Field data collection is by no means limited to the confines of terra firma! NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary has been successfully using Fulcrum to help city, state, and federal agencies in offshore data collection, accessing, and sharing marine enforcement data across California.
Photo credit: Jessica Morten, NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary
Protecting marine resources with offshore data collection
The primary mission of the NOAA sanctuary site is to protect its unique natural and cultural resources. To advance this mission, NOAA launched the electronic Fisheries Information Network System (eFINS) as a pilot program. This inter-agency initiative helps track marine enforcement activities electronically throughout southern California.
Partner agencies, including California Department of Fish & Wildlife and the National Park Service use Fulcrum to record data associated with engagements with boaters and anglers, which may include issuing warnings and citations for unlawful or harmful activities within protected waters. Fulcrum provides a standardized platform for data entry, which leads to better cooperation between agencies and greater awareness of overall enforcement activity among stakeholders.
Modern nautical charts
Internet access cannot be guaranteed while patrolling offshore, so data collectors need a common basemap that can be used offline. Fortunately, NOAA recently launched their Chart Tile Service, which provides standardized nautical chart tilesets for the public. This service provides easy access to the most up-to-date, authoritative nautical charts in user-friendly formats, include MBTiles and Tile Map Service (TMS), which means they are instantly compatible with Fulcrum!
Using NOAA charts in Fulcrum
The entire coast of California is available to download as a single ~500MB “quilted tileset” MBTiles file.You can use the interactive Tileset Locator to zoom in on an area of interest for detailed viewing. It also allows you to download a smaller, single-chart tileset for that specific region.
The downloaded MBTiles file can be uploaded to your Fulcrum organization for easy access to users, or added directly to the device (Android guide, iOS guide). If you don’t need offline access, you can simply load the Chart Tile Service as a Tile XYZ layer in Fulcrum.
The Power of open data standards
Fulcrum supports open and accessible data standards like MBTiles and TMS, enabling easy integration of map layers. As a result, organizations such as NOAA Channel Islands National Marine Sanctuary can incorporate relevant data into their applications. Kudos to NOAA for building this excellent service on open technology and making it publicly available. Additionally, thanks to all enforcement agencies for their efforts in keeping our marine resources safe!