Building an Atlas of the Salish Sea Bioregion
Topics:
Keywords: Salish Sea, GIS, Cartography, Regional Geography, Atlas
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract
Authors:
Aquila Flower, Western Washington University
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Abstract
The Salish Sea is an international estuarine ecosystem encompassing an intricate network of inland marine waterways in Washington and British Columbia. The Salish Sea Bioregion includes both the marine waters and their upland watersheds and is home to over nine million people. The concept of a cohesive Salish Sea region has become a critical focal point for local bioregional education, research, restoration, conservation, and policy development. However, the scarcity of accurate, cohesive, and easily available spatial data and thematic maps covering the entire bioregion is a critical impediment to these efforts. Working with transboundary geospatial data involves many challenges as datasets from different countries must often be spatially, temporally, and conceptually harmonized before they can be combined or directly compared. The Salish Sea Atlas addresses this need in the form of a digital book with thematic chapters presented as StoryMaps containing interactive maps, illustrations, interpretive text, and a suite of downloadable open access harmonized geospatial datasets.
Building an Atlas of the Salish Sea Bioregion
Category
Poster Abstract
