During a 2015 eXtension innovation grant, University of New Hampshire Cooperative Extension partnered with Virginia Cooperative Extension and the Virginia Tech Center for Geospatial Information Technology to create the National Extension Web-mapping Tool (NEWT). The primary goal of NEWT is to help people at all levels of the Cooperative Extension System (CES) more effectively use spatial data for decisions regarding programming and strategic planning.


NEWT provides access for CES staff and administrators to relevant spatial data at a variety of scales (national, state, county) in useful formats (maps, tables, graphs), all without the need for any experience or technical skills in Geographic Information System (GIS) software. By providing consistent access to relevant spatial data throughout the country in a format useful to CES staff and administrators, NEWT represents a significant advancement for the use of spatial technology in CES.

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| How does NEWT work? |

NEWT is designed to be user-friendly for Extension staff who have no GIS experience, but also be useful for those who do. The site leads the user through the process of selecting the data in which they would be most interested, then provides a variety of ways for the user to explore the data (maps, graphs, tables).

Watch this video for a preview of NEWT:
(note: this video has no sound)


Users of the site will be able to discover the data layers which are of most interest to them by making simple, guided choices about topics related to their work. Once the relevant data layers have been chosen, a mapping interface will allow the exploration of spatial relationships and the creation and export of maps. Users will also be able to explore data by viewing data tables and graphs. In the future, we hope to add a "My Extension" section to NEWT which will allow users to quickly access data layers and locations they have found to be most useful in their work.

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| How can I use NEWT? |

NEWT Beta is officially in the wild! The NEWT Beta features a limited number of Extension-related data sets which can be used for evaluation of the tool. The project team hopes to find future funding sources which will enable NEWT to reach it's full potential, including the availability of a wider range of data sets, instituting the "my Extension" section, and adding full graphing functionality.

Use NEWT Beta
After you kick the tires on NEWT, let us know what you think!

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| How do I learn about NEWT? |

Help and training on NEWT will be made available in a vareity of approaches in the coming year, including webinars and how-to's. If you have any specific requests, please get in touch with Shane Bradt.


Learn about NEWT

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| How can I provide feedback about NEWT? |

We're looking to get your feedback on NEWT! Our goal with NEWT was to design a tool which would provide Cooperative Extension staff with relevant spatial data in useful ways. We think we succeeded to a large extent, but we also realize we could do better. After giving NEWT a try, let us know what you think


Provide NEWT feedback


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