Water Resources Research Act Program

Details for Project ID 2022_IN_Venturelli

An assessment of three sources of data for predicting the presence/absence and human-mediated spread of AIS throughout the UMRB

Institute: Indiana
USGS Grant Number:
Year Established: 2022 Start Date: 2023-01-01 End Date: 2025-12-31
Total Federal Funds: $286,248 Total Non-Federal Funds: $288,177

Principal Investigators: Paul Venturelli

Project Summary: Aquatic invasive species (AIS) harm our waterways and economies. The movement of recreational boaters between waterbodies is a primary pathway of spread. Effective management requires a better understanding of key sources of AIS and how these are connected to uninvaded waters. Accurate data on patterns of recreational connectivity and use in UMRB are limited to a small number of states (e.g., MN, WI) that monitor this pathway through expensive boater inspection programs. We will explore the potential use of aggregated smartphone data to effectively quantify and predict boater use and connectivity across the Using big data to predict AIS spread UMRB and beyond. Our study involves three sources of “big” data: watercraft inspections, a fishing app, and location information from active smartphones. We will determine how well these data predict AIS presence and spread. If successful, these data can be used to cost effectively identify the most important places to look for AIS or prevent their spread.