Data & Analysis

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• Mapping Ocean Uses
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• Analysis of U.S. MPAs
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Mapping Human Uses of the Ocean

  > Data & Analysis  > Mapping Human Uses of the Ocean

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In the MPA Center’s participatory GIS process, spatial data on ocean uses are gathered through a series of participatory GIS workshops that engage local and regional ocean experts to map ocean use areas in a live, interactive mapping environment. Prior to the workshops, regional research is conducted to profile the types and categories of uses that occur in the study area and to explicitly define the targeted uses or activities to be mapped. Meetings with resource managers, local regulatory agencies and stakeholders are also conducted to refine the scope of the mapping effort, consult on appropriate mapping scales and prioritize the uses that are most relevant to the region and current marine management issues. The workshops are typically held over three days and produce expert-generated and peer-reviewed data. Datasets from these workshops are then cleaned and refined based on workshop input, and become available to the public through digital map images, GIS data, and interactive web viewers.

This is an abbreviated summary of the participatory process that the MPA Center designed to gather ocean use data. It is intended to be a flexible and mobile approach that can be refined and adapted for any region or domain and to address multi-scaled management decisions. A more detailed description of the MPA Center’s participatory mapping approach best practices can be found here.

Background information, GIS data, maps, and project-related documents of individual mapping projects are listed below.

California Ocean Uses Atlas Project
The California Ocean Uses Atlas Project was an innovative public-private partnership between NOAA's MPA Center and the Marine Conservation Biology Institute. The project filled a critical information gap in ocean management by mapping, for the first time, the full range of significant human uses of the ocean in state and federal waters off the coast of California.

New Hampshire and Southern Maine Ocean Uses Atlas Project
The MPA Center partnered with the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Resource Center to assist the Spill of National Significance drill in March 2010. The project mapped ocean uses off of the coast of New Hampshire and Southern Maine (to Casco Bay), and adapted the approach used in California for the differing uses and cultural practices found in the Northeast.

Coastal Use Mapping Project – Northwest Hawaii
The MPA Center partnered with several other NOAA offices and the State of Hawaii to map coastal ocean uses in the Kawaihae-Keahole region of the Big Island of Hawaii. This project was a more community-oriented effort, as a majority of workshop participants were non-agency locals. Mapping methodology was adapted to document unique regional fishing practices and to capture qualitative information on use variability.