During the past decade, ocean communities have built vast ocean-sensing data networks contributing to huge repositories of sea information. Global remote sensing systems streaming data through cyberinfrastructures are giving access to real-time data about a host of concerns, including salinity, seismology, temperature, the seafloor, and marine life changes. GIS is being used to spatially depict this information, making it accessible to a broad community of users.

The Web is becoming geographically enabled, which means that many authors and publishers can share data in an interconnected environment. For example, oceanic observation networks combined with ArcGIS Server software can be used to manage all types of geospatial information used for visualizing bathymetric topography, meteorological models, ocean salinity, transport networks, and so forth. ArcGIS Server includes virtually all of Esri's GIS functionality expressed as a geospatial service. ArcGIS Desktop is used as a companion to ArcGIS Server in the sense that it can easily author and consume ArcGIS services.

Combining interactive observatory networks with interactive GIS maps creates synergy between the ocean community's entrepreneurial companies and advocacy groups. An online GIS infrastructure helps people work together toward coordinating sustainability planning. Human impact activities, such as drilling, fishing, and shipping, can be planned in conjunction with responsible environmental management that supports sustainability of the oceans. Understanding the earth's oceans helps us reap their potential while retaining their stability.

More Information

For more information, visit www.esri.com/marine.