Tilburg

The Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment's Ecosystem Indicator Partnership (ESIP) Committee is developing indicators for the Gulf of Maine and integrating data through a web-based reporting system to improve marine ecosystem monitoring. As a first step, ESIP has developed a web tool for reporting of data on contaminants and nutrients, two of ESIP's six focus areas. Database discovery was undertaken for more than 1400 relevant metadata programs. Using resources funded by a grant from GeoConnections, the metadata programs were ranked. Database ranking was based on the following characteristics: temporal and spatial extent, data format and access, data processing, completeness of metadata, and existence of quality plan. Several of the highest-ranked databases were utilized in a pilot project to develop web tools for environmental mapping of data. Results of the pilot project will be utilized in a series of listening sessions with environmental managers to further refine the usefulness of the web-based format and associated tools. The entire project provides significant progress towards providing resource managers and regional-to-local planners with easily accessible, one-stop data for effective ecosystem-based management in the Gulf of Maine Region.

Note: Position this poster next to an ethernet connection.