Implementation of a National Monitoring System

The Environmental Monitoring and Assessment Program (EMAP) is aimed toward achieving comprehensive coverage of ecological resources through the use of a grid frame. The keystone of the sampling protocol is the identification of a resource with its location, through which attributes of the resource are associated with the resource location so that each resource attribute becomes a mathematical function defined on two-dimensional space. The first stage of the sampling plan consists of the location, description, and classification of the resource near the grid points. The advantage of the grid-based system is that the grid can be used to sample any spatially distributed population. An overview of EMAP is presented, including the sampling tactics available, grid density, and the sampling schedule. Examples are presented of EMAP in terms of sampling inland aquatic resources, terrestrial resources, and coastal resources.