Soil and Water Information Management System Tia Rice, Program Administrator Seneca SWCD Tiffin, Ohio

Soil and Water Information Management System The Soil and Water Information Management System (SWIMS) is a component of Linnet's Watershed-The System® program designed specifically for the Ohio Department of Natural Resources (ODNR), the Division of Soil and Water Conservation (DSWC), and the Ohio Soil and Water Conservation Districts (SWCDs).

Soil and Water Information Management System A comprehensive management tool for the SWCD Board, Administrator and staff. Provides ready access to information Use the information to manage your SWCD programs SWIMS is a………. A web based application A tracking/reporting system – tracks & reports the things SWCD’s do individually and statewide

Soil and Water Information Management System What does SWIMS provide?  Cooperator (client) information  Conservation practices installed/applied – (Agricultural, Forestry, Urban, Wildlife, etc.)  Services provided (i.e. pond site investigations, drainage calls, plan reviews, construction site reviews, flood plain reviews, forestry mgmt visits, etc.)  Education & outreach activities  Staff activities and hours spent  Pollution complaints  And more…..

Soil and Water Information Management System SWIMS various modules can assist in several day-to-day business activities:  Recording client information  Recording Con6 Notes  Planning projects & best management practices  Applying for funding such as Pollution Abatement  Cost Share funds.

Soil and Water Information Management System Core Module 1 – Clients A database containing names, addresses, primary interest, etc, of the clients you work with. Anyone the SWCD works with can be put in SWIMS as a “Client” Use the module to associate “Clients” with Land & Water “Projects” Can also use the “Client” list to produce mailing lists and labels. The Core Modules and the information they provide

Soil and Water Information Management System

Core Module 2 – Land & Water Provides practices installed and/or services provided Provides practice quantity – How many acres, feet or instances of practices / services did you install or provide. Provides the program (EQIP, CREP, etc) associated with practice. Provides staff and hours worked on the practice and/or service. Provides the following when mapped in the SWIMS GIS: CountyTownship 11 digit watershedState House District 14 digit watershedState Senate District MunicipalityU.S. House District The Core Modules and the information they provide

Soil and Water Information Management System Program Type, BMP/Service, Qty. Installed/Delivered

Soil and Water Information Management System GIS Map of Completed BMPs/Services

Soil and Water Information Management System Core Module 3 – Initiatives Provides SWCD’s education, marketing and outreach activities: Workshops, field days, classroom presentations, newsletters, SWCD sales, newspaper articles, etc. Who and how many attended How many were sold How many presentations given and to whom, etc. Provides the program (SWCD Program, EQIP, CREP, etc) associated with the initiative. Provides staff and hours worked on the practice and/or service. The Core Modules and the information they provide

Soil and Water Information Management System Initiatives and Results

Soil and Water Information Management System Core Module 4 – Timesheets Tracks hours worked by each staff person by activity Records what program (SWCD, EQIP, CREP, WLEB, etc) the activities are associated with. Provides “Individual” and “All Staff” hourly summaries for hours worked for any given time period. The Core Modules and the information they provide

Soil and Water Information Management System SWCD staff hours spent on EQIP program

Soil and Water Information Management System Planner - This module enables users to set up the overall management framework for their conservation programs. It is used to define goals, objectives, state/regional/local plans, issues, managed locations and watershed health factors that will be monitored. Fund Manager - Fund Manager allows the DSWC to create and track funds that can be distributed to the SWCDs. It also allows SWCDs and other users to set up and track their own local funds, which can come from multiple funding sources. Fund Manager provides a place for funding agency (source agency) information to be stored and allows individual transactions against the fund to be tracked. OTHER MODULES WITHIN SWIMS

Soil and Water Information Management System OTHER MODULES WITHIN SWIMS Grant Manager - Grant Manager encapsulates all aspects of the Grant Application process. It allows the DSWC to issue Requests for Proposals (RFPs), such as Pollution Abatement Cost Share or State Match, and allows SWCDs to respond. Finally, it allows the DSWC to adjudicate the grant applications, approving or rejecting applications as necessary. Pollution Complaints - The Pollution Complaints module allows you to record and manage any pollution complaints that are brought forth. It allows you to record the information that is contained in the Pollution Investigation Report (PIR) and its supplemental information pages.

Soil and Water Information Management System OTHER MODULES WITHIN SWIMS Reporting - Reporting allows you to generate reports from information collected in the SWIMS application. It provides a number of predefined reports that can be run against the database. Query Builder provides the ability to custom design queries. Has Thematic Mapping capabilities.

Soil and Water Information Management System Pull information from the Query Builder module and then answer these questions for example: What projects / programs are we spending our time? Are we working on or accomplishing the things we planned? (i.e. Annual Plan of Work, Long Range Plan, etc?) Are there things we need to change? (i.e. spend less or more time on?) Do we need to re-assign staff and duties, retrain, or even hire a new employee? If hiring, what skills / training will they need? Are we providing adequate coverage of the county? Is too much time being spent in one area? Are spending too much or not enough time on any one program? Using SWIMS to effectively manage your District

Soil and Water Information Management System How Seneca SWCD utilizes SWIMS?