CoastGIS’99: geomatics and coastal enuironment
Georeferencing the legal framework
for a Web-based Regional Ocean
Management Geographic Information
System
Cindy Fowler
(l) , Éric Treml (2) , Hamilton Smillie (2)
(1) NOAA, Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hubson Ave., Charleston, South-Carolina, USA
cfowler@csc.noaa.gov
(2) Technology Planning and Management Corporation, Coastal Services Center,
Charleston, South-Carolina, USA
Abstract
The Truman Proclamation (19 15) and the Law ol the Sea Conventions
(1958, 1960, 1973, and 1982) initiated a deluge of claims on the world’s
high seas. As coastal nations subdivided the ocean and developed
governance frameworks, inadequate consideration was sometimes given
to the spatial integrity of maritime boundaries, delineating sovereignty,
regulatory boundaries, and jurisdictional areas. As a result, some presentday boundaries are ambulatory and many co-ordinates are of mixed
datums and accuracies that could result in misinterpretation. To help
establish spatially legitimate digital boundaries that can be used to
improve ocean management strategies, the Coastal Services Center
(CSC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), working with four states m the southeastern US, has been
examining existing boundaries and their spatial accuracy. This is part
of an ongoing project to develop a Web-based regional ocean governance and management geographic information system. Major features of
the site include an interactive mapping application, marine and coastal
spatial data and download tools, associated metadata, and legal summary pages, all designed to support regional ocean management.
Integral to the functionality of the project is the inclusion of georeferenced regulatory data layers (georegulations). Georegulations are spatial “footprints” of the geographic area where US federal policies apply.
These georegulations allow users to view the spatial extent of federal
regulations and maritime boundaries and the overlap they share with
natural resources data. Laws are quite often vague with respect to referencing precise geographic boundaries of applicability. Hence, the process of georeferencing the legal framework can highlight deficiencies in
spatial extent, boundary delineation, and legal documentation. As a
result, much effort has been made to identify and document these errors
and suggest possible solutions.
284
Georeferencing the legal framework
for a Web-based Regional Ocean
Management Geographic Information
System
Cindy Fowler
(l) , Éric Treml (2) , Hamilton Smillie (2)
(1) NOAA, Coastal Services Center, 2234 South Hubson Ave., Charleston, South-Carolina, USA
cfowler@csc.noaa.gov
(2) Technology Planning and Management Corporation, Coastal Services Center,
Charleston, South-Carolina, USA
Abstract
The Truman Proclamation (19 15) and the Law ol the Sea Conventions
(1958, 1960, 1973, and 1982) initiated a deluge of claims on the world’s
high seas. As coastal nations subdivided the ocean and developed
governance frameworks, inadequate consideration was sometimes given
to the spatial integrity of maritime boundaries, delineating sovereignty,
regulatory boundaries, and jurisdictional areas. As a result, some presentday boundaries are ambulatory and many co-ordinates are of mixed
datums and accuracies that could result in misinterpretation. To help
establish spatially legitimate digital boundaries that can be used to
improve ocean management strategies, the Coastal Services Center
(CSC) of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration
(NOAA), working with four states m the southeastern US, has been
examining existing boundaries and their spatial accuracy. This is part
of an ongoing project to develop a Web-based regional ocean governance and management geographic information system. Major features of
the site include an interactive mapping application, marine and coastal
spatial data and download tools, associated metadata, and legal summary pages, all designed to support regional ocean management.
Integral to the functionality of the project is the inclusion of georeferenced regulatory data layers (georegulations). Georegulations are spatial “footprints” of the geographic area where US federal policies apply.
These georegulations allow users to view the spatial extent of federal
regulations and maritime boundaries and the overlap they share with
natural resources data. Laws are quite often vague with respect to referencing precise geographic boundaries of applicability. Hence, the process of georeferencing the legal framework can highlight deficiencies in
spatial extent, boundary delineation, and legal documentation. As a
result, much effort has been made to identify and document these errors
and suggest possible solutions.
284