What is the Well Aware Dashboard?
The Well Aware Dashboard is a mapping tool created to better understand factors that affect well users in southern Alabama. The Well Aware Dashboard combines water quality data, geographic information, and predictive models to help guide well users and resource managers in well stewardship. Users should note that the tool does not provide data on every aspect of well stewardship. The data collected here should be supplemented with local knowledge and experience to get a better understanding of factors that affect well water quality at a specific location.
How was the Well Aware Dashboard developed?
The Well Aware Dashboard was developed through collaborations between technical experts, community engagement professionals, and private well users. Researchers worked with private well users to test well water. In addition to communicating directly with well users about their water, the data was compiled and combined with other publicly available datasets to predict water quality at larger scales. Additionally, a series of community workshops were held to listen to private well user needs. The Well Aware Dashboard is a response to make data more accessible and transparent to all stakeholders so that users can identify areas with potential water quality problems. The Well Aware Dashboard may also be used to support educational programming, informing outreach and engagement efforts, and grant writing.
How do I use the Well Aware Dashboard?
The Well Aware Dashboard was developed using an on-line mapping tool. It allows users to view and interact with data. All the datasets in the Well Aware Dashboard were curated through the lens of private well water stewardship. Some datasets are a result of well water testing and are available at one location or at one time. In some cases, the same data was available at many locations where it was used to construct an estimate (or prediction) across the whole area of southern Alabama. Still in other cases, several datasets were combined to visualize the relationship between many features at the same time. Each dataset has a short description of its relevance to private well users. Users can select to view and interact with well datasets independently or simultaneously as a first-step in decision-making.
Where can I find more information?
More information about well stewardship can be found at the Alabama Cooperative Extension Private Well Program webpage here. Questions about the Well Aware Dashboard can be directed to Dr. Ann Ojeda at Auburn University.