ABSTRACT
Decisions about how to evaluate and monitor the ecological condition of Great Lakes wetlands must take into consideration the logistical challenges presented by large landscapes and the fact that assessment and monitoring schemes must be parsimonious. Although there are many benefits associated with exploiting existing data, there are costs (e.g., noncontemporaneous data incompatibility) that must be considered in accessing those data. Longterm or wide-area data are generally accessible through major data centers. Short-term or single-site data sets, generated to address focused scientific questions, are often available solely from the originating organization. The overall cost of any landscape assessment is affected by the availability of existing data, its source (whether from a public, nonprofit agency, or from private for-profit companies), and its quality.
