As the knowledge base concerning ecosystem management and restoration expands, the need for effective and rapid information transfer and decision support becomes increasingly more important. In addition, not only is the knowledge base enlarging rapidly, but new evaluation and analysis tools are being developed that will, in themselves, require more efficient information management tactics. While existing information and decision support strategies are helpful, new and more effective mechanisms are needed to keep pace with the ever-increasing and more complex knowledge base.
It is important to realize that an important and often critical aspect of any ecosystem management or restoration program is the ability to access pertinent and up-to-date information about the regulatory, planning, and operational aspects of the project in question. Personnel from the Corps as well from outside agencies spend an inordinate amount of time collecting, summarizing, and storing such information. EMRIS should save significant amounts of time, and therefore, dollars, since critical and important information will be easily accessible in one location, and available when at the office, laboratory, and/or field locations.
The organized format of EMRIS will improve the quality of district activities relative to ecosystem considerations and the speed and ease with which they are accomplished. This has been demonstrated by the enthusiasm of users of similar information systems for zebra mussels (Zebra Mussel Information System – ZMIS) and noxious plant management (Noxious and Nuisance Plant management Information System – PMIS and Aquatic Plant management Information System - APIS). EMRIS also encourages users to plan their studies along with an ecosystem perspective by showing the regional context of their study area. By accessing a large selection of information, users will have more flexibility in planning their projects and stronger confidence in their outcome. They will also be able to take advantage of the efforts of other researchers and operational personnel. For those who are new to the process or do not conduct such evaluations on a regular basis, the structured interaction of EMRIS will increase their efficiency. In addition, this system will facilitate exchange with other agencies and academia, and bring new ideas into the entire process.
We hope you find EMRIS a useful and efficient tool for all of your ecosystem management and restoration projects and efforts. As with any project of this magnitude and scope, errors can easily be overlooked. We encourage you to report any erroneous information to either:
Michael Grodowitz
(601) 634-2972
or
Jean O’Neil
(601) 634-3641.
In addition, if a critical or important piece of information is not covered in this version of EMRIS, please feel free to make further information content suggestions to us as well.