TBO.com - TBO is Tampa Bay Online

Upgraded Water Atlas Web Site Eases Data Flow

ADVERTISEMENT

By B.C. MANION

The Tampa Tribune

Published: September 17, 2008

TAMPA - It's a Web site that can be useful to teachers writing lesson plans, scientists tracking water quality, real estate agents selling waterfront properties and anglers looking for a good fishing hole.

It's not new, but the Web site, www.wateratlas.org, has been upgraded to tap into a much broader array of information, said Jim Griffin, associate in research for the Florida Center for Community Design and Research at the University of South Florida.

It now links water atlases from 10 counties and the Tampa Bay Estuary program in a single database and provides links to information from dozens of local, state and private organizations.

The site also takes advantage of new technology and emphasizes ease of use, said Shawn Landry, interim director for the Florida Center for Community Design and Research.

The newest version of the Hillsborough County and city of Tampa water atlas, which went live Friday, has links to all of the site's data on its front page.

"We've gone with the three-click rule - if you can make the information people need three clicks away, that's sort of the goal," Landry said.

The atlas seeks to be a one-stop shop for people wanting a wide range of information about lakes, streams, ponds, rivers and other water bodies.

Users can report water pollution problems, share knowledge about a lake's history, submit photos and learn more about topics including water clarity, wildlife, water levels and air quality.

They can look at maps of lakes, find out about fishing regulations and learn how to identify and combat invasive aquatic plants.

Griffin and Landry were in on the ground floor of developing Hillsborough County's water atlas a decade ago, and have been involved in expanding it and making it easier for people to use ever since.

The new design of the front page of the atlas lets users see what's available, unlike the old design, which buried a lot of useful data, Griffin said.

Beyond documents and reports compiled by various agencies, the Web site contains information collected in the field by professionals and by Florida Lakewatch volunteers.

Last week, David Eilers, a field scientist on the Florida Center team, and Carmelo Del Valle, an engineering technician for Hillsborough County, took a boat onto Gass Lake to complete an analysis.

They mapped the lake's bottom, checked out its plant life and took a water sample for chemical analysis.

Their work will be posted on the Web site - which is a far cry from Jack Merriam's original vision for the lake atlas.

Merriam, then an environmental scientist for Hillsborough County, wanted to create a storehouse of information on the county's lakes and compile it onto a compact disc. He hired Griffin to tackle the project.

The idea evolved into developing a Web site instead, and now the initiative has numerous partners. The partners, including the city of Tampa, share costs and information.

One of upgraded site's advantages is the ability to share information across county lines, said Merriam, who nows works for Sarasota County.

Data for Hillsborough's original atlas stopped at the county's boundaries, though watersheds and water bodies often cross county lines, Merriam said.

One day, Landry hopes the boundaries will be irrelevant. He envisions a water atlas that includes all of Florida's counties and beyond.

For information about The Water Atlas Program, call (813) 974-4042.

Water Atlas Information

Here's a list of the current water atlases on www.wateratlas.org

• Florida Atlas of Lakes

• Hillsborough County and City of Tampa Water Atlas

• Lake County Water Atlas

• Tallahassee-Leon County Water Atlas

• Manatee County Water Atlas

• Orange County Water Atlas

• Pinellas County Water Atlas

• Polk County Water Atlas

• Sarasota County Water Atlas

• Seminole County Watershed Atlas

• Tampa Bay Estuary Atlas

• Volusia County Water Atlas

Reporter B.C. Manion can be reached at (813) 865-1507 or bmanion@tampatrib.com. Keyword: Lakes Website, for an audio slideshow about the upgraded Web site.

Loading Comments...

Email Print

ADVERTISEMENT