PERSEUS Interim Evaluation Report

Authors

• Data Innovation Project, University of Southern Maine

Files

Description

The Data Innovation Project (DIP) from the University of Southern Maine’s Catherine Cutler Institute serves as the external evaluator for the USDA NIFA SAS-funded Promoting Economic Resilience and Sustainability of the Eastern U.S. Forests (PERSEUS) project. This project is a joint effort between Purdue University, the University of Georgia, and the University of Maine. The DIP supports the project in assessing its progress, implementation, and emerging impacts through data collection from project participants and systematic document review (i.e. annual USDA reports, personnel lists, and meeting notes). This includes synthesizing quantitative and qualitative data and incorporating these metrics into independent evaluation activities.

The Interim External Evaluation Report represents the first comprehensive evaluation report submitted to the leadership of the PERSEUS project. It provides an overview of evaluation activities from the first three years of the project and presents evidence of the extent to which PERSEUS is meeting its established milestones, beyond performance reporting, which is submitted to the USDA annually via REEport. The purpose of this report is to provide PERSEUS partners and the USDA with evidence of progress toward the project’s goals. The report summarizes project-wide data collection efforts, findings, and recommendations in accordance with the established evaluation questions, which are aligned with the project’s four objectives.

Publication Date

5-2026

Publisher

Data Innovation Project

City

Portland, Maine

Keywords

Data Innovation Project, Forestry, Digital Forestry, Artificial Intelligence; Remote Sensing; Transdisciplinary Research; Workforce Development; Program Evaluation; USDA NIFA.

Disciplines

Art and Design | Digital Humanities | Education | Graphic Design | Interdisciplinary Arts and Media | Statistics and Probability

Comments

Produced by the Data Innovation Project. Funding for this project provided by USDA NIFA SAS, Award #2023-68012-38992.

Recommended Citation

Data Innovation Project, University of Southern Maine, "PERSEUS Interim Evaluation Report" (2026). Publications. 17.
https://digitalcommons.usm.maine.edu/dip_publications/17