Data Visualization Tools

The UMESC Activity Report is sent out to our partners. The Activity Report has most of the publications and high profile products that our center scientists were involved in and goes to about 1500 different partners.

R is a free software that is used to run statistical analyses and models as well as create figures such as graphs and maps that can be used to display the data collected. While using this software researchers can also use downloadable packages that increase the number of analyses and models they can perform. Statisticians and researchers collaborate to create new packages that can be used by other...

Occupancy models are used by researchers to estimate the true occupancy of a species and accounts for imperfect detection of organisms in a study. Researchers will visit sampling sites to collect species detection data (e.g., species count). Occupancy models can predict the detection probability (probability of finding a species at a specific time and site) and occupancy (probability a species...

Presence-absence surveys are commonly used to estimate the spatial distribution of a species. However, during a field survey some organisms, especially rare or elusive species, can be missed; increasing the chance of error in the data collected. To combat the potential error, researchers will regularly visit sites and collect more data that will later be analyzed using occupancy models. Occupancy...

Climate matching is a method for understanding species distributions and ranges and may be used as part of horizon scanning. Horizon scanning is the process of examining potential risk of invasion of new invasive species. Preventing new invasive species invasion requires less time and resources than attempting to control and remove established invasive species. Horizon scanning allows resource...

Models seek to describe the natural world around us and how we interact with the world. For example, physical models might help Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) visitors understand landscapes, such as the Mississippi River or topology and water flow.

The St. Croix National Scenic Riverway (SACN) is one of the best remaining refuges for declining populations of native unionid mussels in the United States and supports the only known self-sustaining population of the federally endangered Winged Mapleleaf ( Quadrula fragosa) in the Upper Mississippi River basin. Mussel fauna are important to the river ecosystem, providing important ecological...

The environmental DNA (eDNA) samples collected, processed, and sequenced by the Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center (UMESC) and partner agencies are being archived in a cloud-based database application. Consolidating eDNA data will significantly improve researchers and managers ability to visualize, analyze, and integrate sequence data as a monitoring and early detection system for...

This web mapping application is a repository for data and tools that support the Monarch Conservation Science Partnership.

Where are the most important places to direct conservation effort? Such a simple question is not answered simply. There are a myriad of priorities, constraints, and capacities, both scientific and socio-economic, which in combination guide the allocation of management effort. An honest accounting of these priorities, constraints, and capacities is essential for efficient, effective action. The...