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Decision Analysis Active

By Environments Program June 25, 2018

USGS scientists work with decision makers and stakeholders to develop decision analytic frameworks to deliberately reduce the uncertainty that negatively affects the quality of decisions whether made once (i.e., Structured Decision Making) or repeatedly (i.e., Adaptive Management).

CURRENT USGS SCIENCE:

 

Structured Decision Making. The PrOACT sequence captures the essential elements of any decision
Structured decision making.

Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center (FRESC)

 

Fort Collins Science Center (FORT)

 

Northern Prairie Wildlife Research Center (NPWRC)

 

Patuxent Wildlife Research Center (PWRC)

 

Southwest Biological Science Center (SBSC)

 

Wetland and Aquatic Research Center (WARC)

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Sources/Usage: Public Domain.

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Publications related to Decision Analysis are listed below.

Before-after, control-impact analysis of evidence for the impacts of water level on Walleye, Northern Pike and Yellow Perch in lakes of the Rainy-Namakan complex (MN, USA and ON, CA)

Water level (WL) fluctuations in lakes influence many aspects of ecosystem processes. Concern about the potential impact of WL fluctuations on fisheries was one of the factors that motivated the decision in 2000 to alter the management of WL in the Rainy-Namakan reservoir complex (on the border between the U.S. state of Minnesota and the Canadian province of Ontario). We used a Before-After, Contr
By
Ecosystems, Upper Midwest Environmental Sciences Center

Helping decision makers frame, analyze, and implement decisions

All decisions have the same recognizable elements. Context, objectives, alternatives, consequences, and deliberation. Decision makers and analysts familiar with these elements can quickly see the underlying structure of a decision.There are only a small number of classes of decisions. These classes differ in the cognitive and scientific challenge they present to the decision maker; the ability to
By
Ecosystems, Energy & Wildlife, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Strengthening links between waterfowl research and management

Waterfowl monitoring, research, regulation, and adaptive planning are leading the way in supporting science-informed wildlife management. However, increasing societal demands on natural resources have created a greater need for adaptable and successful linkages between waterfowl science and management. We presented a special session at the 2016 North American Duck Symposium, Annapolis, Maryland, U
By
Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

The value of information for woodland management: Updating a state–transition model

Value of information (VOI) analyses reveal the expected benefit of reducing uncertainty to a decision maker. Most ecological VOI analyses have focused on population models rarely addressing more complex community models. We performed a VOI analysis for a complex state–transition model of Box-Ironbark Forest and Woodland management. With three management alternatives (limited harvest/firewood remov
By
Ecosystems, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Restoration of contaminated ecosystems: adaptive management in a changing climate

Three case studies illustrate how adaptive management (AM) has been used in ecological restorations that involve contaminants. Contaminants addressed include mercury, selenium, and contaminants and physical disturbances delivered to streams by urban stormwater runoff. All three cases emphasize the importance of broad stakeholder input early and consistently throughout decision analysis for AM. Ris
By
Ecosystems, Contaminant Biology, Columbia Environmental Research Center

Rapid prototyping for decision structuring: An efficient approach to conservation decision analysis

No abstract available.
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Ecosystems, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center

Using decision analysis to support proactive management of emerging infectious wildlife diseases

Despite calls for improved responses to emerging infectious diseases in wildlife, management is seldom considered until a disease has been detected in affected populations. Reactive approaches may limit the potential for control and increase total response costs. An alternative, proactive management framework can identify immediate actions that reduce future impacts even before a disease is detect
By
Ecosystems, Eastern Ecological Science Center, Patuxent Wildlife Research Center, Forest and Rangeland Ecosystem Science Center, Northern Rocky Mountain Science Center, Fort Collins Science Center, National Wildlife Health Center

Data and Tools related to Decision Analysis are listed below.

Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) Support

The JEM community of practice is focused on ecological modeling and monitoring across the Greater Everglades, with particular interest in habitats, how various factors affect habitat change, and how the organisms dependent on those habitats respond today and into the future.

By
Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

Everglades Eco-Modeling Data Visualization and Tool Development

Working with the Joint Ecosystem Modeling (JEM) community of practice, the WARC Advanced Applications Team developed and maintains the EverVIEW Data Viewer desktop visualization platform, which allows users to easily visualize and inspect standards-compliant NetCDF modeling data and has experienced tremendous feature growth driven by user feedback. 

By
Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center

EverVIEW Lite

Recently, the Team has developed and released EverVIEW Lite, an online web mapping framework based on the core features available in the desktop viewer.

By
Ecosystems, Wetland and Aquatic Research Center