According to Susan Davis, Project Officer for the Cooper’s Creek Catchment WISE Project, support has been strong and the project is running to schedule.

“We’re already sourced material from departmental, university and community libraries and corporations in South Australia, New South Wales and Queensland,” says Susan, “and we’re well advanced in building the database.”

WISE (Water Information System for the Environment) is an interactive CD-ROM that provides comprehensive, multi-level information on a catchment, in an easy to use and interesting format. It includes flora, fauna, streams, industries, towns, and issues, as well as a research and reference database, all valuable aids in the sustainable management of a river system.

Susan says an integral part of the finished product will be the visual presentation, so the sourcing of images, both moving and still, is a important aspect of project.

“Community members and government departments such as Queensland Parks and Wildlife, the Department of Natural Resources and Mines, and the Department of Primary Industries have been very generous and provided us with some great contemporary images of the catchment.

“We have also been fortunate in sourcing historical images from collections such as the Longreach Powerhouse Museum and the Australian Stockman’s Hall of Fame.

“A number of these images have been used as background screens for the CD, including a Catchment Information introductory screen. This screen uses artist-designed icons as ‘buttons’ to guide users to various screens presenting information on flora, fauna, rivers, wetlands, towns, maps and multimedia (video and audio files) for the Cooper Catchment.”

Among the multimedia material will be video material of flooding, water management and land use as well as oral history interviews.

The WISE Project is also liaising with the Lake Eyre Basin Integrated Information System (LEBIIS) to access map layers showing rivers, wetlands, towns, bioregions, departmental and council boundaries, and the topography of the catchment.

Key issues identified for the Cooper Creek Catchment include pest species, tourism and river flows. Relevant references, videos and audio material will be identified for these key issues with a view to including the information on the WISE CD.

“In addition,” concludes Susan, “we are investigating the possibility of adapting WISE for the internet. This is an exciting prospect because it will open it (WISE) up to a huge audience.”

The Cooper’s Creek Catchment WISE Project is due for completion at the end of 2002.