Northbay Initiative Policies (Draft Dec. 9, 2005)
The Northbay Initiative for an Environmental Information Commons
This organization, called the Northbay Initiative for an Environmental Information Commons ("Northbay Initiative"), is a regional multi-organizational partnership dedicated to sharing and expanding the use of environmental data of all types in order to facilitate informed community decision-making, environmental management, and education in the Northern San Francisco Bay region of California and beyond. The Initiative works toward this goal by developing a regional environmental information commons ("Information Commons"), a publically accessible and community managed pool of environmental information made accessible through a regional digital library network.
Committees, Membership, and Participation
Participants to date have been representatives from the following organizations:
| Army Corps of Engineers Sonoma Ecology Center Sonoma County Water Agency San Francisco Estuary Institute MIG, Inc. Institute for Fisheries Resources San Francisco Bay Joint Venture Marin Audubon Society Urban Creeks Council East Bay Watershed Center North Bay Watershed Association |
County of Napa GIS California Coastal Conservancy Russian River Watershed Council Sonoma County Ag. Preservation & Open Space District Bodega Marine Lab Napa Co. Watershed Information Center Commonweal Ocean Policy Program Sonoma Land Trust Bay Area Open Space Council |
The Northbay Initiative is governed by a Steering Committee consisting of representatives from the following founding member organizations: Sonoma Ecology Center, Institute for Fisheries Resources, Sonoma County Water Agency, North Bay Watershed Association, and San Francisco Estuary Institute, and is advised by partner organizations UC Davis Information Center for the Environment and California Resources Agency. A Content Committee and a Technical Developers Committee work on aspects of the development of the Information Commons. Committees meet approximately twice per year or more as deemed necessary by committee members.
Membership on the Steering, Content, and Technical Committees is by invitation from a participating organization and acceptance by existing committee members. Members are expected to contribute by attending meetings and/or participating in online discussions.
Members of the Northbay Initiative agree to adopt and promote the Principles of Information Sharing, as outlined in that document, to the best of their ability and in a timely manner.
Partnerships and Relationship to Other Information Sharing Efforts
The Northbay Initiative is dedicated to the development of a regional information commons and digital library network that is interoperable with other similar information sharing efforts based on accepted and newly emerging standards. Toward that goal, the Northbay Initiative has developed partnerships with the California Resources Agency's CERES Program and UC Davis Information Center for the Environment.