About the Southern Appalachian Information Node

The Southern portion of the Appalachian Mountain Chain stretches from Georgia to West Virginia, including part of Kentucky, Virginia, Tennessee, North Carolina, South Carolina, and Alabama. These mountains traverse regions rich in biodiversity, and include metropolitan areas and small urban centers. These rapidly expanding urban centers promise growing economic benefits while competing with priorities in biodiversity preservation.

The Southern Appalachian Information Node (SAIN) is a consortium of public and private partners who work together to build and maintain an integrated information system that serves as the gateway to regional biological information to enable the use of science and information technologies for decision-making, sustainable development, research, education, and outreach. SAIN provides web-based access to regional information resources, data, expert lists, maps, and educational tools to ensure that any development or use of the area is approached in a thoughtful and informed way without disrupting the essence of human life in Appalachia or compromising the region's biodiversity.

The node also has a national role as host the NBII Metadata Infrastructure Support group, which works from the Oak Ridge National Laboratory, one of SAIN's partners..

Geographic Perspectives
U.S. Programs & Activities | International | California | Central Southwest/Gulf Coast | Great Basin
Northern Rockies | Pacific Basin | Pacific Northwest | Southern Appalachian | Southwest

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