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3295739 
Journal Article 
Addressing the information gaps associated with valuing green infrastructure in west Michigan: INtegrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services Tool (INVEST) 
Isely, ES; Isely, P; Seedang, S; Mulder, K; Thompson, K; Steinman, AD 
2010 
Yes 
Journal of Great Lakes Research
ISSN: 0380-1330 
ELSEVIER SCI LTD 
OXFORD 
36 
3 
448-457 
WOS:000281654200008 
Land use change is profoundly influencing the environmental
resources of the Great Lakes region. In West Michigan, population growth and rapid land use
change have resulted in urbanization and a loss in the diversity of green infrastructure that
provides a variety of benefits ecosystem services to regional residents and visitors. To address
these changes in land use and cover in ways that are objective, transparent, and defensible,
local policy makers need tools to help inform local and regional land use decisions. An
interdisciplinary team, engaged by a regional policy organization, developed one such online
tool, the INtegrated Valuation of Ecosystem Services Tool (INVEST). INVEST utilizes static GIS
maps, graphs, and tables, to help educate local and regional decision-makers about the underlying
values of ecosystem services associated with green infrastructure, particularly those services
that do not pass through traditional commercial markets. In this article we provide a general
overview of the development of INVEST and examine its current application as an educational tool,
including the specific challenges associated with addressing the information gaps. Published by
Elsevier B.V. 
benefit transfer; economic valuation; ecosystem services; green infrastructure; spatially-explicit