About
Introduction | 
The purpose of the CMA is to identify, collect and organize available geo-spatial datasets into an atlas of environmental themes for the Caribbean region as a support service to the sustainable development and integrated management of marine and coastal areas in the region. The project is supported by the participating countries, the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC) through the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) , and the Government of Flanders (Kingdom of Belgium). The Caribbean Marine Atlas is an activity developed within the framework of the Ocean Data and Information Network for the Caribbean and South America region (ODINCARSA). |
The CMA Pilot Project began as a joint initiative of 9 countries in the Caribbean region including Barbados, Cuba, Dominica, Grenada, Guyana, Jamaica, Saint Lucia, Trinidad and Tobago, and Turks and Caicos Islands.
Background |
On a daily basis many environmental managers and decision makers are confronted with an issue which severely limits their ability to operate effectively, that is, they have a lack of detailed knowledge about the resources they are trying to conserve, protect and manage sustainably. Better knowledge of an environmental resource including its health status, regional and local trends, stress factors and vulnerabilities all lead to better decision making, a truly integrated approach to management, and thus vastly more effective resource conservation.
Thus it becomes apparent that for an integrated approach to coastal management, data is the key. Indeed within the policy cycle of ICAM (planning, implementation, outcome, monitoring, evaluation), data plays a critical role at each stage. It is the collection, management, analysis and dissemination of this data that is the major challenge of the integrated management approach, especially in the Wider Caribbean Region given our limited financial and human resources. However, new and recent technologies such as distributed databases, affordable GIS solutions, and online mapping applications hold the promise of more effective data sharing, archiving, location, interpretation, visualisation and communication to decision makers and the general public. Therefore the development of these systems and supporting infrastructure at both a local and regional level is a top priority if improved sustainable resource management is to be achieved. In the Caribbean, although often regarded as externalities, environmental and particularly coastal natural resources continue to be the most important socioeconomic agents fuelling national growth for small island states in areas such as tourism and offshore investment. In addition, the management issues such as food security, natural hazards and even climate change adaptation are all heavily dependent on how we manage our coastal and marine resources. And it is only when we harness the full predictive and descriptive power of environmental data through mechanisms which make environmentally themed datasets more open, easier to access and as a result more available for interpretation in a socioeconomic context, that we can ensure sound and sustainable development in the Caribbean Region. The purpose of the Caribbean Marine Atlas (CMA) is to identify, collect and organize available spatial datasets into an atlas of environmental themes for the Caribbean region, under the sponsorship of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission's (IOC) International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) and Integrated Coastal Area Management (ICAM) Programmes. The CMA will, through its products and services available at the national and regional levels, contribute to the sustainable development and integrated management of marine and coastal areas in the region. The project also stimulates regional capacity in areas such as spatial data management, web development and data product delivery. Data Layers
Features of the AtlasThe CMA will be a digital atlas comprising easily downloadable data on various key themes relevant to the marine and coastal environment of the Caribbean. Among these themes are coastal habitats, fisheries, environmental quality, climate change and sea level rise, oceanography, as well as socio-economic aspects. The Atlas will also contain dataset descriptions (metadata) and links to the source data. It is intended both to provide necessary datasets directly to concerned scientists, coastal zone management practitioners, and natural resource managers, and will set the stage for the development of decision-makers' toolkits that rely on geo-spatial information. The CMA will play an important role in informing decision-makers on issues relating to the marine and coastal environment and it is envisaged the Atlas will become the main entry point for anyone interested