Pacific
Islands Assistantship Program
The
NOAA Pacific Services Center (PSC) and the NOAA Coastal Services Center
have supported the Pacific Islands Assistantship (PIA) since 2001. The
PIA program matches highly qualified recipients of professional degrees
with hosts from the four Pacific Island coastal resource management
organizations of American Samoa, the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana
Islands, Guam, and Hawai`i.
New assistants are placed every two years for two-year terms. The focus
of each assistant depends on the needs of the programs and partners.
The first round of assistants, who served
from 2001 to 2003, focused on integrating technology tools, such as
geographic information systems (GIS), remote sensing, and the Global
Positioning System, into Pacific Island coastal program management.
The 2004–2006 assistants will focus
on similar needs, with greater emphasis on land-use planning and application
development.
To support the assistantship, NOAA has contracted with the Environmental
Careers Organization (ECO) to administer the PIA program; ECO also
administers the NOAA Coastal Services Center's fellowship and coral
assistantship programs.
Assistant Focus Areas
The island hosting agencies and the assistants will define their projects
based on the current needs of the islands. Examples of the focus areas
around which projects may be developed are listed below.
American Samoa Coastal Management Program’s assistant may
- assist in coastal management protection through habitat monitoring
and mapping;
- assist in updating and implementing the American Samoa Spatial Data
Infrastructure;
- assist in GIS and other spatial technology education and outreach
activities.
Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coastal Resources Management
Office’s assistant may
- assist in developing and implementing comprehensive land-use plans;
- assist in coral reef protection (from land-based runoff and sedimentation),
management, and monitoring; and
- assist in spatial data and metadata development, application, and
management.
Hawai`i Coastal Zone Management Program’s assistant may
- assist in the integration of GIS in coastal hazards planning, nonpoint
source pollution control, and cumulative and secondary impact projects;
- assist in coordination between state agencies and community organizations
to support integrated management of coastal and marine resources;
and
- assist in GIS and other spatial technology education and outreach
activities.
University of Guam Marine Lab/Guam Coastal Management Program’s
assistant may
- assist in coral reef and marine managed area protection, management,
monitoring, and information analysis;
- assist Guam government agencies in spatial data collection and mapping
activities; and
- assist local user groups with development of data standard documents.
![[photo of American Samoa Coastal Management Program staff]](images/ascmpgp.jpg) |
Partners
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Contact Information
For more information about the Pacific Islands Assistantship program,
please contact
NOAA Pacific Services Center
737 Bishop Street, Suite 2250
Honolulu, HI 96813
Phone: (808) 532-3202
Fax: (808) 532-3224
psc@noaa.gov