Spatially Depicting Sea Grant Projects Along the West Coast: An Equity Assessment

Keywords: procedural equity, resilience, risk
Abstract Type: Poster Abstract

Abstract

NOAA Sea Grant programs strive to equitably support the economic and environmental sustainability of coastal and Great Lakes communities through the funding of research, extension, and education projects. To analyze geographic equity of project allocation, this study depicts west coast (Alaska, California, Oregon, University of Southern California (USC), and Washington) Sea Grant program projects (February 1, 2018 – 2021) by county and maps them against indices that describe county-level social and environmental vulnerability.

Projects have been linked to counties through review of project titles and abstracts, along with the recap, relevance, response, and results sections of their associated impacts and
accomplishments (I/As). As a result, 49% (38%, 24%, 45%, 41%) of 41 Alaska (162 California, 54 Oregon, 33 USC, 56 Washington) projects were assigned at least one county of impact. Using ArcGIS online, numeric project totals for each county were depicted atop mapped index (FEMA National Risk Index and Headwaters Economics Rural Capacity Index) values, symbolized by county using color block gradients.

Though limited because not all projects were successfully assigned a county, resulting maps provide a meaningful tool for programs to conceive of their current geographic impact in comparison to community specific vulnerabilities. Such information should allow programs to craft more intentional decisions about future equitable project allocation. Though geographic presence does not necessarily equal positive community impact, future efforts to track and map projects by county have a meaningful place in Sea Grant’s efforts to serve communities in an equitable way.