This is a post by NOAA Environmental Scientist Dr. Amy Merten.
As Chief of the Spatial Data Branch in NOAA’s Office of Response
and Restoration, my focus is all about data. In particular, that
means figuring out how to access data related to oil spills: the
type of information useful for planning before a spill and for
the response, environmental injury assessment, and restoration
after a spill. Once we get that data, which often comes from
other science agencies, universities, and industry, we can then
ingest it into Arctic ERMA®, NOAA’s online mapping tool for
environmental disaster data. While at the Alaska Marine Science
Symposium this week, I have spent much of my time working with
experts who provide and manage that kind of data. For example,
the Alaska Ocean Observing System (AOOS) provides real-time and
historical coastal data to multiple stakeholders, including NOAA
for Arctic ERMA. AOOS is also the host for the newly signed
data-sharing agreement [PDF] between NOAA and three oil
companies (Shell, Co