The application of GIS in watershed planning: The case of the western lake erie basin

Abstract

The Western Lake Erie Basin has been targeted as a major contributor of non-point source pollution into Lake Erie largely due to its predominant land use; agriculture. An increased use of GIS among planners in watershed related issues is needed in order to improve their decision-making capabilities to address the overall health of the watershed. An online GIS system had been created for data sharing and management across the Western Lake Erie Basin. The object of this study was to conduct a survey examining the usage of GIS across the Western Lake Erie Basin in order to advance the knowledge of civic leaders, agency administrators, and planners involved in managing the watershed. Survey participants were asked about their current use of GIS, spatial data resources, data distribution, data sharing, data exchange, and future use of GIS. The survey analysis indicated that while the current online GIS system was a good start, there needed to be more training on how to use GIS among the watershed planning community.