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CARES integrates the social, physical, and biological
sciences to better understand human, natural resource, and environmental issues
and problems.
Advancements in science and technology and economic growth have brought about
significant improvements in environmental quality, health care, education, living
standards, and working conditions throughout the world. At the same time, increases
in population, income, and per capita resource use that accompany economic growth have increased the depletion
of exhaustible resources, over-exploitation and pollution of renewable resources,
loss in biodiversity, and climate change. In addition not all segments
of society have benefited by economic growth as evidenced by the challenges of providing
health care, education, and public facilities. The uneven distribution of the benefits
of growth has perpetuated or even worsened poverty, malnutrition, and crime. Adverse
human and environmental consequences of economic growth have increased the need to
manage and use the Earth's limited human and natural capital in a sustainable manner.
CARES contributes to the understanding of human and natural systems and their coupling
through the integration of social and natural sciences. We address a wide range of human,
natural, and environmental resource problems and issues through the application of
multidisciplinary scientific knowledge, geospatial technologies like geographic
information systems (GIS) and remote sensing, and Internet mapping.
During our 15-plus years of existence, CARES has collaborated with federal and state
agencies and non-governmental organizations to:
- provide organizations and communities with facilitation technologies and expertise
that improve public decision making.
- develop watershed decision support tools to evaluate farming systems that alleviate
nutrient and pesticide contamination of surface and groundwater.
more »
- improve the management of future flood events by developing a Missouri River
manual that displays flood extent, public drinking water
supplies, and other geographic features.
more »
- provide policy makers with interactive visualization and spatial analysis tools
to examine the rural-urban differential with respect to access to health and human
services, poverty, workforce retention, etc.
- construct a spatial decision support system that assesses
the vulnerability of Missouri’s public drinking water supplies to chemical contamination.
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- synthesize cost-effective methods for digitizing soils information for individual counties
in Missouri.
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- evaluate the impacts of alternative economic growth and development futures on economic and wildlife
values in rapidly growing areas.
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- produce 100-year floodplain maps for counties.
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- assist in the development of a personal computer-based spatial nutrient management
tool that allows record keeping and management decisions related to nutrient management
for livestock operations.
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- develop maps of demographic, health, education, and other socioeconomic indicators.
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- determine the best way for farmers to adapt crop production to future climate change.
more »
- develop and execute an Internet-based clearinghouse of authoritative, real-time
information on forest cover for several countries.
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- develop digital county soil layers for selected counties in the state of Missouri.
more »
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Tony Prato
Chris Fulcher
Chris Barnett |
