A popular benthic data access and map viewing application is now upgraded with enhanced functionality, while leveraging resources and efforts with other NOAA offices.
The NOAA Benthic Data Hub, an ArcGIS cloud-based platform, is a centralized access point for NOAA benthic habitat data. It aims to improve data quality and consistency, advance best practices, and better meet the needs of the benthic data user community. The NOAA Benthic Data Hub promotes easy data access to more than 120 datasets, allowing users to browse benthic data without requiring specialized software. Data includes benthic habitat maps and models, field point observations, video data, and source data such as optical and acoustic imagery. Users have the option to search for desired benthic data by a location on a map, a specific project, or sorting within the data library, which provides multiple filter options to help guide users directly to the data they need.
This new application replaces the NCCOS Biomapper, an interactive online map portal that enables users to explore data and information from the floor of the ocean and Great Lakes. For more than 15 years NOAA’s National Centers for Coastal Ocean Science has developed, maintained and expanded geographies for this application.
In a parallel capacity, NOAA’s Office for Coastal Management (OCM) has maintained benthic data for the Great Lakes in partnership with the Environmental Protection Agency’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative (GLRI) and nearshore benthic data from projects supporting state coastal zone management (CZM) partners.
In an effort to create a more unified data repository and maximize accessibility, several NOAA offices have leveraged efforts to develop the NOAA Benthic Data Hub. This fresh new application provides a one-stop-shop for these resources while featuring a more enhanced data discovery and viewing experience. Additionally, users can submit benthic data for consideration to be included in the hub, expanding the data while building a community of contributors. With these improvements, users can make more informed decisions regarding protecting, restoring, and managing coastal areas and natural resources, and will have more efficient access to information for environmental impact studies, species distribution, and coastal adaptation.
EPA’s GLRI provided funding to OCM for the initial development of the NOAA Benthic Data Hub, leveraging OCM’s Coastal Geospatial Services Contract vehicle, with additional support from NCCOS, OCM, NOAA Fisheries and NOAA’s Integrated Ocean and Coastal Mapping.
This work is authorized under the Great Lakes Restoration Initiative Act of 2019: P.L. 116-294 (01/05/2021); Coastal Zone Management Act (CZMA, 16 U.S.C. 1456c); Digital Coast Act: P.L. 116-223 (12/18/2020); Coast and Geodetic Survey Act – 33 U.S.C. § 883d
