SWIN-WAFER: One-stop source for fire and water data in the Southwest

Product Type: Science Feature

Year: 2005

Author(s): Hanson, L. and J. Wilson

Pages: 3

Suggested Citation: Hanson, L. and J. Wilson. 2005. SWIN-WAFER: One-stop source for fire and water data in the Southwest. http://www.fort.usgs.gov/resources/research_briefs/SWIN-WAFER.asp.

Abstract

The arid Southwest is home to an incredibly diverse natural environment, a mosaic of land ownership, and a rapidly growing population. Balancing the conflicting demands on natural resources requires access to the best available scientific information. A key objective of the National Biological Information Infrastructure (NBII) Southwest Information Node (SWIN) is to make this information available to natural resource managers, scientists, policymakers, citizens, and other stakeholders in the southwestern states of Arizona, Colorado, Nevada, New Mexico, and Utah. The NBII is a broad, collaborative program coordinated by the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS) that provides increased access to data and information on the nation’s biological resources. SWIN is one of several NBII regional information nodes that compiles biological resource datasets for a specific area of the U.S. and develops Web-based tools to support them.