Industry and Expert Vetted Data Products

Overview

The Northeast Ocean Data Portal includes over 6,000 spatial data layers from federal, state, industry, researcher, and other regional sources on the ocean economy, ecosystems, and culture of the Northeast. In order to maintain the best available data and information, the Ocean Planning Committee works to convene regional discussions and establish workgroups to inform the development of specific data themes. Data discussions and workgroups include working directly with industry partners, ocean users, and researchers to inform characterization of data and information into maps, tools, and applications for visualizing and using regionally-relevant data for ocean and coastal management.

The Ocean Planning Committee is currently focused on several key data themes for expert engagement:

• Seafloor Habitat – Work focuses on engagement with the Habitat Classification and Ocean Mapping Subcommittee as well as regional experts to define data gaps in New England and to advance data products that better characterize seafloor habitat for management and permitting decisions.
• Commercial Fishing – Work focuses on engaging commercial fishermen to characterize data and information most relevant to the industry for planning and management decisions.
• Recreational Boating and Fishing – NROC conducted a Recreational Boating Survey nearly a decade ago to characterize the spatial footprint of recreational activity in New England. Current work focuses on engaging the recreational sector to understand what new technologies can be deployed to best characterize a traditionally challenging sector to display spatially for management and planning.
• Maritime Transportation System – NROC is working to engage the maritime industry on long-standing data products that describe the marine transportation system, working to evaluate current available data, discuss additional data to be added, and integrate new tools provided by the Coast Guard.
• Marine Life – Data and models of species are critical to many decisions offshore and ongoing work focuses on new and emerging science to display a range of species of interest to management in New England. NROC engages directly with taxa-specific experts and workgroups in the development of marine life data products.