The UMIS Project
will address the three following Grand Challenges for Engineering identified by the National Academy of Engineering:
Provide Access to Clean Water
UMIS will provide a centralized platform for data access, integration and scientific discovery for water-quality issues. This platform will assist researchers in addressing local and system-wide impediments to clean drinking water through strategic and scientifically credible monitoring. Ecological management practices can be evaluated for effectiveness.
Manage the Nitrogen Cycle
Decisionmakers, producers, and extension staff will be able to assess the relative efficacy of local (e.g., best management practices) versus system-level (e.g., state strategies) solutions to reduce pollution, optimize the use of resources, establish tradeoffs among competing objectives, and assess the effectiveness of states’ nutrient reduction strategies.
Engineer the Tools of Scientific Discovery
UMIS will drive partnerships and collaborations, increase dissemination of information about a critical natural resource to empower stakeholders at all levels, and set new standards for the communication of scientific data. The development of new cyber-infrastructure tools and data management systems will promote research, knowledge creation and dissemination.
