The results are in. And the public clearly wins.  

In April 2015, the U.S. Geological Survey, the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency, and Blue Legacy International (a nonprofit organization) challenged solvers to use open government data sources to create compelling visualizations that would inform individuals and communities about nutrient pollution (high-levels of nitrogen and phosphorous that cause excessive growth of algae). 

Nutrient pollution is one of America’s most widespread, costly, and challenging environmental problems. It degrades the nation’s waterways, municipal and industrial water resources, wildlife, recreation, and fishing. Nutrient pollution is far reaching and affects more than 100,000 miles of rivers and streams, close to 2.5 million acres of lakes, reservoirs, and ponds, and more than 800 square miles of bays and estuaries in the United States. 

The ultimate goal for the visualization challenge is to inspire citizens to take action at the local watershed level to reduce nutrient pollution and thus help to prevent algal blooms and hypoxia. 

Here are the results of the 2015 Visualizing Nutrients Challenge. 

First Prize  

A Resource Out of Place: The Story of Phosphorus, Lake Erie, and Toxic Algal Blooms 

This visualization, created by Matthew Seibert, Benjamin Wellington, and Eric Roy, of Landscape Metrics, uses USGS monitoring data to inform individuals and communities about phosphorus runoff to Lake Erie. The authors sought to “inspire multiple stakeholders to strive toward both better resource management and improved environmental quality.”