What was the purpose of the SCERP USGS Binational GIS Summit?
During the last 15 years, the Southwest Consortium for Environmental Research and Policy (SCERP) has funded a wide range of applied environmental policy and science projects that have deployed geographic information systems (GIS) tools to examine specific issues along the U.S.-Mexico border. In this work, researchers have developed numerous geo-spatial datasets that can yield utility to other researchers. The SCERP Management Committee has recently funded a project to develop a blueprint for a border wide GIS infrastructure that can link these various geo-spatial datasets into a cohesive and coordinated network.
In the early planning for a binational GIS Summit that was held at the University of Texas at El Paso on 10-12 April 2006, SCERP researchers began discussions with scientists at the United States Geological Survey that were doing similar work through their U.S.-Mexico Border Environmental Health Initiative. Out of these discussions, SCERP and USGS agreed to co-sponsor the GIS Summit, and of more importance, cooperate on the development of the border wide GIS infrastructure for which many researchers along the border have long advocated. The USGS and SCERP are also working on a formal Memorandum of Understanding to support this work. This website has been developed by researchers at New Mexico State University to summarize the results of the GIS Summit and act as a portal through which continued project efforts can be served. We welcome the border research community to this site and also invite input and comments on the site and the various elements that are served here. ~ Dr. Christopher Brown (NMSU)
 
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