Resource Stewardship in a Changing World

October 14th, 2024

In the aftermath of Hurricane Helene and the full force of Hurricane Milton, we’ve had time to reflect on the devastation the storms brought and how quickly they’ve altered the way many people recognize our changing world.  The storms tore across the southeastern United States, flooding cities and towns, destroying structures and landscapes, tragically inflicting suffering and death in its wake. Storms like Helene and Milton remind us of the power and force of nature, and the rapidity with which our world can change.

But our lives, infrastructure, natural resources, and cultural heritage resources aren’t just impacted by powerful natural disasters. The world is constantly changing, sometimes imperceptibly, but always insistently. Think of the pace of real estate (re-)development, changing transportation networks, or the aforementioned climate induced changes to landscapes. In a dynamic world, the active management of our resources is essential for their protection.

Conservation Comes in Many Forms

To be sure, “resource” is a general term. For us, resources may be engineered (like buildings and structures, roads and transportation networks, water, sewer/storm water and other utilities), natural (landscapes, habitats, waterways, ecosystems), and cultural (both engineered and natural resources that have cultural significance).  For each type of asset, monitoring the condition of and risks posed to resources is vital. In the case of engineered resources, damage to infrastructure can have has tremendous economic impacts on businesses by increasing operational costs, or by exposing serious safety hazards. For cultural heritage or natural resources, even incremental changes that may take years can damage or degrade important assets.

So, the idea of proactively managing resources as conditions change is key aspect of resource stewardship. We’ve chosen to focus on resource stewardship specifically because stewards are responsible for the ethical and economical management and care of resources to ensure their integrity, sustainability, and value over time.

Staying Ahead of Unpredictable Challenges

Over the next few blog posts, we’ll explore how Arches, along with traditional geospatial technologies and data, can help you be a better steward of your resources.

We’ll look at how redevelopment and new infrastructure construction needs are balanced with the preservation of natural and cultural resources in London. We’ll dive into how the Port of San Francisco uses Arches and traditional GIS technology to manage its waterfront infrastructure and maritime shipping channels. And we’ll pull back the curtain on how the State of California redefined the relationship between new infrastructure and the preservation of our shared cultural heritage.

In our next blog we’ll start the conversation off with a quick recap of Arches and how it supports the stewardship of resources. Stay tuned!

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