CONTINUED DEVELOPMENT AND MAINTENANCE OF THE EXPERT INTEGRATED PEST MANAGEMENT (IPM) DECISION SUPPORT SYSTEM

We propose to continue to facilitate the effective use and sharing of information online across the national pest management information network. We are dedicated to the continued development of a system that is seamlessly interoperable among numerous federal and university database systems, provides unbiased IPM information, and uses the most current technology to achieve these goals. The Expert Integrated Pest Management (IPM) Decision Support System (EIPMDSS) serves national, regional, and local needs for research and extension activities. At the national level, the system supports the United States Department of Agriculture and Environmental Protection Agency Memorandum of Understanding to identify crop protection gaps and to find alternatives to pesticides either under Food Quality Protection Act regulatory review or those being lost due to pest resistance. The system assists in the identification of priorities for the Pest Management Alternatives Program, Crops at Risk from Food Quality Protection Act Implementation, the Risk Avoidance and Mitigation Programs and regional Integrated Pest Management Special Grants and Special Projects. With the implementation of the USDA Regional IPM Centers, our EIPMDSS technology, now embedded in the core of the National IPM Information System, is critical to the information needs of these Centers. It provides a mechanism for decision transparency and for all stakeholders to interact with the priority setting process. The ultimate result is that farmers and other IPM practitioners have adequate alternatives for managing pests at the specific local level.