Archive
This series introduces Digital Coast tools and data through demonstrations, case studies and opportunities to engage with field experts and colleagues. Webinars are offered monthly, from 2:00 p.m. to 3:00 p.m. (eastern).
View upcoming Digital Coast webinar events.
Using the New Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS)
Presenter(s): Mark Finkbeiner, NOAA Coastal Services Center
To manage resources on a regional basis, coastal professionals must integrate data from various sources collected with different methods. The Coastal and Marine Ecological Classification Standard (CMECS) provides a new national framework for incorporating data on all the major components of the landscape and seascape, collected by methods ranging from satellite imagery to grab samples. This webinar will introduce the structure of the CMECS system, describe how it can be used in the environment, and present examples of CMECS spatial data products. The webinar will also address ways that this national standard can be applied to coastal issues.
In this webinar, participants will
- Learn how their data can be brought into the CMECS framework
- Understand how this new standard might affect their work
- Receive tips on how to engage the CMECS team for support and collaboration
Ask the Experts: Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer
Presenter(s): Doug Marcy, Keil Schmid, Nate Herold, John McCombs, Matt Pendleton, William Brooks, and Mike Sutherland, NOAA Coastal Services Center
It is one thing to have a discussion or write about a one- or two-foot rise in the ocean surface and the potential impacts to a local community, and it is another to show someone a map highlighting the areas that will potentially be impacted. The ability to visualize the potential height and inland extent of water gives us a better understanding of the corresponding impacts and consequences. The Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer is a next generation tool that allows users to do just that.
For this webinar, participants will have the opportunity to log on for a live Q&A session with a panel of technical experts who developed the tool. The panel will include experts in inundation mapping, elevation data, marsh migration modeling, and land cover data.
As a prerequisite, participants should view the recording of the November 2011 webinar, which features a demonstration of the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer, as well as background on its development. The recorded webinar can be viewed here.
In this webinar, participants will ask questions and learn more about
- The benefits of providing interactive maps online for visualizing inundation risks and potential impacts
- New mapping techniques that incorporate high-resolution data sources
- The methods used to develop the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer, its current status, and plans for expanding the tool to the rest of the coastal U.S.
Digital Coast Data Access
Presenter(s): Erik Hund and Jen Boulware, NOAA Coastal Services Center
The Digital Coast Data page provides access to many of the coastal data sets most requested by Digital Coast partners, including land cover, elevation, and socioeconomic data sets. Access to data managed by the NOAA Coastal Services Center is provided through the Data Access Viewer (DAV), which allows for user-specified geographies, formats, and resolutions. Other data sets are provided through various mechanisms maintained by the responsible agencies. This session will introduce users to a number of the data sets available through the Digital Coast Data page and will provide a short demonstration of the Data Access Viewer.
In this webinar, participants will
- Explore Digital Coast data resources
- See a demonstration of the Data Access Viewer
- Learn about data provisioning options in the Data Access Viewer
Coastal County Snapshots: An Issue-Specific Data Communication Tool
Wednesday, February 1, 2012
Presenter(s): Carrie Cllingan, National Association of Counties; Lori Cary-Kothera and Danielle Bamford, NOAA Coastal Services Center
The Coastal County Snapshots tool provides brief, county-level overviews of key resource management issues, including coastal flooding, ocean-related employment, and the benefits of wetlands in the coastal environment. Snapshots are illustrated with summaries of relevant data and graphical displays that help local officials understand the role of data in decision-making. A Web interface allows users to pick their topic and county of interest from maps or drop-down menus, and the tool generates PDF reports and graphics that can be saved or printed. The easy-to-use format makes Coastal County Snapshots a great learning and communications tool for local officials and their constituents. Snapshots are currently available for most coastal counties in the contiguous United States and Hawaii, employing data from a variety of sources such as the Federal Emergency Management Agency, U.S. Census Bureau, Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP), and Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW). This session will introduce users to the Coastal County Snapshots product line, the data and information contained in these products, and other related Center products.
In this webinar, participants will
- See a demonstration of the Coastal County Snapshots tool
- Learn how the snapshots can help make the role of data in decision-making easier to understand and communicate
- Hear about the different snapshots and the data used to create them
- Find out how some coastal managers are putting the snapshots to use
Supporting Ocean Energy Planning with the Multipurpose Marine Cadastre
Wednesday, January 4, 2012
Presenter(s): Adam Bode, NOAA Coastal Services Center
The Multipurpose Marine Cadastre (MMC) is a multiagency effort to build a GIS-based marine information system for U.S. waters that provides authoritative geospatial data and supporting information to inform decision-making on a range of ocean issues. The MMC contains marine cadastral data, which encompass the spatial extent, usage, rights, restrictions, and responsibilities of marine areas, as well as other data needed to support planning, management, and conservation of submerged lands and marine spaces. The combination of marine cadastral, biological, geophysical, ocean use, and legal authority data provides users with the spatial context needed to address issues such as alternative energy siting, aquaculture, submerged lands leasing, marine conservation, and marine spatial planning (MSP). This webinar will demonstrate how spatial data are being organized and integrated in the MMC, and how the MMC can be used to support ocean energy planning.
