Accessing and Visualizing Satellite Data for Fisheries Managers in the Northeast Large Marine Ecosystem

Abstract:

As interest in the global change in temperatures and precipitation patterns grow, federal, state, and local agencies are turning to the delivery of 'actionable science and information' or 'information for decision-makers.' NOAA/National Centers for Environmental Information's Regional Climate Services program builds these bridges between the user of information and the producers of the information. With the Climate Data Records program, this study will present the extraction and use of the sea-surface temperature datasets specifically for access and use by fisheries managers in the north Atlantic. The work demonstrates the staged approach of accessing the records, converting their initial data formats into maps and charts, and the delivery of the data as a value-added information dashboard for use by managers. The questions to be reviewed include the ease of access, the delivery of open source software for visualizing the information, and a discussion on the roles of government and the private sector in the provision of climate information at different scales.