GRID-Arendal Programme Cooperation Agreement 2014

GRID-Arendal has provided the global seafloor geomorphic habitat map and additional analysis of seamounts, canyons and marine minerals to the Pacific Ocean Ecosystem Analysis (PACIOCEA) project. 31 This project is exploring marine spatial planning in the island nations of the south- western Pacific and is jointly run by the French Marine Protected Areas Agency 32 and coordinated by the Secretariat of the Pacific Regional Environment Programme (SPREP). 33 Staff from GRID-Arendal attended a PACIOCEA project workshop in August 2014 in Noumea to present this analysis and engage with other project partners in exploring spatial issues in the wider Pacific Region.

SIGNIFICANT OUTCOME

MC

Appreciation of the work on seafloor geomorphology

Extract from an e-mail received from J.M.Herndon , San Diego, California, 10 February 2014:

“I just downloaded the proof copy of your paper “Geomorphology of the Oceans”. You and your colleagues have indeed done a magnificent and thorough job. These days few understand the importance of thorough work of global perspective. This work will benefit many, including me.”

5D+ Sustainable Seas – Management of Human Impacts work funded from other (non-MFA) sources

PacGeo 34 is a web-based interactive mapping and decision support system that provides access to integrated marine information in the Pacific Region. Currently 185 separate geospatial data layers and associated information have been uploaded into PacGeo, including maritime boundaries, fisheries, regulatory, environment, offshore minerals and aerial photographs. The data have been sourced from the SOPAC marine data catalogue but there is the facility to include country specific data. At the last Pacific Maritime Boundaries workshop (July 2014, Sydney, Australia) GRID-Arendal and partners provided training for technical personnel from Fiji, the Cook Islands, Vanuatu and Kiribati to develop their own instances of Geonode (the open source platform that supports PacGeo) and are currently uploading country data that will be accessible via PacGeo. 35 Since the training, Fiji has established FijiGeo, the Fiji Geospatial Data Services Portal, administered by the Ministry of Lands 31. http://www.sprep.org/biodiversity-ecosystems-management/french- polynesia-and-new-caledonia-to-enhance-ocean-management 32. Agence des aires marines protégées (http://www.aires-marines.com) 33. http://www.sprep.org 34. http://www.pacgeo.org 35. PacGeo was engineered to be sustainable, using open source software and cloud storage

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