A Web 2.0 guide to coastal resources, hazards, and habitats

Abstract

Lake Superior’s North Shore, due to initiatives by Minnesota’s Lake Superior Coastal Program (MLSCP), NOAA, and other federal, state and local efforts, is rich in data. The MLSCP-funded CoastalGIS web site, initiated in 2005, provides a means for users to view or download a broad range of spatial data, including spatial data for GIS users, collections of oblique aerial photographs of the Lake Superior shoreline, numerous parcel layers for townships and municipalities, as well as wetland, forest and trail inventories. MLSCP has also supported studies with strong geospatial aspects, such as assessments of impervious surface, trout streams and urban forests. Other data is ‘real-time’ or timerelevant. The award-winning www.LakeSuperiorStreams.org website, funded by MLSCP, US EPA and others, has maintained a network of real-time stream sensors in several urban trout streams, and now has a high-resolution record of core water quality variables dating back to 2002. Other data repositories include Minnesota DNR’s Data Deli, which includes information on infrastructure (roads, railroads), land cover (aerial photo, interpreted satellite imagery) and hydrography (rivers, streams, lakes). At the same time, many communities have undertaken studies to quantify and capitalize on the unique social and economic characteristics of this natural resource and tourism-based environment. However, a persistent issue facing key end users of data, including citizens, local governments, and non-governmental organizations, has been the fact that data are distributed across numerous repositories, often available only in technical formats, which makes them less accessible to end users without GIS expertise. The Coastal Atlas project, funded through MLSCP, was designed to consolidate these multiple data sources. The intent of the Atlas was to create print-copy volumes focused on the data needs of individual townships. A set of map plates was created for each township within the coastal boundary, featuring watersheds, hydrography, infrastructure, land use/land cover, recreation and other attributes important to land use planning. These data were also made available on line through the CoastalGIS website. The objective of this current project was to develop a Web 2.0 application to integrate the long-term information provided in the Atlas, CoastalGIS, and other sources with realtime or near-real time data related to coastal resources, hazards, and habitats. Web 2.0 refers to Internet applications that go beyond traditional web sites – they facilitate interactive information sharing, drawing information in real time from diverse sites, and connecting with social networks. A unique contribution of this project is the inclusion of real and near-real time data relevant to the health and well-being of citizens in the coastal region. These include beach advisory data, rip current information, weather, recreational opportunities and other attributes of coastal communities.