Project Title: Improving Community Access to Transborder Environmental Information in the San Diego-Tijuana Region
SCERP Project Number: EIR97-2
Principal Investigator: Richard Wright
Task Manager's affiliation: San Diego State University
Download the full report (pdf format)Goal: This project seeks to improve community access to environmental data for the Tijuana River Watershed (TRW), thereby contributing to greater awareness of the nature and causes of environmental degradation in the basin.
This project will develop, implement, and evaluate a variety of user-friendly products that build on the existing TRW geographic information system (GIS). These products include an improved Home Page for the TRW, interactive mapping capability on the World Wide Web, a customized version of the database using ArcView 3, and a CD containing the TRW GIS database and a customized version of ArcView 3. Training will be provided on the use of these products to representatives from selected organizations from both sides of the border having environmental education and public outreach programs. Some of these same representatives will serve on an advisory committee to provide guidance in the development of project materials.
This project responds to the concerns expressed by many members of the California-Baja California community that a "lack of information and general absence of environmental awareness on local and regional problems are the main impediments to raising environmental quality and increasing public involvement in solving and preventing environmental problems." It also responds to the fact that the Tijuana River basin is one of the major areas of ecological degradation and concern along the U.S.-Mexico border. Finally, the project coincides with the completion by San Diego State University (SDSU) and the Colegio de la Frontera Norte (COLEF) of the TRW GIS database, the first binationally produced environmental GIS for a major section of the United States- Mexico border.
This project seeks to overcome inadequate public access to environmental information. This problem will be addressed through the development of several user-friendly GIS products and training in their uses. This will translate results of previous SCERP research into a format that is accessible and useable by a much broader audience than is currently possible.
Project is ongoing.
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Last updated 10/30/00