Great Lakes Commission

The Great Lakes from space.

Map of the Great Lakes and the Great Lakes Basin.

The Great Lakes Commission is a United States interstate agency established in 1955 through the Great Lakes Compact, in order to "promote the orderly, integrated and comprehensive development, use and conservation of the water resources of the Great Lakes Basin," which includes the Saint Lawrence River. The commission provides policy development, coordination, and advocacy on issues of regional concern, as well as communication and research services.

The commission, in a cooperative venture with other Great Lakes agencies and organizations, hosts the Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN), an Internet-based network that serves as a decision-support tool for those who make, implement or otherwise influence public policy in the region. The GLIN website contains data and information about the region's environment, economy, tourism, education, and more; and provides access to GLIN-Announce, an email list that covers news and information about the region.

Another Commission project, Great Lakes GIS Online, involves creating an online spatial data library, including the Great Lakes shoreline, soils, land use and land cover, hazardous waste sites, demographics, watersheds and transport. The project is planned to include an online mapping system that will enable users to perform GIS analysis and other tasks over the Internet. As of summer 1998, the project was under development.

The eight member states are Illinois, Indiana, Michigan, Minnesota, New York, Ohio, Pennsylvania, and Wisconsin. The Canadian provinces of Ontario and Quebec are associate members.

There is a separate and distinct entity with a similar brief, the International Joint Commission, which exists between the federal levels of the US and Canada.

See also

• Bioregional democracy
• Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers

References

• National Geophysical Data Center (NGDC)

External links

• Official website
• Great Lakes Information Network (GLIN)
• GLIN Announce listserve

Great Lakes of North America
Main lakes	Erie Huron Michigan Ontario Superior
Secondary lakes	Nipigon Nipissing St. Clair Simcoe Winnebago
Bays and Waterways	Detroit River Erie Canal French River Georgian Bay Great Lakes Waterway Green Bay Lake George Lake Kagawong Lake Manitou Lake Nicolet Manitou Passage Lake Mindemoya Munuscong Lake Niagara River Nipigon River North Channel Potagannissing Bay St. Clair River Saint Lawrence River Saint Lawrence Seaway St. Marys River Sault Ste. Marie Canal Soo Locks Straits of Mackinac Trent–Severn Waterway Welland Canal
Islands	Detroit River Michigan (state) (in Lake Huron, part of Isle Royale National Park) Ontario
Historic geology	Lake Agassiz Lake Chicago Lake Maumee Mackinac Falls Midcontinent Rift System Niagara Escarpment Wisconsin glaciation
Government	Conference of Great Lakes and St. Lawrence Governors and Premiers Great Lakes Commission Great Lakes Fishery Commission International Joint Commission
Related topics	Basin Bays of the Great Lakes Great Lakes region Great Lake ships Lake-effect snow Lake Michigan–Huron Marine protected areas Megalopolis Native American tribes (US) Quebec City–Windsor Corridor Settlements Great Lakes museum and historic ships Lake freighter Tall ships Great Lakes Areas of Concern Great Lakes Treaties