Oregon Explorer : Natural Resources Information for Current and Future Decision-Makers
Location
Peavy/Richardson Halls
Event Website
http://uenr.forestry.oregonstate.edu/
Start Date
3-15-2008 8:30 AM
End Date
3-15-2008 9:00 AM
Description
Oregon Explorer (www.oregonexplorer.info), a natural resources digital library developed by Oregon State University Libraries and the Institute for Natural Resources, was created for Oregon’s natural resource decision-makers to promote informed and streamlined public and private decision-making. Examples of projects and successes of the Oregon Explorer include a basin portal for the Umpqua River, developed in conjunction with the Partnership for Umpqua Rivers, as well as topic portals, such as the Land Use Explorer launched in October 2007 to inform Oregonians about land use history and current issues. We have learned that in the natural resources arena, user needs change with different geographies, yet the adaptations made at the local level are useful in expanding the content and services delivered at the statewide level. It is not enough to just provide access to data or documents. Users want access to a wide variety of integrated information resources—digital documents, interactive maps and reports, decision support, high resolution imagery, and access to available expertise. With Oregon Explorer becoming established as a tool for decision-makers and citizens, members of the team are exploring opportunities to use the digital library in classroom settings. Students in Oregon’s K-12 schools and OSU’s undergraduates are groups that we feel could benefit from the natural resources information and tools available. Proposals are being developed to extend Oregon Explorer’s capabilities for use in primary and secondary education. Oregon Explorer is being used in several university classrooms and will become more integrated as the content and tools grow and as strategies for further incorporation are developed. This evolving natural resources digital library will enable current and future decision-makers to learn about Oregon's environment and to actively engage in creating and sharing knowledge before decisions are made.
Oregon Explorer : Natural Resources Information for Current and Future Decision-Makers
Peavy/Richardson Halls
Oregon Explorer (www.oregonexplorer.info), a natural resources digital library developed by Oregon State University Libraries and the Institute for Natural Resources, was created for Oregon’s natural resource decision-makers to promote informed and streamlined public and private decision-making. Examples of projects and successes of the Oregon Explorer include a basin portal for the Umpqua River, developed in conjunction with the Partnership for Umpqua Rivers, as well as topic portals, such as the Land Use Explorer launched in October 2007 to inform Oregonians about land use history and current issues. We have learned that in the natural resources arena, user needs change with different geographies, yet the adaptations made at the local level are useful in expanding the content and services delivered at the statewide level. It is not enough to just provide access to data or documents. Users want access to a wide variety of integrated information resources—digital documents, interactive maps and reports, decision support, high resolution imagery, and access to available expertise. With Oregon Explorer becoming established as a tool for decision-makers and citizens, members of the team are exploring opportunities to use the digital library in classroom settings. Students in Oregon’s K-12 schools and OSU’s undergraduates are groups that we feel could benefit from the natural resources information and tools available. Proposals are being developed to extend Oregon Explorer’s capabilities for use in primary and secondary education. Oregon Explorer is being used in several university classrooms and will become more integrated as the content and tools grow and as strategies for further incorporation are developed. This evolving natural resources digital library will enable current and future decision-makers to learn about Oregon's environment and to actively engage in creating and sharing knowledge before decisions are made.
https://digitalcommons.usu.edu/cuenr/7thBiennial/Sessions/16
Comments
Session #7: Innovations in Outreach Education. Presentation for 7th Biennial Conference on University Education in Natural Resources, March 13-15, 2008, Corvallis, Oregon. Featured in the ScholarsArchive@OSU in Oregon State University. Suggested Citation: Wirth, A.A., Salwasser, J. 2008. Oregon explorer : natural resources information for current and future decision-makers. UENR 7th Biennial Conference, ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University. http://hdl.handle.net/1957/8161