“Scientists, academics, and professionals studying the world’s oceans and seas use geographic information systems (GIS) to investigate their areas of interest. Population sprawl along the coasts and in nearshore zones and the potential threat of rising sea levels create many new problems and challenges. As marine plants and animals face increasing environmental threats, researchers are discovering how GIS can help conserve these important and valuable populations and resources.

For many in the marine community, modern advancements in technology mean a heightened responsibility to influence decisions that will lead to healthy and sustainable oceans and seas. Marine Geography: GIS for the Oceans and Seas is a collection of case studies documenting some of the many applications of marine GIS in the field today. The contributing authors share their work, challenges, successes, and progress in the use of GIS, and show how it is being used to influence change.

With a foreword by Charles Convis, founder of the ESRI Conservation Program and a co-founder of the Society for Conservation GIS, Marine Geography: GIS for the Oceans and Seas shows how geography, maps, and data analysis can make a difference in the health of the undersea environment.”

About the editor:

Joe Breman, a software analyst at ESRI, is the Marine and Coastal Community Manager responsible for the ESRI marine Web site, the marine newsletter "The Wave," and and he serves as advisory council member to the board of directors for the Society for Conservation GIS (SCGIS). Other published work includes the Marine Geography section of the ESRI Press book, Conservation Geography: Case Studies in GIS, Computer Mapping, and Activism, published in 2001.