Coastal Services Center

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Outreach and Education

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Link Sections (click below)

• Federal GIS Data Resources
• Maritime Law
• Other Resources

Federal GIS Data Resources

• Marine Protected Areas of the United States
  This Web site provides information on marine protected areas (MPAs) as required by Executive Order 13158.
• Minerals Management Service (MMS) Map/GIS Data
  Download outer continental shelf (OCS) blocks, active lease sites, and platform locations.
• National Park Service (NPS) Geographic Information Systems
  Provides park boundaries, streams, trails, land cover, and vegetation.
• U.S. Fish and Wildlife Service GIS Data
  Provides access to GIS data and tools, including refuge boundaries.
• National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center
  Access to digital shoreline, ArcView extensions, and Light Detection and Ranging (LIDAR) data.
• NOAA MapFinder
  Access to NOAA data including bathymetry, nautical charts, and hydrographic surveys.
• National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI) Geospatial Data Clearinghouse
  Searchable collection of over 100 spatial data servers.
• NOAA's Legislative Atlas
  Provides access to regional georeferenced regulatory and environmental spatial data.
• Office of Coast Survey
  Provides access to database (.dbf) files of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.
• EPA, Office of Water: Marine and Coastal Geographic Information
  Description of the Marine and Coastal Protected Area Database maps, including sample maps.
• Bureau of Land Management: Land Survey Information System
  Official government Web site for the distribution of the Public Land Survey System (PLSS) of the United States.
• FGDC Subcommittee on Cadastral Data: Cadastral Data Viewer
  An interactive map that provides hyperlinks to city, county, and state Web sites that contain land records information.

Maritime Law

• Sea Grant Law Center
  Focuses on the dissemination of information about marine laws and policy and offers a coordinated center for legal research and analysis of coastal and ocean law.
• United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea
  Provides access to the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea and other information pertaining to international maritime law.
• United Nations Division for Ocean Affairs and the Law of the Sea, Office of Legal Affairs
  The site contains the national legislation of coastal States and treaties dealing with the delimitation of maritime boundaries, as made available throughout the years to the United Nations.
• Hellenic Resources Network
  Access to Part 5 of the Law of the Sea, the Exclusive Economic Zone.
• National Marine Fisheries Service
  Provides access to Federal Fishing Regulations, Part 679: Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone off Alaska.
• Federal Register
  Digital document of Presidential Proclamation 5030 which establishes the Exclusive Economic Zone of the U.S.
• Oceanlaw Web site
  Internet guide to international fisheries law.
• Marine Protected Areas of the U.S.
  Informative site of the federal Marine Protected Area Initiative.
• Executive Order 13158
  The executive order which defines and establishes Marine Protected Areas in U.S. waters.

Other Resources

• International Boundaries Research Unit
  IBRU works to enhance the resources available for the peaceful resolution of problems associated with international boundaries on land and at sea, including their delimitation, demarcation and management.
• South Atlantic Fishery Management Council (SAFMC)
  Access to SAFMC scoping document which requests public input on Marine Protected Areas.
• Coastal Conservation Association (CCA)
  CCA's position on Marine Protected Areas and No Fishing Zones.
• North American Commission for Environmental Cooperation
  Project summary for the North American Marine Protected Areas network.
• Department of Defense, Maritime Claims Reference Manual
  Lists maritime claims of coastal nations.
• Oceanlaw Links
  Provides links and information for maritime zones and boundaries.
• Oregon State University, Department of Geosciences
  Provides links that deal with marine and coastal GIS data and issues.
• Report: Creation of Digital Representatives of National Marine Sanctuary Boundaries
  Report discusses issues and concerns associated with the creation of digital National Marine Sanctuary boundaries.
• Congressional Research Service Report, Marine Mining within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone
  Report on commercial interests in minerals on the ocean floor within the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.
• Federal Geographic Data Committee (FGDC)
  Coordinates the development of the National Spatial Data Infrastructure (NSDI), which encompasses policies, standards, and procedures for organizations to cooperatively produce and share geographic data.
• FGDC Content Standard for Digital Geospatial Metadata: An Image Map
  Provides a graphical representation of the metadata standard.
• FGDC Cadastral Data Content Standard
  Established by the FGDC Subcommittee on Cadastral Data to enhance data sharing, minimize duplication, and facilitate the effective use, management, and automation of land records.
• Introduction to GIS from U.S. Geological Survey (USGS)
  USGS overview of GIS, how it works, and applications.
• Map Projection Overview - The Geographer's Craft Project
  Detailed overview of map projections and datums.
• Metadata Primer
  Designed to provide a practical overview of the issues associated with developing and maintaining metadata for digital spatial data.
• Australian Marine Boundaries
  Description of Australia's Mapping and Maritime Boundaries Division and link to the Australian Maritime Boundaries Information System (AMBIS).
• International Boundary Consultants
  A group that offers authoritative, impartial advice on boundary and sovereignty issues and disputes. Site provides boundary-related news clips, publications, and links.