While significant capacity in the last decade has been built in the field
of coastal mapping via web-based atlases, as well as coastal/ocean informatics,
little has been done to take stock of the implications of these efforts or to
identify best practices in terms of taking lessons learned into consideration
(including the effective translation of science to coastal decision-making).
This panel will share the results of two recent NSF-funded workshops: the
first, held in Cork, Ireland in the summer of 2006, under the theme of
"potentials and limitations of coastal web atlases," and the second, held at
OSU the week before Coastal Zone '07, under the theme "building a common
approach to managing and disseminating coastal data, maps and information."
Both workshops brought together key experts from Europe, both coasts of the
United States, and Canada to examine state-of-the-art developments in
web-based coastal mapping and informatics, along with future needs in mapping
and informatics for the coastal practitioner community. These workshops are
intended to advance research in the field by providing recommendations for
best practices in coastal web mapping and to develop a cadre of scientists
who will play a leadership role in forging international collaborations of
value to the participating nations. The panel will also discuss the
initiation of a possible International Coastal Atlas Network.
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