Agriculture Secretary Vilsack Unveils Updated Research, Education and Economics Information System
New Version Provides Transparency & Accountability to Taxpayers
Media Contact: Jennifer Martin, (202) 720-8188
WASHINGTON, April 13, 2009 – Secretary of Agriculture Tom Vilsack today unveiled an updated version of USDA's Research, Education and Economics Information System (REEIS), which allows the public to measure the impact and effectiveness of the Department's research, education and extension programs. The latest version adds additional data sources, opens data to Google Search and provides for extended data analysis.
"The new version of the USDA's information system provides the public with access to up-to-date research information and tools to understand how their funds are being used to advance our knowledge of agriculture," Vilsack said. "This is another step President Obama and USDA are taking to provide transparency and accountability to the American taxpayer."
REEIS version 5.0 includes the following new features:
- Project information will now include data from 2007 Accomplishment Reports from the Plan of Work System, and active and recently completed projects in the Current Research Information System (CRIS) database;
- More than 40,000 new and recently completed research projects and more than 1,000 planned programs are now easily accessible through Google Search; and
- Extended data analytics provide new reports and charts that focus on formula grant rankings and project trends by state, region, institution and knowledge area.
Examples of previous research funded by CSREES, which would now be included in REEIS include an environmentally-friendly wood adhesive made with renewable resources; an edible vegetable- and fruit-based film that is used to provide a layer of protection for meats, fruits and vegetables from E. coli and other bacteria and research that identified a gene in rice that allows it to survive flooding, saving the world's poorest populations $1 billion a year in lost rice crops.
Since its initial development in 2002, REEIS has grown and expanded its data repository. REEIS currently houses information from several government agencies, including the Agricultural Research Service, CSREES, Economic Research Service, National Agricultural Statistics Service and U.S. Forest Service.
REEIS offers information ranging from agricultural and forestry research projects, to state accomplishment reports, statistics on funding, publications, institutions, faculties and students. For more information on REEIS, visit www.reeis.usda.gov.
Through federal funding and leadership for research, education and extension programs, CSREES focuses on investing in science and solving critical issues impacting people's daily lives and the nation's future. For more information, visit www.csrees.usda.gov.
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