Pacific Services Center

More about the Pacific Services Center

Our Hawaiian ancestors knew the importance of listening to learn and understand the world around them. For instance, Hawaiian elders say, "nana ka maka, ho`olohe ka pepeiao, pa`a ka waha," which means "observe with the eyes, listen with the ears, shut the mouth." Thus one learns. This concept encourages us to be active listeners and to be open to receiving information-to be open to learning. By listening to the needs of our partners and stakeholders, the NOAA Pacific Services Center is helping to address the coastal zone management and environmental literacy needs of the Pacific region.

Who We Are

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), through its Coastal Services Center, established the Pacific Services Center (PSC) in 2001 to serve the unique ocean and resource management needs of the Pacific region. Located in downtown Honolulu, Hawai`i, PSC offers a regional perspective tailored to the localized needs and conditions of the Pacific.

PSC is about building relationships and integrating individual efforts for the benefit of the whole. Our way of doing business can be best described as a voyage, similar in many ways to the Pacific Islands' ancient tradition of wayfinding: using powers of observation and collaborative efforts to navigate and make decisions toward a more sustainable future.

Our island-based philosophy and collaboration with partners, clients, and other NOAA offices ensure that our products and services reflect local diversity combined with regional, national, and global perspectives. This enables NOAA to develop and distribute information and services tailored for the coastal and ocean resource management communities in the State of Hawai`i, the territories of American Samoa and Guam, and the Commonwealth of the Northern Mariana Islands (CNMI).

Our approach to addressing the Pacific Islands' unique ocean and resource management needs is to foster communication, coordination, and collaboration among the various parts of NOAA throughout the Pacific. Our offices include staff members from other parts of NOAA. This collaborative, crosscutting approach enhances NOAA's ability to deliver products and services that address the islands' unique needs on a regional scale.

By leveraging funds and expertise, PSC is able to help NOAA achieve its vision of "an informed society that uses a comprehensive understanding of the role of oceans, coasts, and atmosphere in the global ecosystem to make the best social and economic decisions."

The Pacific Services Center's Mission and Core Values

Our mission-to provide integrated, locally relevant services and information that support the well-being of Pacific coastal and ocean communities, economies, and natural resources-and our vision are informed by our core values. Although these values are articulated below in the Hawaiianlanguage, they are universal throughout the Pacific region:

• Malāma (MAH-la-mah): Care, respect, stewardship
  The an word malama expresses a value that the Pacific Services Center (PSC) adopts from Pacific Island cultures: the inseparability of humans from the environment and our obligation to care for both. PSC will deliver products and services to foster effective stewardship of the Pacific coastal and ocean natural resources while promoting care and respect for people, knowledge, traditions, and culture.
  
  
• Kūlia i ka nu`u (koo-LEE-uh ee kah NOO-oo): Excellence, innovation, discovery
  The Hawaiian phrase kulia i ka nu`u, "Strive for the highest," expresses our approach to setting personal and organizational goals and standards. We will view the pursuit of our goals as a journey of discovery, characterized by creativity, learning, and growth.
  
  
• Pau `akoakoa (pow AH-ko-ah-ko-ah): Collaboration, engagement, equity
  The phrase "all gathered together," from the Hawaiian pau `akoakoa, explains PSC's approach to accomplishing our objectives. We will form effective and equitable partnerships that encourage the active and valued involvement of diverse voices and perspectives.