In this webinar, participants will
- Learn about the basics of marine cadastral data
- See demonstrations of the Multipurpose Marine Cadastre
- Hear examples of how the Multipurpose Marine Cadastre can be used to support ocean energy planning
Marshes on the Move: A Manager’s Guide to Understanding and Using Model Results Depicting Potential Sea Level Rise Impacts on Coastal Wetlands
Wednesday, December 7, 2011
Presenter(s): Nate Herold and Nancy Cofer-Shabica, NOAA Coastal Services Center; Adam Whelchel and Roger Fuller, The Nature Conservancy
The scientific community is generally in agreement that global sea level is rising and coastal marshes are changing as a result. Understanding where and how coastal environments will change in response to sea level rise, however, is a complex modeling challenge dependent upon many factors. This webinar will help participants understand key considerations and questions to ask when presented with models and maps estimating the future condition and location of coastal wetlands in response to rising sea level.
In this webinar, participants will
- Gain a basic understanding of some key parameters and uncertainties associated with these models
- Hear from technical specialists regarding real world implications of model results
- Learn how to more effectively incorporate modeling results into management initiatives
Mapping and Visualizing Sea level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts
Wednesday, November 2, 2011
Presenter(s): Douglas Marcy, NOAA Coastal Services Center
It is one thing to have a discussion or write about a one- or two-foot rise in the ocean surface and the potential impacts to a local community, and it is another to show someone a map, highlighting the areas that will potentially be impacted. The ability to visualize the potential height and inland extent of water gives us a better understanding of the corresponding impacts and consequences. Over the past several years, the lessons learned from investigating pilot sea level change mapping applications have led to the development of a next generation sea level rise and coastal flooding viewer. This presentation will provide a brief history of previous sea level change visualization pilots and a detailed discussion of new methods, featuring a demonstration of the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer.
In this webinar, participants will learn about
- The benefits of providing interactive maps online for visualizing inundation risks and potential impacts
- New mapping techniques that incorporate high-resolution data sources
- The methods used to develop the Sea Level Rise and Coastal Flooding Impacts Viewer, its current status, and plans for expanding the tool to the rest of the coastal U.S.
Community Resilience, Part II: Ecosystem-Based Adaptation Case Studies
Wednesday, October 5, 2011
Presenter(s): Adam Whelchel, The Nature Conservancy
Many coastal communities are looking for ways to apply ecosystem-based management approaches for community resilience. This presentation will highlight the four-step process of The Nature Conservancy’s Coastal Resilience project, which includes awareness, risk, choice, and action. This approach focuses on the need to tailor options to fit the varying needs and pace of different communities. The case studies that will be presented focus on communities that have moved beyond the awareness phase in the process to assessing vulnerability and developing options for future action.
In this webinar, participants will learn about
- The four steps of The Nature Conservancy’s Coastal Resilience approach
- Ecosystem-based management approaches that communities are choosing to implement when addressing coastal resilience issues
- Challenges that other communities have faced when adapting to coastal risk
- Flexible options that can be built into adaptation plans
Community Resilience, Part I: Assessing Vulnerabilities Using the Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risk
Wednesday, September 7, 2011
Presenter(s): Tashya Allen and David Betenbaugh, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Looking for a participatory approach to assessing community risk and vulnerabilities to hazards and climate change? Need to know which types of data and information can be helpful in characterizing your hazards story? Then sign up for this webinar, which will highlight a customizable approach for assessing hazard and climate change threats and impacts. This approach, the Roadmap for Adapting to Coastal Risk, is a participatory process for assessing vulnerability. The Roadmap helps communities characterize their vulnerabilities to hazards and climate change and assess how existing planning and policy efforts can incorporate vulnerability issues.
The Roadmap process helps communities move beyond general awareness of hazard and climate change impacts to actually identify risks and the potential actions that can reduce these risks. The presentation will also provide information on additional resources for identifying and communicating potential risks and vulnerabilities.
