Join us for a training on the use and utility of the Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP) online spatial data and web-based mapping tools: the Estuaries Explorer and Estuary Viewer.

These tools have been developed for scientists and managers to provide easy access to compiled geographic and biophysical information on estuaries and coastal fish habitats of California, Oregon, and Washington. Users can explore and filter estuary data on regional and local scales for conservation and restoration planning and management purposes. 

In the training, participants will learn how to effectively use the compiled data in both tools and how to download available datasets, upload personal data sets or data from outside of PMEP, and customize their queries and data overlays.  

The four-hour training is on February 14 and 15 from 10:00 AM – 12:00 PM each day. The training is $25. 

Instructors:

Kate Sherman specializes in marine and coastal spatial data compilation, management, and analysis. Her experience includes all aspects of executing spatial analysis projects including stakeholder outreach and interviews, fieldwork, literature reviews, data compilation and standardization, data analysis, report writing, and cartography. Her ability to engage with stakeholders and partners as well as clearly communicate project results help her effectively achieve project goals. Kate is currently part of the GIS team at Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission, where she is the data steward for the Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP). While at PSMFC she has created West Coast wide datasets on eelgrass distribution dataset and tidally restored areas, and is currently compiling data on nearshore habitats and barriers to tidal connectivity.

Van Hare is the GIS Manager for the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission (PSMFC) in Portland, Oregon.  He leads a tight-knit GIS team that helps diverse partnerships use geospatial data and technologies to promote the conservation and management of Pacific Coast fishery resources.  Van represents PSMFC on a number of technical/science & data committees, including the Pacific Marine and Estuarine Fish Habitat Partnership (PMEP).  He welcomes collaborative, interdisciplinary projects that leverage GIS as a platform to improve understanding of coastal and marine environments in order to guide strategic, data-driven resource management conservation and restoration planning decisions.  

Brett Holycross is a GIS Analyst/Geographer at the Pacific States Marine Fisheries Commission.  He has over 20 years of experience in data management, analysis, and visualization for fisheries across the West Coast and Alaska.