The visualization and dissemination of the Great Lakes Regional Toxic Air Emissions Inventory: Using geographic information systems and interactive Internet mapping applications
- Great Lakes Commission, Ann Arbor, MI (United States)
The eight Great Lakes states, the Canadian province of Ontario and the Great Lakes Commission are involved in a collective effort to develop a regional inventory of toxic air emissions for 49 targeted toxic pollutants from point and area sources. The regional inventory will soon be expanded to include emissions from mobile sources. The inventory, when aggregated for all eight states and Ontario, will eventually reside at the US Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), Great Lakes National Program Office (GLNPO). To aid in the understanding and interpretation of the inventory`s data, an effort has been undertaken to generate two map series for the entire region: (1) choropleth maps of total toxic air emissions at the county level of geography and (2) dot maps showing facility locations. To ensure an effective and efficient dissemination process among the province and various states, an interactive Internet mapping interface prototype was modified and used for the project. With an interactive online visualization tool, the inventory collectors, managers and researchers can quickly and effectively view the inventory`s data on maps, charts or spreadsheets. These graphics can be used as: (1) a QA/QC function for the inventory collectors, (2) a simple communication of complex data to support managers decision making and (3) a means for easy access to complex data and information about any geographic area in the region for the researchers or general public. This paper describes the development and use of PC Arc/Info, ArcView and MapInfo geographic information systems (GIS), mapping and Internet interfacing applications to visualize, disseminate and convey the emissions inventory data in a meaningful and useful manner. The various methods developed and implemented to convert, process and prepare the inventory data and Internet interface for use with a standard Internet web browser also are described in this paper.
- OSTI ID:
- 351207
- Report Number(s):
- CONF-970677--
- Country of Publication:
- United States
- Language:
- English
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