NYSG’s new Environmental Justice Mapping Tools Guide highlights publicly available online tools, like the Environmental Protection Agency’s EJSCREEN tool (pictured above), to connect communities with data for exploring environmental justice locally.

Environmental Justice Mapping Tools for NYS Communities | Click Here (pdf)

The purpose of this document is to collect information about free, easy-to-use mapping tools that can be used by communities, educators, students, and environmental practitioners to help investigate and define their context and plan projects. As we explored each resource we were guided by environmental justice and how mapping can be a resource for communities to approach environmental issues that matter to them.

Questions? Contact: Jessica Kuonen, jak546@cornell.edu


Webinars

Mapping Trees and Heat Using Web-based Tools — June 2022



In this webinar, Andrew Reinmann, Ph.D. of Hunter College and the CUNY Advanced Science Research Center, provides an overview of how trees regulate climate, the urban heat island effect, and draws connections between planning and equity. Dr. Reinmann describes relevant research and case studies on how communities are utilizing information on tree canopy and land surface temperature from satellites to make decisions and demonstrates how to access this data through two online mapping tools. In the last 10 minutes, he answers questions from the audience.

Links mentioned in presentation:
Groundwork Hudson Valley’s Climate Smart Neighborhoods StoryMap | National Land Cover Database (NLCD) Viewer | Climate Engine Research App (must register) | Ready.gov, Preparing for Extreme Heat | EPA, Heat Island Effect


Environmental Justice Mapping Tools — Fall 2021 Series

Learn how to access local demographic and environmental hazard data from the creators of three online mapping tools.

The goal for the series was to help make these tools more accessible. 

Provided in each session was background on how and why each tool was created, appropriate uses, demonstrations, time for Q&A with our presenters, and some included a hands on activity.  

Webinar 1 of 3: An Introduction to Environmental Justice and EJSCREEN (October 22, 2021)



This webinar gives an overview of environmental justice and EJSCREEN followed by a demonstration of the EJSCREEN tool. EJSCREEN is a mapping and screening tool that combines environmental and demographic data to highlight areas with potential Environmental Justice concerns.  Guest presenters from US EPA - Region 2 include: Towana Boutin , Children’s Environmental Health & Environmental Justice Coordinator; Lance Caldwell, EJSCREEN Point of Contact; and Ameesha Mehta-Sampath, Team Lead.  Questions were submitted from the audience throughout.

For more information on how to use EJSCREEN, please check out the following pages:
EJSCREEN webpage | EJSCREEN Users Guide | Short tutorial videos | Indicators

Webinar 2 of 3: Neighborhoods at Risk (November 12, 2021)



This webinar gives an overview of the Neighborhoods at Risk tool presented by Patty Hernandez and Scott Story of Headwaters Economics. Neighborhoods at Risk is an easy-to-use website with interactive maps, charts, and resources to help communities identify neighborhoods that may be more impacted by climate change. It shows where people may experience unequal impacts from hurricanes, flooding, and extreme heat. Guest presenters include: Patty Hernandez & Scott Story, Headwaters Economics. 

For more information on how to use Neighborhoods at Risk, please check out the following pages:
Neighborhoods at Risk | Neighborhoods at Risk, About page | Economic Profile System tool | Headwaters Economics

Webinar 3 of 3: Flood Impact Decision Support System with Social Vulnerability Index (December 3, 2021)



This webinar gives an overview of the Hudson River Flood Impact Decision Support System with Kytt MacManus and Carolynne Hultquist, Ph.D. of Columbia University’s Center for International Earth Science Information Network (CIESEN). 

We begin with an overview of Social Vulnerability Index and how it’s used alongside other data to better understand flood risk.  The SVI was created to help emergency response planners and public health officials identify and map communities that will most likely need support before, during, and after a hazardous event.  We also got a sneak peak of some exciting new applications for NY from CIESEN, including an open access building footprints layer and a state-wide flood impacts mapper that will be publicly available in the coming months.

Links mentioned in presentation:
Hudson River Flood Impact decision Support System | Social Vulnerability Index (CDC) | SEDAC’s Global Covid-19 Viewer | SEDAC’s Social Vulnerability Index


An Introduction to Environmental Justice Mapping Tools (November 17, 2020)



This webinar introduces NYSG’s “Environmental Justice Mapping Tools for New York State Communities” guide, which pulls together 22 online mapping tools covering a range of topics that help build context around race, class, and the environment. During the webinar, we provide background information on environmental justice (EJ), describe how to use the EJ mapping tools guide, and provide a quick demonstration of how to use EJSCREEN, Neighborhoods at Risk, How’s My Waterway, and the DECinfo Locator. Questions from the audience were answered throughout the demonstrations.

Timing for specific parts of the conversation: 

0:00 – Introduction and Territory Acknowledgement using Native Land mapping tool

4:07 – Background: Who we are, environmental justice and why it matters

12:48 – Overview of the EJ mapping tools guide

19:01 – Demonstration: EPA’s EJSCREEN tool

34:25 – Demonstration: Headwater Economics’ Neighborhoods at Risk tool

42:15 – Demonstration: EPA’s How’s my Waterway tool

51:35 – Demonstration: DECinfo Locator tool


More Info: New York Sea Grant

New York Sea Grant (NYSG), a cooperative program of Cornell University and the State University of New York (SUNY), is one of 34 university-based programs under the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration’s National Sea Grant College Program.

Since 1971, NYSG has represented a statewide network of integrated research, education and extension services promoting coastal community economic vitality, environmental sustainability and citizen awareness and understanding about the State’s marine and Great Lakes resources.

Through NYSG’s efforts, the combined talents of university scientists and extension specialists help develop and transfer science-based information to many coastal user groups—businesses and industries, federal, state and local government decision-makers and agency managers, educators, the media and the interested public.

The program maintains Great Lakes offices at Cornell University, University at Buffalo, SUNY Oswego and the Wayne County Cooperative Extension office in Newark. In the State's marine waters, NYSG has offices at Stony Brook University in Long Island, Brooklyn College and Cornell Cooperative Extension in NYC and Kingston in the Hudson Valley.

For updates on Sea Grant activities: www.nyseagrant.org has RSS, Facebook, Twitter, Instagram and YouTube links. NYSG offers a free e-list sign up via www.nyseagrant.org/nycoastlines for its flagship publication, NY Coastlines/Currents, which is published quarterly. Our program also produces an occasional e-newsletter,"NOAA Sea Grant's Social Media Review," via its blog, www.nyseagrant.org/blog.