wikiIPM: A Rich Internet Application to Support IPM Education and Training

USDA CSREES

IPM is an information intensive system of management. Land Grant Universities have been and continue to be the driving force in the development and implementation of IPM in the US.

US crops and natural systems have experienced increased peril as a result of the increase in the number of non-native (potential) pests introduced into the US through global trade. In response, USDA-APHIS, USDA-FS, and Land Grant Institutions have developed programs to help detect and try to mitigate the impact of these non-native pests. The National Plant Diagnostic Network (NPDN) sponsored by USDA-CSREES is one of a number of programs developed by US federal, state and Land Grant Institutions to detect and help mitigate impacts of these unwanted invaders. NPDN is implemented primarily through regional programs, with the Southern Region Plant Diagnostic Network (SPDN) program housed at The University of Florida. Existing regional and state IPM programs have cooperated and collaborated with, and in many cases, have been active in implementation of NPDN programs on matters relevant to both program missions.

Bugwood and the Florida SPDN Center partnered in 2005 on a three year SR-IPM project to: a) expand the images available in IPMImages, and b) develop more effective "image tools" and linkages between these programs.

This SR-IPM Capstone project wikiIPM: A Rich Internet Application to support IPM Education and Training will build upon the successes of this project. In this project, we will:

1. evaluate and build-upon the existing information available in the SPDN and Bugwood web systems;
2. develop and provide Rich Internet Application (RIA) tools that will enable IPM and SPDN educators to build educational fact sheets, newsletters and AG Alerts from information and images available on and through the SPDN and Bugwood systems; and
3. provide mechanisms that will enable educators to deliver locally-adapted educational resources to users through SPDN and state-level IPM information delivery systems.

The initial target applications will be Fact Sheets and AG Alerts that will be developed for use in SPDN entomology and pathology educational and training materials.