ARS | Publication request: STEWARDS watershed data system: system design and implementation

Submitted to: Transactions of the ASABE
Publication Type: Peer Reviewed Journal
Publication Acceptance Date: August 17, 2009
Publication Date: September 15, 2009
Citation: Steiner, J.L., Sadler, E.J., Wilson, G.J., Hatfield, J.L., James, D.E., Vandenberg, B.C., Chen, J., Oster, T., Ross, J.D., Cole, K.J. 2009. STEWARDS watershed data system: system design and implementation. Transactions of the ASABE. 52(5):1523-1533.

Interpretive Summary: A web-based, data system was developed (Sustaining the Earth’s Watersheds, Agricultural Research Data System, STEWARDS) as part of ARS’ Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) to increase availability and accessibility of scientific data to the research community. The STEWARDS database accommodates heterogeneous research data and formats. The database includes soil, water, climate, land-management, and socio-economic data from multiple watersheds across the US and can provide data needed for model calibration/validation and other hydrologic assessments. The infrastructure of the STEWARDS application includes a computer network hosting the core software, the user interface, and measurement data with supporting descriptive information. The application is based on geographic information systems software, and links temporal and spatial aspects of data collected from each site within a watershed. The release of STEWARDS marks an advance in the research capacity for the ARS research watershed network by improving access to well-documented and consistently organized data and is becoming the model for additional data and software designs for other ARS research projects.

Technical Abstract: A web-based, data retrieval application was developed (Sustaining the Earth’s Watersheds, Agricultural Research Data System, STEWARDS) as part of ARS’ Conservation Effects Assessment Project (CEAP) to increase availability and accessibility of scientific data to the research community. The STEWARDS database and software design accommodates research data with heterogeneous characteristics and formats. The database includes soil, water, climate, land-management, and socio-economic data from multiple watersheds across the US and can provide data needed for model calibration/validation and other hydrologic assessments. The infrastructure of the STEWARDS application includes a computer network hosting the core software, the user interface, and measurement data with supporting meta information. The application is GIS-based, and couples temporal and spatial aspects of data collected from each site within a watershed. The release of STEWARDS (accessible at http://arsagsoftware.ars.usda.gov/ceap/ ) marks an advance in the research capacity for the ARS research watershed network by improving access to well-documented and consistently organized data and is becoming the model for additional data and software designs for other ARS research projects.