In a new report-Insights into Coastal Management Needs-71 percent of survey respondents indicated that climate change and associated impacts are a priority for topics most important to their work.
Other high-priority needs were also uncovered by the survey, which was completed in 2013 by 224 coastal regulators, city council members, emergency managers, planners, and other individuals across the country whose decisions impact natural resources and coastal communities.
Responses from the survey pinpointed coastal managers’ primary product needs:
· GIS data including GIS layers, applications, tools, and related products
· Biological, physical, and social data sets such as population attributes, wetland loss trends, and marine mammal migration paths
· Remote sensing data including both data and derivatives such as imagery, elevation, land cover, bathymetry, and mapping
In addition, the survey identified high-priority technical needs. A high percentage of those surveyed requested help with integrating data and using and selecting economic methods or tools to aid decision making.
The survey was prepared by Eastern Research Group, Inc., for the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Coastal Services Center. Another aim of the survey was to determine whether respondents are satisfied with the services offered by the Center and by NOAA’s Office of Ocean and Coastal Resource Management.
Coastal managers are enthusiastic about the information they receive from NOAA, and they want continued updates on the following top priorities:
· Available coastal data, tools, training, and technical assistance (84 percent)
· Examples of coastal management “best practices” (77 percent)
· Programmatic news (71 percent)
To learn more about the survey, contact [email protected]. NOAA’s mission is to understand and predict changes in the Earth’s environment, from the depths of the ocean to the surface of the sun, and to conserve and manage our coastal and marine resources.
Source: NOAA
