Origins
Shale Network began in October 2011 with support from the National Science Foundation. Researchers at Penn State, the University of Pittsburgh, and Dickinson College worked with CUAHSI and water-monitoring groups to organize observations from areas of shale gas development.
The original effort combined database development, workshops, student training, and collaboration with community monitoring groups. Penn State and the University of Pittsburgh helped identify water datasets in Pennsylvania; Dickinson College’s Alliance for Aquatic Resource Monitoring (ALLARM) contributed experience in volunteer monitoring; CUAHSI provided hydrologic data infrastructure and training.
These are founding roles. The People page identifies the current working group.
Continuing the work
The project continues to organize source records and make published datasets easier to find and use. Data access provides repository records and a dated database snapshot. Contribution guidance explains how to discuss new data with the team.