Steve
The Center for GIS has been awash in new map application launches over the past month, with three new launches–all with strong ties to the sea.
In a previous blog, I introduced a new web map application for the Khaled Bin Sultan Living Oceans Foundation (LOF), highlighting coral reef habitat in the Seychelles Islands group. Our first launch this past month is a companion application to that first viewer. The new application highlights coral habitats in St. John and St. Thomas, two of the US Virgin Islands. It was built on the same framework as the Seychelles viewer and contains many of the same tools and functions. One addition is a series of underwater video examples for the coral reef habitat types.
The two newest web map applications focus much closer to home. Both represent integral parts of the Maryland Department of Natural Resources’ new Coastal Atlas. The first, the Ocean viewer, launched on June 8th, to celebrate World Oceans Day. The application gives citizens access to ocean data off of Maryland’s coast, including information on shipping routes, recreational areas, fishing locations, and offshore renewable energy potential.
Our second Coastal Atlas launch this month is the Estuarine viewer, launched June 30th. This viewer allows users to explore critical tidal and near-shore habitats for targeted conservation, protection, and restoration activities. Both the Ocean and Estuarine viewers are built on a new web map application template CGIS has been developing in-house to speed our delivery of web map applications built on Maryland’s MD iMap map service infrastructure.
A third viewer, built by Maryland Environmental Service (MES), rounds out the current DNR Coastal Atlas web map application offerings. The MES Shorelines viewer also leverages the MD iMap infrastructure.
These applications provide new ways to experience and learn about the relationships and ties each of us have to the sea. I hope you’ll take the opportunity to explore them.
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