Marinemap
Encyclopedia
The MarineMap Consortium is a group of scientists and geospatial technologists at the University of California Santa Barbara
(UCSB), The Nature Conservancy
(TNC) and Ecotrust
.
planning in California. The California Marine Life Protection Act
Initiative (MLPAI) contracted the MarineMap consortium to develop a web-based decision support system geared toward helping non-technical users (i.e., stakeholders) design MPAs. Consequently, the consortium developed their flagship application, called MarineMap.
The MarineMap Consortium is now working to extend the MarineMap decision support tool
to be used by collaborative, participatory and science based marine planning
efforts around the world.
University of California, Santa Barbara
The University of California, Santa Barbara, commonly known as UCSB or UC Santa Barbara, is a public research university and one of the 10 general campuses of the University of California system. The main campus is located on a site in Goleta, California, from Santa Barbara and northwest of Los...
(UCSB), The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy
The Nature Conservancy is a US charitable environmental organization that works to preserve the plants, animals, and natural communities that represent the diversity of life on Earth by protecting the lands and waters they need to survive....
(TNC) and Ecotrust
Ecotrust
Ecotrust is a conservation organization based in Portland, Oregon that works to foster prosperous communities along the West Coast of North America.-History and Programs:...
.
History
In 2007, the MarineMap Consortium formed to develop geospatial technologies aimed at facilitating marine protected area (MPA)Marine Protected Area
Marine Protected Areas, like any protected area, are regions in which human activity has been placed under some restrictions in the interest of conserving the natural environment, it's surrounding waters and the occupant ecosystems, and any cultural or historical resources that may require...
planning in California. The California Marine Life Protection Act
Marine Life Protection Act
The Marine Life Protection Act was passed in 1999 and is part of the California Fish and Game Code. The MLPA requires California to reevaluate all existing marine protected areas and potentially design new MPAs that together function as a statewide network. The MLPA has clear guidance associated...
Initiative (MLPAI) contracted the MarineMap consortium to develop a web-based decision support system geared toward helping non-technical users (i.e., stakeholders) design MPAs. Consequently, the consortium developed their flagship application, called MarineMap.
The MarineMap Consortium is now working to extend the MarineMap decision support tool
Decision support system
A decision support system is a computer-based information system that supports business or organizational decision-making activities. DSSs serve the management, operations, and planning levels of an organization and help to make decisions, which may be rapidly changing and not easily specified in...
to be used by collaborative, participatory and science based marine planning
Marine Spatial Planning
Marine spatial planning is a tool that brings together multiple users of the ocean – including energy, industry, government, conservation and recreation – to make informed and coordinated decisions about how to use marine resources sustainably...
efforts around the world.