Utilizing ESRI Dashboards to Visualize Geospatial Data in the Saint Louis River Area of Concern

Abstract:

The Saint Louis River Area of Concern (AOC) has multiple project areas that are undergoing either sediment remediation, aquatic habitat restoration or both. These efforts may also lead to subsequent revitalization of the adjacent land and neighborhoods. Using newly available data analysis and visualization tools, three different questions were approached regarding AOC project areas: 1) How is the project area contributing to the ecological goals as defined by the Beneficial Use Impairments? 2) What is the story of change here with respect to habitat, land cover, and land use? 3) How does this contribute to the sense of place at a project area? These questions can be answered using interactive Dashboards. ESRI Dashboards give the ability to visualize data in a concise application for web servers and other data sets. Collecting data from Global Biodiversity Information Facility, EnviroAtlas, EJScreen, and other miscellaneous sources, we created a series of ESRI Dashboard vignettes to illustrate the capabilities of these relatively new data visualization tools, while also conveying their limitations. For both community and professional use, ESRI Dashboards provide a new way to create meaningful displays and interpretations of complex data.