Decision-making for nature-based solutions through a user-friendly and holistic web-app

Nature-based solutions (NBSs), which describe novel stormwater systems that integrate engineered vegetation into the urban fabric, are becoming increasingly popular for addressing issues of climate change and social equity. The United Nations Environment Programme suggests that NBSs will be a key mitigation solution in coming decades as we face a planetary emergency regarding intertwining issues of climate and humanity. However, NBSs are implemented in limited fashion throughout urban environments due to a lack of comprehensive databases associated with the numerous, overlapping co-benefits available with NBSs (e.g., urban heat island abatement, ecosystem connectivity, biodiversity protection, mental well-being, socio-economic improvements, water quality, air quality, carbon sequestration, crime reduction, to name a few). Instead, NBS design and planning continues to focus primarily on stormwater volume mitigation due to the hydrological composition of most NBS modelling programs. This study presents an open-access web application that was designed in partnership with local resiliency stakeholders for optimal decision-making regarding placement of NBSs to achieve multiple goals of environmental and societal relevance. We describe the development of NBS-Geo, an online web-map containing seamless geospatial datasets for numerous properties associated with NBSs across ecological, environmental, hydrological, and societal themes. The datasets within NBS-Geo encompass the entire contiguous United States for cross-scale planning. We discuss how this tool was used by local resiliency leaders to optimize siting for several NBS-based pocket parks. We also describe several geospatial challenges encountered with the design and execution of NBS-Geo, thereby urging additional improvements within GIS science toward optimal use and dissemination of trans-disciplinary geospatial data through the lens of decision-makers. Specifically, we address issues of scale, openness, spatial functionality, and standardization across platforms, agencies, and locations to improve our understanding of how we can use natural resources for ongoing restoration.