Continuing its proud history as a national leader in watershed restoration and community engagement, the Maryland Department of Natural Resources has developed an interactive, web based mobile mapping and field data collection system for identifying and mapping potential watershed restoration opportunities throughout the State.
The innovative, iPhone-based tool enables the Project Partners, including the Chesapeake & Coastal Service, federal agencies, local governments, and schools, to use a free mobile phone app to log the location, site conditions, and photos of possible watershed restoration opportunities.
In the field, project partner staff will be able to add the following key information for restoration projects, along with photos of each site which will then be uploaded and tagged automatically to the corresponding HUC-8 watershed unit, and shown on an interactive, web-based map that project partners and MDDNR staff can view in real time. As restoration projects are further developed, the data points will be categorized by MDDNR as Potential Opportunities, Concept Review, Design Stage, Permitting, Under Construction and Complete. Information on the estimated phosphorous and nitrogen reduction value of each opportunity or project is essential for tracking progress towards compliance with the Chesapeake Bay TMDL and the State’s progress on watershed restoration.
These tools will allow organizations throughout Maryland to partner together to gather data in a standardized format that will provide the necessary information for efficient and effective remediation efforts throughout the state.