Oregon Explorer

Project Demonstration

NRIC Aug 4-6, 2007Andrea Wirth, Oregon State University Libraries

Oregon Explorer

What is Oregon Explorer?

• Natural resources digital library

• Provides access to– multi-format information for places

of interest

– tools for integration and synthesis

– people resources

– context of issues through stories

• Place-based resource

Why OE?

• OE Vision and goals– technology– accessibility– partnerships– decision making support

• OSU Strategic Plan (2004)– Sustaining natural resources is

one of OSU’s five thematic focus areas

• Digital Initiative

• Need!– In 2000, a report on the state of the environment in Oregon

found that information was not accessible to natural resources decision makers and others with an interest in Oregon’s natural resources. (Oregon Progress Board)

Why OE?

Before OE: “If you’re just someone that wants to know about a place, it’s tough, and people get frustrated” -

Gail Achterman at OE Launch, 6/28/07

OE Creators

• Partnership between and

• Team members with diverse backgrounds and areas of expertise

• Partners for basin and topic portals

What’s next?

• Portals– Wildlife– Land use– Imagery– Rural Communities– Spatial Data

• Fixing, fine tuning, bugs, improvements– integration of map tool and

literature searches

• Visioning, evaluation, role definition

Admin tool

• Home grown

• Allows editing from various contributors– OE team– Remote contributors

• Technical Writer• Partnership for Umpqua Rivers

McCall talks of the problem of Oregon losing

its credibility as the “environmental model of this nation” through the “unfettered despoiling of

our land”