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Ecosystem Integration & Assessment
To improve the management of Gulf habitats, the Alliance proposes to provide public access to a prototype distributed, meta-data driven data management platform and Internet portal that provides a geospatial data viewer and facilitates data downloads of local, state, and federal habitat data in the Gulf region, beginning with seagrass beds. This effort involves an inventory and gap analysis of existing habitat data in the region and Alliance partners working together to standardize and integrate local, state, and federal habitat data, including metadata and to make these data available through a single regional data management portal.
Printable version of Ecosystem Integration & Assessment page (PDF) (1pg, 117K, about PDF)
Action Plan I "Successes"
- Established a regional data system (Priority Habitat Information Network (PHINs) providing access to Gulf-wide data and ecosystem support services for resource managers and Alliance partners
- Fostered strategic partnerships with the Gulf States i.e. Florida Geospatial Assessment of Marine Ecosystems G.A.M.E.to fill ecological data gaps in the Gulf of Mexico Region
- Developed decision support tool (Regional Ecosystem Data Management REDM) which is being used by coastal resource managers to address priority issues within the Gulf of Mexico and allowing better resource management
- Providing collaboration opportunities with living marine resource organizations to promote coordination and improve management of Gulf of Mexico living marine resources
Action Plan II "Goals"
- Produce the Gulf of Mexico Master Mapping Plan(GMMMP), a comprehensive plan to collaboratively acquire data on the physical characteristics of the Gulf region, particularly elevation, shoreline, and surface data
- Provide resource managers and Alliance partners access to a Gulf-wide data and ecosystem support services system
- Provide collaboration opportunities for the various living marine resource organizations to support the management of the Gulf as a large marine ecosystem
- Develop an Emergent Wetlands Status and Trends Report to provide scientists and decision makers with regional information to guide management decisions
- Determine socioeconomic values of critical coastal ecosystem services in the Gulf region