in finding information on the coastal and marine environment of the Caribbean. The development of the CMA will also provide a tool to assist community building and collaboration in the region. It will draw on national human resources to identify issues of concern, define appropriate indicators and locate datasets that can be used in the atlas. In addition, data gaps that require additional resources will be identified. As part of the Atlas development, the IODE programme will provide the necessary training to the relevant persons from each country. The CMA will be built using open source technologies and will be based on international standards to enable the sharing of technological knowledge and resources. The Atlas will encourage the wide dissemination of key datasets by providing access and visualization of these data. CMA Participants |
National Experts | Name | Country | Contact Information | Meetings Attended | Mr. Luc CLERVEAUX | Turks and Caicos | Environmental Officer, c/o Dept. of E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Planning Workshop Mr. Sean GREEN | Jamaica | National Environment & Planning Agency Planning Workshop | Ocean Data Management Data Mining Web Map Development Dr. Lorna INNISS | Barbados | Coastal Zone Management Unit Planning Workshop | Ocean Data Management Data Mining Mr. Jerry MITCHELL | Grenada | Marine Protected Areas Office Planning Workshop | Ing. Adan Zuñiga RÍOS | Cuba | Geologist Engineer/Director Planning Workshop | Ocean Data Management Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Ramon ROACH | Barbados | Water Quality Analyst | Coastal Zone Management Unit Bay Street St. Michael BARBADOS BB11156 Tel: (246) 228-5950 Fax:(246)228-5956 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Planning Workshop | Ocean Data Management Data Mining Web Map Development Ms. Sandra TIMOTHY | Trinidad and Tobago | Project Manager, GEF-IWCAM Project, Planning Workshop | Ms. Sarita WILLIAMS-PETER | Saint Lucia | Fisheries Biologist Planning Workshop | Mr. David ALPHONSE | Saint Lucia | Physical Planning Division Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Nick LAROCQUE | Dominica | Lands & Survey Division Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Mr. Sean PADMANABHAN | Trinidad and Tobago | GIS Research Officer Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Don SIMMONS | Turks and Caicos | Department of Lands and Surveys | TURKS & CAICOS ISLANDS, BWI. Tel: (649) 946 2801 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Ocean Data Management | Ms. Gillian MICHELLE- Trinidad and Tobago | Department of Natural Resources Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Web Map Development Ms. Portia ST. CATHERINE | Saint Lucia | Crown Lands Division Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Derrick THEOPHILE | Dominica | Fisheries Development Division, Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Phillip Nessie Bryan Guyana | Faculty of Natural Sciences | University of Guyana East Coast Demerara, GUYANA Fax: (592) 222 - 3596. Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Ms. Melanie HARRIS | Trinidad and Tobago | MSc Student | 153 Sata Lucia Drive Santa Cruz TRINIDAD & TOBAGO Tel: (868) 465-8249 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Data Mining | Web Map Development Technical Advisers | Name | Country | Contact Information | Meetings Attended | Dr. Murray BROWN | United States | 1710B Washington Street Ocean Data Management | Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Greg REED | Australia | Executive Officer | Australian Ocean Data Centre Joint Facility Wylde Street AUSTRALIA Tel: +61 2 93593141 Fax: +61 2 93593120 Email: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Planning Workshop | Ocean Data Management Data Mining Web Map Development Mr. Yassine LASSOUED | Ireland | Marine Irish Digital Atlas | Ireland Web Map Development | Ms. Sherry HEILEMAN | France | Consultant | 60, rue Emeriau Paris 75015 FRANCE Tel: +33 1 40 59 08 34 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Planning Workshop | Ms. Linda PIKULA | United States | Regional Librarian | NOAA Central and Regional Libraries 4301 Rickenbacker Causeway Miami Florida 33149 United States Data Mining | IOC/IODE Secretariat | Name | Country | Contact Information | Meetings Attended | Mr. Peter PISSIERSSENS | Belgium | Head,IOC Project Office for IODE | Wandelaarkaai 7 8400 Oostende BELGIUM Tel: +32-59-34 01 58 Fax: + 32-59-34 01 52 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Planning Workshop | Ocean Data Management Web Map Development Mr. Cesar TORO | Colombia | Mr Cesar TORO | IOC/UNESCO Secretary for IOCARIBE Casa del Marques de Valdehoyos Cartagena COLOMBIA Tel: +57-5-664 63 99 Fax: +57-5-660 0407 E-mail: This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it Planning Workshop | |
