Mid-Atlantic Regional Human Use Data Synthesis (HUDS) Project

The Team completed an assessment of over 100 data layers, settling on including just over 60 existing human use spatial data products in the analysis. The Team created synthesized grids that summarized the distribution of both human activity and a variety of infrastructure types and regulated areas. SeaPlan led the data gathering and data assessment phase to characterize the scope of data availability, currency, authority, completeness, caveats, and gaps, in addition to information on new and forthcoming uses of ocean space. The outcome of this assessment informed the composition and interpretation of the final synthetic products, and helps prioritize future data collection efforts. RPS ASA led the data synthesis effort, which integrated pertinent information (identified in the assessment) into 10 km2 grid cells and summarized the data both cumulatively and across a set of logical groupings (e.g., Maritime, Shipping, Infrastructure) to assess regional trends. The Team developed a human use mapping approach that borrowed from existing efforts while honoring the goals of MARCO and constraints inherent to the available data.