Welcome to OpenOcean - An open implementation of Ocean Communities 3E Analysis Network (OCEAN)
Introduction
OpenOcean a suite of tools that enable the integrated ecological and socioeconomic assessment of fishery policy and marine conservation, and their effects on coastal communities — the Ocean Communities "3E" Analytical Network, or OCEAN. The E stands for economy, ecology and equity, the balancing of which in a conservation economy captures Ecotrust's mission. OCEAN comprises databases, analysis and tools that allow scientists, managers, and communities to take an integrated and systemic look at ecosystems and management issues. OCEAN continues to grow, building on both proprietary and third-party, quantitative and qualitative information across a number of scales — both temporal and spatial.
Open OceanMap
Open OceanMap (OOM) is an ambitious project led by Ecotrust to break the ties of traditional geo-spatial data collection and embark on the development of a truly cross platform, Open Source, and transportable decision support tool.
The specific role of the Open OceanMap tool is the surveying of community members, collecting spatially explicit information. In the current iterations of OOM, users provide basic information about their fishing habits and draw shapes on a map representing their fishing grounds. Users distribute "100 pennies" over those shapes giving a picture of their most important fishing grounds. Surveys are then aggregated and used in socio-economic analysis and the production of aggregated map layers representing the interests of one or more groups. Data might be aggregated by fishing port, user group (charter boats, kayak), gear type, fish species, etc. The more detailed the interview, the more ways you're able to slice it. For more information on the larger OCEAN toolkit and how it's used to minimize impacts to fishing communities see the link below.
Status:
- 12/8/08 - OOM receives a 2008 Mellon Award for technology collaboration. Articles: OPB, BYM Marine Environment News.
- Summer/Fall 2008 - OOM is being used in the California MLPA initiative process in the South Coast region. Specifically to interview commercial fisherman and charter boat captains (CPFV).
- Summer 2008 - OOM Loreto Bay has been released and is slated to be deployed by Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI) in Loreto Bay National Park, Mexico sometime in 2009. It is geared toward interviewing not only fisherman but tour guides, recreational users and researchers that
- Summer/Fall 2007 - OOM is being used in the California MLPA initiative process in the North Central Coast region. Specifically to interview commercial fisherman.
- Summer 2007 - OOM is born.
Learn more about OpenOceanMap
Learn More about the OCEAN tool suite
License
All source code is licensed under the GPL
Development
- Tim Welch (Maintainer), twelch at ecotrust.org
- Aaron Racicot (Original creator)
- Dane Springmeyer (Loreto Bay contributor)
If you are interested in contributing to this project whether it's design, coding, documentation, etc. please contact Tim Welch at the address above. We welcome collaboration with other groups and our sincere hope is that you will find this tool useful and want to use it for your own purposes.
Downloads
California MLPA North-Central Coast
Recreational Fishing
User Guide (3Mb)
Windows installer - Download
Source - Download
California MLPA - South Coast
South Coast Map Layers (Also included with installations below)
Base Map Layers (GeoTiff) - Download
Nautical Charts (GeoTiff) - Download
Commercial Fishing
Windows installer - Download
Commercial Private Fishing Vessels (CPFV)
Windows installer - Download
Loreto National Park, Mexico (Fishing, Ecotourism, Conservation Activities)
Developed in partnership with Comunidad y Biodiversidad (COBI)
Windows installer - Download
Map Base Layers (Bathymetry, shoreline, protected areas, seamounts, etc.) - Download
