataCollection

Forms

Fish Web Collaborative

(fish distribution)

• Web based• Integrates geospatial capabilities

– Viewing, editing locations• Manage site codes and geocoordinates• Inventory of data availability• Export capabilities • Obtains information from other databases

FWIS Scope• Provincial in scope – all flowing waters

data (OSAP first)• Free viewing of data,

– Controlled access. • metadata critical

– Protocols / study design

“The needs of the many far outweigh the needs of one”

(Spock to Kirk)

• study design is critical

• site selection criteria must be documented

• enables multiple uses of data • hierarchies of scale

Examples – Site and Sample availability

Ontario Flowing Waters Information System

(data collected by many agencies with Ontario Stream Assessment Protocol and other compatible protocols)

Colours on this map represent confidence in site locations

Examples – Data availability

Examples – Mapping location

Note: colour (corrected) – zoom in or out to get bearings

Editing site locations

More Editing

Drop down menu

New or missing sites enter in coordinates!

Drag and Drop

Next Steps• Data export

– Current link to habprogs, – later new Ontario river database– Ultimately from partner databases

• Data summary reports/exports• Study design metadata • Queries on specific datasets

Flowing Waters Database

• Replace HabProgs (with deepest sympathy)

• Incorporate as many riverine needs as possible:– Fish, habitat, temperature, geomorphology,

discharge, (benthos?)• Data model under development

– Phasing in over next two years

Building Corporate Support

• Development committee (multi agencies – sections: MNR, DFO, MTO, MOE, CAs NGOs)

• Several workshops planned to build support for a network approach

• Ensure approach meets multiple needs of users

• Solicit support from partner organizations

Coming to a River near you!

• Scan-able Forms– All current OSAP modules (including

benthos)– Prototypes for beta testing next spring

• Fill out > send to Peterborough > scan > send back > edit > add to master

If you build it they will come....

This is one small step towards solutions to address the myriad of science needs and policy issues around flowing water

So come along and have some fun!

Acknowledgements• Funding from COA and

Geoconnections

• Lots of support from Silvia Strobl and Robert Arends