Project: South Florida Information Access (SOFIA)

Web Site: http://sofia.usgs.gov

Location: Total System; Broward, Charlotte, Collier, Dade, Glades, Hendry, Highlands, Indian River, Lee, Martin, Monroe, Okeechobee, Orange, Osceola, Palm Beach, Polk and St. Lucie Counties

Principal Investigator: Heather Henkel, hhenkel@usgs.gov, 727.803.8747x3028

Project Personnel: Tracy Enright, tenright@usgs.gov, 727.803.8747x3083; Kathy Pegram, kpegram@usgs.gov

Other Supporting Organizations: None

Associated Projects: SOFIA database (Roy Sonenshein, sunshine@usgs.gov 305.717.5824); SOFIA Metadata (Jo Anne Stapleton, jastapleton@usgs.gov, 703.648.4592); Development of a Digital Library of Biological Information for the South Florida Ecosystem (Gail Clement, clementg@fiu.edu, 305.348.6745)

Overview & Status: The South Florida ecosystem, encompassing the Kissimmee River Valley, Florida Bay, urban areas, developed agricultural areas, rangelands, and wetlands, has been altered greatly over the last 100 years. Resource managers, Federal, State, and local agencies, and other groups are seeking to reverse environmentally damaging actions taken during that period. The U. S. Geological Survey (USGS) began a research program in support of the restoration of the Everglades and South Florida ecosystem in 1995. USGS personnel have been conducting research projects designed to provide sound scientific information on which resource managers can base their decisions. The USGS also has recognized the need for a central site to provide all interested parties with information from this research and access to these data. The South Florida Information Access web site (SOFIA) was created as a 'one-stop-shopping' access point for research on South Florida. All USGS South Florida Ecosystem Program research projects, ranging from mercury contamination in the Everglades to coral reef decline, are online at this site. The site provides project descriptions, publication references, data, presentations, and contact information, as well as general interest items, such as photographs and posters.

Needs & Products: The website provides direct access to the data, metadata, and publications associated with the SOFIA program. In addition to the new information that is provided daily on the SOFIA site, we also began hosting the website for the South Florida Restoration Science Forum (SFRSF) in May, 1999. This includes the actual posters that were presented at the forum, in addition to audio of some of the presentations and links to related restoration efforts.

Interagency coordination: Initial contact made with ENP, USACE, Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission, SFWMD, Broward County DPEP, Dade County DERM, NOAA, and the Seminole Tribe regarding data access and metadata on the SOFIA site.

Results published: 1. Poster session and talk, South Florida Restoration Science Forum (May 1999) 2. Poster session and demonstration, International Association of Landscape Ecology (April 2000)

Synthesis and Prediction: The SOFIA website will provide access to several synthesis project currently underway as part of the SOFIA program.

Application to Everglades Restoration: The SOFIA web site will facilitate access to data and information by researchers, water managers, environmental groups and the general public so that science based decisions can be made with minimum delay