Excerpt
THE key to good land management is good technology based on good science. Technology under development is multidimensional and multidisciplinary, and the demand for it is global and increasingly driven by law and regulation. Remote sensing and GIS (geographic information system) technology are streamlining resource inventories and comprehensive resource planning. Physical-process models and economic models in decision support systems are helping us and our customers predict the consequences of our decisions on the land. Expert systems hold promise for automating the Soil Conservation Service field office technical guide, thus making it a working archive of our institutional memory. Optical disk storage offers more portability and more efficient data storage.
Ultimately, the value of this technology depends on several forces: (1) understanding our customers' needs, (2) having a vision or goal for our technology program, (3) investing the time and money to plan and build it right the first time and to monitor its effectiveness, and (4) having a qualified workforce to deliver the technology.
Given these forces, let me share with you the SCS perspective on technology transfer …
Footnotes
Robert R. Shaw is deputy chief for technology with the Soil Conservation Service, U.S. Department of Agriculture, P.O. Box 2890, Washington, D.C. 20013. This article is based on his presentation at SWCS's recent 46th annual meeting in Lexington, Kentucky.
- Copyright 1991 by the Soil and Water Conservation Society
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