The Great Lakes of North America - known to the Indigenous of the region as Turtle Island - are one of the largest freshwater basins in the world, and a hotspot of biological diversity.

The region has been inhabited for thousands of years - a majority of this time being the First Nations including the Chippewas, Ottawa, Messissague, and others. Today, the area is is home to over 30 million people, and one of the busiest industrial corridors of the continent.

However, changes since colonial settlement have resulted in many indicators of natural systems' health declining to a low point in the last century. The modern-day United States - Canada international border creates additional cultural / bureaucratic divisions in data and capacity.

In support of wider progress in monitoring, information processing and research tools, the Open Landscape Network is making it easier for projects to manage operations and raise the quality of their intervention and monitoring efforts.

As the natural wealth of systems recovers, these impacts can be used to further redouble support and ensure continued momentum. The system has potential to help navigate challenges of citizen engagement, integrated monitoring and response for environmental change, and guaranteeing long-term service reliability.

By helping focus and combine the activities of multiple stakeholders and organizations active in the region, the Open Landscape Network is making it possible to find extra productivity while reducing costs.

Conservation efforts have long sought to operate efficiently and diversify their revenue base, so the Open Landscape Network aims to support these efforts.