SOFIA - South Florida Information Access

South Florida is one of several study areas within the United States Geological Survey's Place-Based Studies (PBS) Program. This program was established to provide scientific assistance to resource managers and policy makers, who require an improved scientific information base to resolve or avert complex resource conflicts or environmental problems. The information is designed to have a direct, significant, and immediate impact on management and policy decisions.

Figure 1. SOFIA website, http://sofia.usgs.gov/. Click for larger image.

The South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) website (fig. 1), which is part of the PBS program, was created as a “one-stop-shopping” access point for scientific research information in south Florida. The site was designed around the research projects within the program. Each project on the SOFIA site addresses a specific problem or issue in south Florida. Every project in the program is online at this site, complete with project publications, abstracts of conference presentations, contact information, and links to online project data that are stored on the associated data exchange pages and on the data base website. But the site is not merely a centralized warehouse of material for the research community.

The SOFIA website was designed to be accessible to all visitors and usable by anyone. We provide contextual navigation at the top of every page, which shows the user exactly where they are within the site. This not only clues the visitor in to where they are, but it also allows them to move up through as many levels within that section as they would like. Each individual project page contains the same set of links - proposals, abstracts, data, metadata, publications, biographies, and related links - which gives the visitor access to each section of that project (fig. 2). The visitor can

Figure 2. Example project page on SOFIA. Click for larger image.

immediately see what information is available for that specific project. The website also has a fully functional search engine that allows visitors to search the entire site for specific information. In addition, this site also has a text-based site map, which allows the visitor to view the entire site at a glance. We also provide contacts for various parts of the SOFIA program. Should a visitor have a question or comment about any aspect of the site, this page provides direct access to the right person.

SOFIA is also the host website for the South Florida Restoration Science Forum (Forum) held in May 1999 (fig. 3). The Forum website highlights the powerful connection between science and management decisions in restoration efforts. This site affords a unique opportunity for everyone to see highlights of the most significant restoration science and management efforts underway. Hundreds of scientists from numerous organizations have prepared over 500 posters and exhibits to show the strength of the science that is being done to aid science-based decisions in managing the restoration effort. This website houses over 400 pages (including online versions of the posters that were presented at the forum) and audio and video clips of presentations. This site is organized into 10 topics, such as coastal ecosystems, nutrients, wildlife and wetland ecology, and hydrology.

There are several future directions for the SOFIA website. In addition to adding new scientific information daily, we more educational materials will be added to the site. Part of this initiative will include working with the students at Forest Hill High School in West Palm Beach, Florida. The USGS has helped install a state-of-the-art weather station on the Forest Hill campus that students collect meteorological and groundwater data. The students of Forest Hill will use these data to help forecast weather and will publish their findings in the school newspaper. The SOFIA web site staff will also collaborate with the school to help develop a similar web site for their project. An interactive tour of the SOFIA site is also planned which will allow visitors to experience the sights and sounds of the south Florida ecosystem. This tour will also highlight USGS research projects in the south Florida region, including the Everglades and the Florida Keys.

South Florida Information Access (SOFIA) Website