Record Details
GIS training materials for coastal managers: an internship at the NOAA Coastal Services Center: 2003
ScholarsArchive at Oregon State University
| Field | Value |
|---|---|
| Title | GIS training materials for coastal managers: an internship at the NOAA Coastal Services Center: 2003 |
| Names |
Pattison, Danielle B.
(creator) |
| Date Issued | 2003-00-00 (iso8601) |
| Internet Media Type | application/pdf |
| Note | Graduation date: 2003 |
| Abstract | One of the crucial components of marine and coastal resource management is using the best available data for decision-making. There are many facets however, to what makes data available and useable. Even though data may exist for many natural resource and marine resource issues, they don't always come in accessible or easy to use formats. In many cases, special software or tools must be used to most efficiently incorporate the data into the decision-making process. And similarly, if those software, tools, and ultimately data, are to be used to their greatest potential, the coastal management community must be properly trained on how to use them. Therefore, an important part of using the best available data is having the technology, tools, and training to make data more useable and effective. With advancing technologies, including the advent of the Internet, this topic is particularly relevant. As more data are being produced and made more readily accessible, there is an increased need for specialized tools for data use and in turn, the need for training materials that teach coastal managers how these tools can best be used for coastal management purposes. This report is based on the work I undertook as an intern with the NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC), dealing with just such issues. I was tasked with creating training materials aimed at coastal managers which focused on specialized GIS tools and software. Some of these materials were to be available on the CSC Website in conjunction with data handling tools created at the Center, while others were to be used in GIS training courses as part of the CSC training program. This report will be presented in three main sections. The Background section will provide a brief look at the increasing use of the Internet in coastal management, its influence on information sharing, and the impact this has had on coastal zone management in particular. The Background section will also discuss the increase of available data, touching on the types of information and data being used by 2 coastal managers, but focusing on geospatial data and the benefits they bring to the coastal management community. This will lead to a look at the creation of specialized tools designed to make data more useable, and finally to the need for training materials to teach the proper use of these tools. The next section, Internship Activities, will focus on my internship with the NOAA Coastal Services Center, giving a background on the Center, focusing on their training program and customer surveys, and then detailing the services I performed at the Center including the development of training manuals and modules. The Conclusion section will provide insight into future needs for training materials, a look at how these activities contribute to integrated coastal zone management, and an evaluation of my internship experience. Finally, the products of this internship are appended in full and are meant to serve as the Results of the overall internship report. |
| Genre | Thesis |
| Topic | Coastal zone management -- Electronic information resources -- Handbooks, manuals, etc |
| Identifier | http://hdl.handle.net/1957/4553 |
