PT  - JOURNAL ARTICLE
AU  - J.L. Steiner
AU  - E.J. Sadler
AU  - J.-S. Chen
AU  - G. Wilson
AU  - D. James
AU  - B. Vandenberg
AU  - J. Ross
AU  - T. Oster
AU  - K. Cole
TI  - Sustaining the Earth's Watersheds-Agricultural Research Data System: Overview of development and challenges
AID  - 10.2489/jswc.63.6.569
DP  - 2008 Nov 01
TA  - Journal of Soil and Water Conservation
PG  - 569--576
VI  - 63
IP  - 6
4099  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/63/6/569.short
4100  - http://www.jswconline.org/content/63/6/569.full
AB  - The USDA Agricultural Research Service has supported watershed research since the 1930s. Data from USDA Agricultural Research Service watersheds have been disseminated independently at each location, hindering multi-site analyses. A virtual team spanning diverse organizational units developed a web-based system, Sustaining the Earth's Watersheds-Agricultural Research Data System (STEWARDS) that allows users to search, visualize, and download soil, water, climate, management, and economic data from Conservation Effects Assessment Project benchmark watersheds. The objective of this paper is to provide an overview of STEWARDS and discuss challenges that were met to deliver STEWARDS on time, according to requirements, and within available resources. The information technology specialists had to understand that vague and changing requirements are reasonable for a system to support loosely coupled research across diverse watersheds. Researchers and data managers had to learn to communicate clearly about their data. Open communication, respect for perspectives and constraints of others, and a shared commitment to the goal provided the basis for trust. Anticipated benefits of STEWARDS include data preservation, increased data use, and facilitation of hydrological research.