GIS Provides Decision Support to National Recreation Area Stakeholders

 Risks to Boston Harbor Islands Graphically Displayed

 

   Areas where habitats are affected by boat traffic  

          The Boson Harbor Islands National Recreation Area consist of 34 islands near the Greater Boston shoreline. The park has been designed to protect the islands through improved access, providing education, conserving, protecting, and managing the natural and cultural resources for public use and enjoyment. With the parks increasing popularity boat traffic increased causing wake effects, which began disturbing nesting habitats, shellfish beds, pollution, and water turbidity. Researchers used GIS to show people the effects of this higher traffic and better manage the decisions related to this area.
        

           Through the mapping of vulnerable areas in the park using GIS revealed environmental problems and specfic management problems/challenges. What was done first was mapping out areas with heavy boat traffic and it's effects on the surrounding areas. Once that was done with ArcGIS Spatial analysis researchers argued for the limitation of the amount of traffic in potentially sensitive and vulnerable areas. Layers were created to illustrate the relationships between problems surfacing through increase popluarity of the park. For example a layer to represent turbidity was used to show the disturbance it had on shoreline nesting. Later on researchers took all the layers created and used ArcGIS to display the potential problems that were surfacing and the potential danger it will have if increased traffic continues.

 Ferry paths and shipping routes

            With the help of researchers using GIS they were able to identify spatial patterns of ecological vulnerability to traffic in the islands and surrounding waters. This resulted in an interactive tool to reference to for decision makers and park managers when making boat routes and "no-go" areas for boats.

http://www.esri.com/news/arcnews/spring07articles/risks-to-boston-harbor.html


Jeff Romine