Coastal Services Center

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C-CAP History

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The primary objective of the Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) is to improve scientific understanding of the linkages between coastal wetland habitats, adjacent uplands, and living marine resources.

C-CAP began in the 1990s by the then newly formed NOAA Coastal Ocean Program (now the NOAA Center for Sponsored Coastal Ocean Research). Initial work centered on the development of a standardized national protocol and conducting two prototype studies. The C-CAP protocol was developed from several regional workshops attended by more than 200 research scientists and coastal managers. The protocol was published as a guide for other organizations to use in 1995. In 1996 operational responsibility for C-CAP was transferred to the NOAA Coastal Services Center.

The methodology was focused on the use of remote sensing technology, such as satellite imagery, to map land cover changes, with plans to update the maps every five years or less. This would produce a baseline from which scientific studies could be conducted on the cause-and-effect relationships of coastal changes. Mapping began in the mid-1990s, with pilot projects and prototypes around the country, accomplished largely through grants and cooperative agreements with individual states and universities.

In 1999 NOAA conducted an effectiveness review of C-CAP. This resulted in several changes for the program, including product standardization and a move to more timely production through the use of the private sector; a greater focus on customer applications; and processes developed to minimize duplication of effort (especially with other national programs).

Supporting C-CAP Documentation

Original C-CAP documentation represented a general consensus of how to approach the issue of quantifying land cover and wetland change in coastal regions. Since the publication date, technological and programmatic advancements have occurred. The document remains available for public consumption because it provides valuable information about the history of C-CAP and detailed descriptions of the land cover classification scheme.

NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP): Guidance for Regional Implementation. 1995. NOAA Technical Report NMFS 123. Department of Commerce.

The freely available Adobe Reader is needed to view and print PDF files.

View or download the NOAA Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP): Guidance for Regional Implementation (approximately 2 megabytes).

If you have difficulty downloading this file, contact the NOAA Coastal Services Center's Clearinghouse at (843) 740-1210 or via e-mail at cearinghouse@csc.noaa.gov

Benthic habitat mapping, originally envisioned as part of the C-CAP function, is being pursued separately and according to new standards. For more information on benthic habitat mapping, see the Benthic Habitat Mapping Home Page.

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