Location: Office of International Research Engagement and Cooperation
Project Number: 0210-22310-009-013-S
Project Type: Non-Assistance Cooperative Agreement
Start Date: Aug 1, 2019
End Date: Jun 30, 2022
Objective:
The objective is to develop a framework and tools to support the collection, storage and access of site-specific data and knowledge necessary to support watershed management decision making. The framework would leverage (a) the Land-Potential Knowledge System (LandPKS) mobile app, and (b) the Ecological Dynamics Interpretive Tool (EDIT).
Approach:
This project would adapt these tools for Peru, test and apply them in a pilot and result in a protocol for replicating this process in other countries around the world. The PhD dissertation would include 3 components, A doctoral student’s dissertation will utilize research from this project and include 3 components, which may serve as chapters in the dissertation to be defined later with University and ARS project staff.
1. Technology development and adaptation. Student would provide leadership and direction, but would be supported by database/computer programming experts who would do the coding necessary to link the tools directly to existing Peru databases (e.g. soil).
2. Pilot testing. This would result in a dataset that could be analyzed to examine soil-vegetation-hydrology relationships across a range of undegraded to degraded rangeland states, including conversion to annual crops. It could also optionally include some mapping of ecological units.
3. Protocol for replication. This would require looking globally at the database, knowledge and policy constraints likely to be encountered in other countries.
