2026-11-03 –, Gardenia
Wetlands filter our water and protect our communities. However, updated data remains fragmented and inaccessible. To address this, EPIC and OpenStreetMap US are creating the OpenWetlandsMap — enabling everyone to contribute to the first openly accessible and community-maintained wetland dataset.
The Problem: Wetlands provide rich habitats to support biodiversity, filter our water, and protect communities from floods and storm surge. Despite their importance, up-to-date wetland data remains fragmented and inaccessible in many areas. This has resulted in an inability to understand the pace and scale of changes in wetlands and decision-making based on incomplete information.
Our Solution: To address this problem, EPIC and over 90 partners from over 50 different organizations have been meeting regularly to discuss improvements to the wetland data landscape. From our discussions, we have identified the need for a comprehensive, openly accessible, and community-maintained dataset of on-the-ground observations of wetlands in the United States. Called the OpenWetlandsMap, this map will be designed in collaboration with OpenStreetMap US and with input from a diverse community of experts to capture the nuance of wetlands across different landscapes.
Benefits to Communities: Building a central and openly accessible repository of wetland
observations will allow for a more up-to-date understanding of our wetlands and serve as training and validation data for modeled wetland locations. As an open-source and community-maintained geospatial dataset, this map will also serve as an educational resource and engage local communities directly in wetland science. When this project is completed, it will have cascading benefits for agencies, advocates, and communities seeking to protect and restore wetlands through better planning and permitting.
Why FOSS4G: Within this talk, we will share findings from our data landscape research and preview our work on the OpenWetlandsMap. We’re eager to collaborate with others within the FOSS4G NA community to build and pilot a more modern map of our nation’s wetlands.
EmmaLi is a Data Scientist at EPIC who provides support for projects related to drinking water, wetlands, environmental justice screening tools, and short sprint development efforts. Prior to working with EPIC, she was a contractor for U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service and worked on conservation projects that ranged from coastal wetland transformation to migratory birds. EmmaLi also conducted research in marine and Antarctic ecosystems during her time in academia. She holds a Master of Science in Biology from Texas Tech University and a Bachelor of Science in Environmental Science from University of North Carolina at Chapel Hill.