Fuzzy Cognitive Mapping Data for Perceptions of Lake Erie Eutrophication: Relationships among Critical Concepts

This data set is collected for the project titled Lake Futures: Enhancing Adaptive Capacity and Resilience of Lakes and Their Watersheds: Work Package 3.1'. Lake Futures is a Pillar 3 project under the Global Water Futures Program funded by Canada First Research Excellence Fund. The main goal of this project is to identify links between land-based human activities and the in-lake manifestations of eutrophication. The project uses fuzzy cognitive mapping (FCM) to translate expert knowledge into semi-quantitative data that can be used to link ultimate causes with effects based on best personal judgement, compare perceptions of the cause-effect relationships among groups (researchers, managers, stakeholders, the public), identify important concepts in understanding eutrophication, and run scenarios to understand potential outcomes of management actions.