Environmental process | Environmental review
Environmental Landscape Mapper (ELM)
Purpose
The Environmental Landscape Mapper (ELM) web map application has been developed to address the need for accessing and sharing the most current and authoritative data within Office of Environmental Stewardship (OES) and between the environmental review staff and functional offices at Minnesota Departure of Transportation (MnDOT).
When to use this subject
The ELM is designed to address the need for a basic data viewer for some users, as an analytical tool with buffering and selection capabilities for others, and as a customizable map tool for users that need to add their own spatial data or to share customized map sessions with colleagues.
ELM contains over 100 layers that are used for various environmental review tasks. MnDOT’s Georilla application does have some similar data layers, but ELM was designed specifically for the work of the OES. Base layers fall into several general categories: Projects (including construction projects, STIP & CHIP, and State Aid), Infrastructure, Stormwater, Pollution, Hydrology, Water Quality, Habitat & Land cover, Recreation, Administrative Boundaries, Jurisdiction boundaries, Roadways and Reference (Reference Posts and Mile Markers, Cities and Towns, and other base layers). These layers can be configured into custom map sessions for specific projects or tasks, and revisited or shared.
How this subject fits into the overall project development process
ELM is a useful tool for planning, scoping, and project development, as well as environmental assessment and permitting phases.