EBC Ocean and Coastal Resources Program: The Northeast Ocean Data Portal – Supporting Ocean Policy and Planning

This EBC Ocean and Coastal Resources Program will provide attendees with the opportunity to learn more about Northeast Ocean Data Portal and President Trump’s recent Executive Order 13840, its impact on ocean policy. The program will review Initial steps within the northeast region to respond and adjust to the new EO. The remainder of the program will focus on the data, interactive maps, tools, and various uses of the Portal. Participants will leave with an increased understanding of the available data, potential uses in management and regulatory decision-making, and plans to update and maintain the Portal over the next several years.

The Northeast Ocean Data Portal (Portal) was established in 2009 as a centralized, peer-reviewed source of data and maps of the ocean ecosystem and ocean-related human activities from New York through the Gulf of Maine. Since 2009, the Portal has been used to support regulatory, management and business decisions, stakeholder engagement, and educational and research activities. In 2016, the Northeast Regional Planning Body completed the Northeast Ocean Plan (Plan) under the auspices of the Obama-era National Ocean Policy. A key outcome of the Plan was the identification and integration of the data necessary to inform decisions for ten priority regional ocean management themes. These themes relate to the ocean-related data that marine stakeholders such as fishermen, boaters, researchers, and stakeholders from industries such as tourism, cruise lines, ports, and energy providers all rely on heavily. Use of the Portal by these stakeholders has increased significantly since the completion of the Northeast Ocean Plan, as evidenced by website statistics as well as numerous examples and case studies demonstrating the use of the Portal by government, industry, interest organizations, and other stakeholders.

In June 2018, President Trump signed Executive Order 13840 “Ocean Policy to Advance the Economic, Security, and Environmental Interests of the United States.” While EO 13840 revokes the Obama-era national ocean policy, including regional planning bodies, it does direct federal agencies to respond to priorities identified by state-led regional ocean partnerships, such as the Northeast Regional Ocean Council (NROC). Importantly, the new EO directs federal agencies to “coordinate the timely public release of unclassified data…and support the common information management systems, such as the Marine Cadastre, that organize and disseminate this information.” Since the Federal government collects and disseminates many types of ocean data (e.g., physical metrics like sea surface temperature, long-term coastal economy indicators, vessel positioning data), actions under the new EO can significantly streamline and speed the delivery of priority ocean datasets to national and regional data portals.

A panel discussion including audience participation will follow the individual presentations.

Continuing Education Certificates are awarded by the EBC for this program (3.5 training contact hours). Please select this option during registration if you wish to receive a certificate.

Final Agenda – Ocean and Coastal Resources Program – The Northeast Ocean Data Portal