Virginia Coastal Zone Management - Spring/Summer 2007
Coastal GEMS
...A Gateway to Information on the Location, Value and Management of Virginia’s Coastal Resources
By Kelly Price, Coastal Planner
The Commonwealth has long awaited an Internet mapping system, free for anyone to use, that shows a comprehensive inventory of Virginia’s natural resources. Virginia CZM has been involved in this effort since 1988! First there was the “Virginia Rivers Inventory” in the late 1980’s, then “EcoMaps” in the 1990’s, but budget and politics impeded progress. In 2001, at a Coastal Partners Workshop, we came back to this idea when our state and local partners expressed the need for a “vision” of the coastal zone. They wanted to see where all of the best remaining coastal resources actually are. Seeing the resources in one big picture could simplify the task of connecting local land use planning decisions to state and federal water use policies. A stronger understanding of how activities on the land and in the water affect one another would enable everyone to better protect and manage coastal resources in a logical and sustainable fashion - something critically needed in light of today’s increasing development pressures.
Although spatially displayed data for aquatic and terrestrial ecosystems are becoming more and more accessible through the Internet, often these data are sequestered in different agencies’ and organizations’ websites and are not joined into one central application to allow all users equal and efficient access. The vision was to build this type of access.
Addressing the Need
Our coastal partners first asked us to identify the best remaining green (land-based) and blue (water-based) resources and to develop a tool that enables them to be mapped together. Over the last five years, Virginia CZM has been doing just that. We’ve funded several data development projects tat are now the “crown jewels” of Coastal GEMS. The data layers representing “blue infrastructure” are primarily the result of three CZM projects costing about $530,000. The marine data, produced by the Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), defined geographic areas for important marine resources (e.g. oyster reefs, underwater grasses) and converted the Marine Resources Commission’s (MRC) fisheries management areas from an AutoCADD database to GIS. The freshwater data, produced by Virginia Commonwealth University (VCU), is called the Interactive Stream Assessment Resource (INSTAR) and assesses stream health based on fish, macro-invertebrates, habitat and stream geomorphology.
We are also mapping “green infrastructure.” The primary layers are the Hampton Roads Conservation Corridor Study completed in May 2006 (for about $40,000 in CZM funds) by the Hampton Roads Planning District Commission, and the Virginia Conservation Lands Needs Assessment (VCLNA) being completed this year by the Department of Conservation and Recreation’s Division of Natural Heritage (for about $204,000 in CZM funds). are the major contributing layers.
A Vision is Made a Reality
These blue and green data layers drove the idea of a “Blue-Green Infrastructure Portal” - a website gateway, or starting point, for accessing comprehensive coastal resource data, maps, and information from all natural resource agencies and coastal partners. The Blue-Green Infrastructure Portal was not a name that rolls off the tongue, so now we call it “Coastal GEMS” - the Coastal Geospatial and Educational Mapping System. In 2003, we contracted with the VCU’s Center for Environmental Studies to create the Coastal GEMS portal. Holistically, the data incorporated into Coastal GEMS is a result of collaborative discussions and data-sharing efforts between many partners with a vested interest in the coastal zone.
Coastal GEMS is now a dynamic Internet mapping application with aerial imagery, reference data layers such as roads and streams, and over 40 data layers of land and water coastal resources, models and examples for conservation planning (see sidebar on page 8). The mapping tools allow you to easily investigate and navigate through the coastal zone. Unique selection tools allow you to generate tables of coastal resource information for a selected area that can be exported or printed for further use and analysis.
As we compiled the broad array of coastal resource data, we realized that breadth reflected the complexity of Virginia’s state and local management of coastal resources. The divisions of management authorities are really too esoteric to expect the general public to understand. So, in addition to the mapping component of Coastal GEMS, we created a “fact sheet” for each data layer that breaks down the complexity of coastal resource management. The fact sheets provide brief information and links to in-depth information on:
- The value of the resource (ecological, economic, and social).
- Management of the resource (at local, state, and federal levels).
- Why and how the data was developed.
- How to directly download the data or who to contact to obtain the dataset.
- Future directions if the data is associated with a long-term funded project.
- Frequently asked questions received from the general public.
Everyone Can Use Coastal GEMS!
You don’t need to be computer savvy nor a coastal resource expert to use Coastal GEMS. The easy-to-use mapping features and fact sheets make Coastal GEMS a resource for everyone.
There are many potential uses for Coastal GEMS at all levels:
Local and regional planning agencies can use the data to better manage a growing community by determining the most suitable areas for both conservation and development. Localities can also use Coastal GEMS to unravel the complexities of existing use conflicts along the waterfront (see MPPDC Addresses Waterfront Use Conflicts article in this issue). Planning tools such as comprehensive plans, zoning and land use ordinances, purchase and/or transfer of development rights programs, establishment of resource management areas, can be better informed by using Coastal GEMS. A tool that has proven to be instrumental in protecting coastal resources in one locality may be just as effective in another. For this reason, good conservation planning decisions and tools are shown as examples on Coastal GEMS to promote easy sharing of ideas.
State and federal agencies can use the data to better manage projects such as roads, major facilities, habitat restoration plans, wildlife management plans, and public access plans. They can also use it as a starting point for environmental review and permitting processes in order to easily access other agencies’ data for quick assessments.
Academic institutions can use the data to educate students about coastal resource uses and values, and to provide a base of information for classroom projects and research. Since much of our coastal resource assessment, research, and data collection is conducted by academic institutions, Coastal GEMS can help identify data “gaps,” or areas where further research is needed to improve the quality of data upon which management decisions are based.
Non-governmental organizations, citizens’ advocacy groups, and landowners can use the data to learn more about the status of Virginia’s coastal resources and formulate their position on the potential impacts of local, state, and federal projects on these resources. Coastal GEMS can increase community involvement and understanding in coastal resource or land management decision-making processes. In addition, land trusts and conservation organizations can use Coastal GEMS to select optimal sites for habitat restoration or land acquisition, whether the acquisitions are for ecological, recreational, or historic/cultural purposes (see CZM and Land Conservation article in this issue for more on how the CZM Program is helping to meet the Governor’s land conservation goals).
Future Directions and Development
Over the next 4 years, Virginia CZM has $288,000 available from NOAA to develop new datasets and tools that fill data gaps, improve and update existing datasets, hold “Coastal GEMS Open Houses” in Northern Virginia, Richmond, and Hampton Roads, and hold training sessions with partners.
Word has been spreading about Coastal GEMS – even as far as California!
Feedback will be instrumental in developing the next version, which will include the addition of many more data layers (for a list of current layers go to Coastal GEMS web page) and we’ll continue to work with VCU and their subcontractor, WorldView Solutions, to improve Coastal GEMS.
For more information or to provide feedback, please contact Kelly Price at Kelly.Price@deq.virginia.gov or (804) 698-4260.
