Data integration and management
Projects manage data, but an integrated data base requires a new level of sophistication and commitment. The integrated data management system must be interoperable, compatible and accessible. New web based technologies and architecture are facilitating this task. For example, Open Geospatial Consortium web services, service-oriented architecture, NASA World Wind, and new ESRI products reduce time to interface and analyze large data sets. In short, information technology is the enabler.
Moving forward
There were several areas that the symposium participants agreed upon. The end results need to be
• Multi-purpose
• Multi-user (smart users at that!)
• Multi-dimensional
• Multiple scales (spatial and temporal) of ocean mapping; linking small-scale patterns to the landscape
• Multi-disciplinary
• Multiple integrated data layers
• Multi-variable modeling
• Multi-mission vessels
Developing a geospatial framework will require collaboration of key players. A specific recommendation is to establish a formal network of ocean mapping experts for the NE Continental Shelf including the mid-Atlantic Bight that facilitates information exchange among the many groups a few of which are: Interagency Working Group on Ocean and