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Environmental Studies Program Direction:
Efficient and Effective Information Management
Objective: To increase the
utility and usability of the MMS environmental research data.
 Geographical
Information Systems (GIS) technology holds great potential for monitoring and providing
meaningful interpretation of the vast amounts of environmental data available.
Traditionally, the ESP has collected data with the goal of providing a research report.
With proper planning at the research level (i.e., those who collect, interpret, and use
the environmental information), data can be collected in appropriate formats so that full
advantage can be made of the existing and planned GIS tools.
An added benefit of GIS technology is the ability to view geographically not only the
results of the environmental research, but also where the information exists. This can be
done by utilizing the ESPIS, which has created databases that describe ESP research and
has built an information base of electronic copies of the research. By adding geographic
coordinates to the ESPIS information, planning of new research efforts will be aided by
the ability to look at a “map” of where current information exists relative to
planned activities. Locating research reports by clicking on a map presentation of the
type and location of research would also be made possible. For example, one could easily
view the coverage of bird, whale, human use, or other information by zooming in on North
Carolina, the Florida Panhandle, Valdez, or Santa Barbara Channel. Another click on the
map could then bring up a complete copy of the report that could be electronically
searched for any needed information.
The GIS technology also enables the ESP to tap into data collected by many Federal and
State agencies. Partnerships with these other agencies help reduce the MMS cost of data
collection. Currently, much of the MMS’s information management using GIS technology
has been focused in the Gulf of Mexico Region. The Gulf-Wide Information System has
developed a partnership between MMS, the Gulf States, industry, and NOAA to create a suite
of coastal environmental information useful for oil-spill contingency planning and
environmental assessments. The data collected and the GIS tools developed as a result of
this project are currently being evaluated for usefulness in environmental assessments. A
goal of the ESP is to expand this technology throughout MMS.
Meeting the Need: The ESP plans to increase
the usefulness of its research as the volume and variety of environmental GIS data
increase the capability and availability of tools. Several future initiatives will help
MMS meet this need in a cost-effective manner:
 | Develop standards for data collection to ensure that the data can be used by GIS tools.
Although much has been accomplished for coastal data, similar data standards will be
developed for deepwater environmental resources.
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| Develop expertise in data management and GIS technology through pilot projects in the
Regions and Headquarters. Some pilot projects being considered include:
 | linking OSRA results with environmental resource locations and environmental sensitivity
index information,
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| collecting and storing California marine bird and nesting information in GIS-compatible
databases,
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| collecting and storing Alaskan whale sighting information in GIS-compatible databases,
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| applying GIS technology to Gulf Coast environmental data for environmental analysis, and
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| geographically locating ESP research areas to enable GIS mapping and comparison of
existing and planned research to existing and planned activities.
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| Continue coordination with other Federal and State agencies that are collecting
environmental information in GIS format to identify opportunities for leveraging funds.
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For more information, contact Keith Good.
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