Click to launch P.I. Charter optimized for your computer: P.I. Charter
P.I. Charter is an online database for Point-Intercept aquatic plant survey data hosted by the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC) at the University of Minnesota. P.I. Charter was developed as a collaborative effort among many ecologists, managers, and contributors. We have compiled records from over a thousand P.I. surveys to date, provided by various organizations and surveyors. Dr. Mike Verhoeven painstakingly requested, cleaned, aggregated, and analyzed many of these survey data for many years, and Dr. Alex Bajcz built this Shiny application to house this database long-term. Funding for P.I. Charter was provided by the Minnesota Environment and Natural Resources Trust Fund as recommended by MAISRC and the Legislative-Citizen Commission on Minnesota Resources (LCCMR) as well as the State of Minnesota. This App is an acknowledgement of the immense work these survey data represent and an assurance to stakeholders throughout the state that MAISRC will keep this collection work going long into the future! Moreover, we want to give a special thanks to Minnesota’s citizens for caring about lake conservation and for funding efforts to survey lakes.
Template language to include in contracts
If you're an organization that is contracted to collect P.I. survey data, or if you're an organization that contracts with companies or other entities to have P.I. surveys conducted on your lakes, we want your data! Below, we have prepared some generalized language you could include in contracts that indicates that survey data will be submitted to P.I. Charter as part of the contract unless one party opts out. Please feel free to use and adapt this language.
For lake associations or government managers:
As a collaborating organization with the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC), we recognize the value of sharing plant survey data. We wish for our survey data to be shared with the research center and made available on their public database to inform management, monitor long-term trends, and support research. Our plant survey data can be submitted to MAISRC via P.I. Charter: z.umn.edu/PICharter.
For contractors:
Our company collaborates with the Minnesota Aquatic Invasive Species Research Center (MAISRC). By default, all point intercept plant survey data will be shared with MAISRC researchers and made available on a public database to inform management, monitor long-term trends, and support research. The data will be submitted to MAISRC via P.I. Charter: z.umn.edu/PICharter. If you do not wish for us to share your survey data, please notify us in writing.
A note regarding the data sovereignty of Tribal Nations: To respect the data sovereignty of Tribal Nations located within Minnesota's boundaries, all records provided to MAISRC for lakes within or intersecting Tribal lands are hidden from detailed public viewing on P.I. Charter. However, these data are available upon request with the permission from the respective Tribal Nation. If any Tribal Nations wish to make data from their lands publicly visible on P.I. Charter, please contact MAISRC.