Environmental Data Initiative: Accelerating the publishing and reuse of environmental data

In fall 2017, Water@UW-Madison hosted its second annual poster session. The event was designed to spread knowledge of the organization on campus while advancing its mission of building connections between members of the UW-Madison Water Community. The event was held on the evening of October 24^th at the Wisconsin Institutes for Discovery with snacks, beverages, beer, and wine catered by Steenbock’s on Orchard. 34 different posters featuring water research from 10 different campus departments, as well as organization partners such as the Wisconsin Department of Natural Resources, UW Extension, and National Science Foundation, were presented in an informal walk-in gallery setting. Numerous productive conversations between presenters and attendees actively participated in the future of Water@UW-Madison by submitting information about their water research to a geodatabase, which will be used in producing a story map of water research at UW-Madison. Submissions to this database were displayed in real time on an interactive map that allowed other attendees to explore details of each project. Total attendance at the event was estimated around 230 people including presenters, guests, volunteers, and Water@UW staff.