Using Ontologies to Relate Resource Management Actions to Environmental Monitoring Data in South East Queensland

Jane Hunter, Peter Becker, Abdulmonem Alabri, Catharine van Ingen, Eva Abal
2011 International Journal of Agricultural and Environmental Information Systems  
The Health-e-Waterways Project is a multi-disciplinary collaboration between the University of Queensland, Microsoft Research and the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership (SEQ-HWP) (a consortium of over 60 local government, state agency, universities, community and environmental organizations). The aim of the project is to develop the underlying technological framework and set of services to enable streamlined access to the expanding collection of real-time, near-real-time and
more » ... tic datasets related to water resource management in South East Queensland. More specifically the system enables water resource managers to access the datasets being captured by the various agencies participating in the SEQ HWP Ecosystem Health Monitoring Program (EHMP). It also provides online access to the statistical data processing tools that enable users to analyse the data and generate online ecosystem report cards dynamically via a Web mapping interface. More recently we have focussed on the development of ontologies and semantic querying tools to integrate disparate datasets and relate management actions to water quality indicators for specific regions and time periods. This innovative semantic data integration approach enables scientists and resource managers to identify which actions are having an impact on which parameters and to adapt the management strategies accordingly. This paper provides an overview of the semantic technologies that we have developed to underpin the adaptive management framework that is the central philosophy behind the South East Queensland Healthy Waterways Partnership (SEQ HWP).
doi:10.4018/jaeis.2011010101 fatcat:dxoullr6dnhevojkhtvfdv3rhm