By Rachael Gleason
rachaelkaygleason@gmail.com
Great Lakes Echo
Sept. 16, 2009

Quick! Where can you find a video of a snake eating a round goby?

A new tech tool lab announced Tuesday can help Great Lakes information consumers and providers find that and much more. Fast.

GLIN Labs also features a text alert system for sending information to a user’s cell phone, help creating digital maps showing Great Lakes features and a way to search multiple video and other platforms all at once.

The lab and the tools were developed to benefit the Great Lakes Information Network, a nexus of government agencies and other information providers.

“We want to develop applications that resource managers can use to answer important questions and ultimately change and improve the health of the lakes,” said Christine Manninen, communications director for the Great Lakes Commission and director of the testing ground.

The GLIN Yahoo! Pipes Great Lakes video search tool.

The idea is to create a network to design and test new ways of sharing and delivering information.

And there is more to come. A second phase involves more detailed applications, such as mapping where freighters exchange ballast.

Funding for the lab came from the Great Lakes Protection Fund and from the Great Lakes Commission, Mannien said.

The multi-state commission manages the Great Lakes Information Network, a project begun in the early 1990s to help the region’s people and organizations share information.