Development of a Geospatial Guide for Responsible Residential Pesticide Application within the South Carolina Coastal Zone.

WICKLIFFE, LISA C.; PORTER, DWAYNE E.; HIBBERT, JAMES D.; SCOTT, GEOFFREY I.; MARSH, CHRIS

Rapid population growth in the southeastern US coastal zone has led to suburban and urban areas intertwined with estuarine ecosystems, reshaping the landscape ecology. Stakeholders identified residential pesticides as a major concern within developed coastal areas. Pesticide safety is regulated through label standards at the federal level, making it difficult to ensure safe practices at the community level. The goal of this study is to provide a guide of geophysical characteristics and climatic variables for better timing and specificity of pesticide applications. Using a Geographic Information System (GIS) to generate a series of map overlays, a visual guide was developed for pesticide application. We housed the guide on an online, interactive platform, as well as in a smartphone Application, where users view the various data overlays for a particular property. The online guide allows quick access to site specific information pertinent to pesticide application, creating a process driven by stakeholder's priorities rather than by enforcement efforts .

SOUTH Carolina; APPLICATION of pesticides; GEOSPATIAL data; ESTUARINE ecology; CLIMATE change; COASTAL zone management

Southeastern Geographer, 2016, Vol 56, Issue 2, p153

0038-366X

Academic Journal

10.1353/sgo.2016.0025