Environmental Trends Analysis (ETA), ESRI UC 2007
Presentation of a paper co-authored by Lars T. Soeftestad (Supras Consult, Norway), Lauren N. Sorkin and James J. Tarrant (both with International Resources Group, USA), and presented at the Twenty-Seventh Annual ESRI International User Conference, San Diego, California, United States, 18-22 June 2007. The paper is titled “Environmental trends analysis (ETA): Tools for poverty alleviation.”
Related pages: Conferences and workshops, Portfolio, Research, Library, Research, Social GIS, and Supras’ Briefing Notes.
Abstract
Environmental Trends Analysis (ETA) is a set of tools and approaches used to assess changes in natural resources over time, and to evaluate the impacts of various management and policy regimes on natural resources. ETA is evolving partly as a result of the growth of the vast opportunities inherent in GIS, and partly in reaction to experiences with GIS, specifically some problems connected with application of GIS at different societal scales, particularly in developing countries. ETA addresses situations in which inter-disciplinarity, cross-cultural validity, and cultural variation are important, as well as the vast complexity of Nature-Culture interactions.
The paper reports on the new USAID FRAME project on ETA, including its inter-disciplinary nature, objectives, goals and the emerging global community of practice. It also presents applications of ETA, especially to empower communities, as well as arguments for why and how ETA extends the reach, impact, and potential of GIS.