The Sierra Nevada Aquatic Research Laboratory (SNARL) is a field station of the University of California, Santa Barbara (UCSB), located in the eastern Sierra Nevada. The station is one of the most used and scientifically productive sites in the University of California's Natural Reserve System (NRS). SNARL supports the full gamut of year-round field research in habitats ranging from alpine watersheds to alkali lakes, old growth forests to experimental streams. This project will create an office building and database center at SNARL. The center will make use of a recently acquired building that has been moved to the site and is being renovated. The project will also support the creation of the database center which will provide 1) networked computers and peripherals for field station users, 2) Geographic Information System (GIS) software and databases, 3) Global Positioning System (GPS) hardware and software, 4) a dedicated Internet connection, and 5) staff to develop and support research with emphasis on spatially-related data sets. The project will provide new opportunities for field scientists to process and analyze data while "in the field." The telecommunications link will allow visiting scientists to stay in contact with staff and colleagues and to move data back and forth from the field station to their home institution. The ability to move and store large data files, such as remote sensing images, will be part of this project. There is substantial demand for the additional space and proposed facilities and equipment. Database development and management will be emphasized to improve the support for researchers at the field station. National and international access to these data sets will be available via the Internet.