October’s webinar, “Community Resilience, Part II,” will provide case studies of communities that are using this process to make choices that will reduce possible impacts from hazards and climate change.
In this webinar, participants will learn about
- The basics of risk and vulnerability assessments
- The benefits of performing an assessment
- The Roadmap approach for identifying potential risks and vulnerabilities
- How to find resources useful in an assessment
Using Benthic Habitat Data for Ecosystem-Based Management
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Presenter(s): Susan Schlosser, California Sea Grant; Mark Finkbeiner, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Knowledge of nearshore aquatic habitats is essential to effective marine conservation, managing shellfish resources, maintaining biodiversity, and assessing the impacts of various human activities. This webinar will present a case study demonstrating the use of nearshore benthic habitat maps to develop subtidal and intertidal habitat goals for California's Humboldt Bay and Eel River Estuary. Presenters will also highlight the collaborative partnership that was formed by the NOAA Coastal Services Center, the private sector, and local stakeholders for this mapping effort.
In this webinar, participants will see how
- Benthic data can be applied to various management needs
- Partnerships and technology improvements have led to improved data applications
- The NOAA Coastal Services Center's Geospatial Services Contract can be used to fill data gaps
Engaging Stakeholders in Coastal Management through Participatory Mapping
Presenter(s): Christine Feinholz, NOAA Pacific Services Center; Chrissa Waite, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Recognizing the importance of public knowledge, perceptions, and attitudes, many coastal managers have moved toward planning and decision-making processes that involve stakeholders. These planning processes are often spatial in nature and can benefit from the use of a geographic information system (GIS). This webinar will examine the role of participatory mapping as a technique for engaging stakeholders in decision-making.
In this webinar, participants will
- Learn the basic steps for engaging stakeholders through mapping, as well as the situations in which participatory mapping is effective
- Hear examples of how participatory mapping was employed in establishing conservation priorities in Alabama, collecting traditional knowledge for restoration planning, and mapping nearshore coastal human uses in Hawaii
- Identify resources that can get agencies started in stakeholder engagement, as well as other social science resources
How Has Your County Changed?
Presenter(s): Brian Hadley and Nate Herold, NOAA Coastal Services Center
Understanding how a coastal county’s land cover has changed over the years is an excellent way to document trends, understand the effects of past land use decisions, and consider future land use planning needs. The Coastal Change Analysis Program (C-CAP) examines land cover changes in the nation’s coastal areas. The C-CAP Land Cover Atlas is a new Web-based tool that does not require GIS or advanced technical expertise. This tool helps users to explore and communicate land cover change and trend information with county-specific maps, statistics and reports.
In this webinar, participants will see how
- Digital Coast land cover data are used to examine change and trends
- The C-CAP Land Cover Atlas can be used to show county, state, and regional land cover change
- Data visualization tools, or “Viewers,” can provide a starting point for community planning
- The Land cover Atlas can be employed to visualize land cover changes in their county
Using ENOW Data to Help Monitor Economic Health in Coastal Counties
Presenter(s): Jeff Adkins and Danielle Bamford, NOAA Coastal Services Center
The oceans and Great Lakes support a wide range of economic sectors in coastal communities, including living resources, marine construction, marine transportation, offshore mineral resources, ship and boat building, and tourism and recreation. The Economics: National Ocean Watch (ENOW) data set incorporates data on these vital sectors of our national economy using four economic indicators: establishments, employment, wages, and gross domestic product. This webinar introduces users to data that tell a compelling story of the economic importance of the nation’s oceans and Great Lakes.
In this webinar, participants will
- Learn about new data from six economic sectors that are linked to the oceans and Great Lakes
- View a live demonstration of the Ocean Jobs Snapshot, a tool that uses ENOW data to take a look at county-level economic information
- Find out how to download and use ENOW data for their own spatial analysis
Using Geospatial Techniques to Plan for Climate Change Impacts on Coastal Habitats
Presenter(s): Chrissa Waite, NOAA Coastal Services Center
This webinar presentation describes how staff members at a national wildlife refuge worked with geospatial analysts to create conservation strategies that include sea level rise projections. The team paired two geospatial tools for this project. First, the Sea Level Affecting Marshes Model (SLAMM) was used to predict potential marsh migration that could result from sea level rise. Next, the Habitat Priority Planner was used along with the SLAMM predictions to identify focal areas to conserve for key management species as habitats shift.
In this webinar, participants will
- See how Digital Coast data sets and tools were used to model sea level rise impacts in a coastal community
- Learn how the Habitat Priority Planner helped identify priority conservation areas for wetland migration
- Discover ways in which communities are using project outputs for local conservation planning
