Geospatial Data and Environmental Science and Management

Seneca Lake Sonar Test Facility Data Collection and Mapping Project	Ranges and Restricted Areas of Narragansett Bay, Rhode Island

Naval Undersea Warfare Center (NUWC) and the University of Rhode Island (URI) Environmental Data Center (EDC) in the Department of Natural Resources Science have worked together to develop GIS-based solutions to complex problems faced by the U.S. Navy in environmental and ecological management. The partnership has proven to be extremely valuable for both institutions. NUWC scientists face a variety of analytical and database challenges that range from large-scale locally detailed applications to spatially explicit models and data syntheses that encompass broad areas of the mid-Atlantic Ocean.

The NUWC/URI partnership is an excellent opportunity for URI students to work on real-world environmental problems. It also provides NUWC technical staff access to URI geospatial knowledge, experience, and technology.

A major accomplishment achieved through the EDC/NUWC, Newport, Rhode Island, partnership is a completely restructured geospatial database that serves the GIS mapping and analysis needs of the NUWC environmental division. The database contains information such as imagery, physical, biological, and cultural data and ranges in scale from local to global.

The purpose of the Seneca Lake Sonar Test Facility Data Collection and Mapping Project was to collect geospatial data to be incorporated into a GIS and map the NUWC Seneca Lake Sonar Test Facility. GPS data collected at the facility was incorporated into maps that supported a National Environmental Policy Act document analyzing potential environmental impacts created by dredging and stabilization of the facility’s lagoon.