Coastal Services Center

Pacific Islands Assistantship Program

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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.

Partners American Samoa Coastal Management Program American Samoa GIS User Group University of Guam Marine Lab Guam Coastal Management Program Guam Bureau of Statistics and Plans GIS Program Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands Coastal Resources Management Office Hawaii Coastal Zone Management Program Hawaii Office of Planning Statewide GIS Program Environmental Careers Organization

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