GIS Working Group

The BBP’s GIS Working Group (GWS) is developing a Geographic Information Systems (GIS) database to facilitate data storage, access, visualization, and analysis of spatially explicit information from The Bahamas. The Bahamas Online Digital Map Atlas consists of several layers of data from the rich data sets collected and generated by all of the working groups of the BBP. At present, the atlas contains a range of physical, social, political, and ecological maps relevant to the Bahamian archipelago including layers depicting settlements, ports and marinas, dive sites, fisheries data, storm paths, bathymetry, remote images, status of various reefs, and benthic habitat distributions. Additional data layers continue to be added at regular intervals.

Although GIS has become the standard platform for visualizing and analyzing spatial data, most GIS analyses are “static” in that they do not use mathematical relationships among data layers to dynamically simulate interactions across space and time. In an effort to combine the visualization capabilities of GIS with the models of integrative relationships being developed by the BBP, the GWG is also developing and adapting simulation models to the GIS platform. These GIS-based models will ultimately have an interface that supports and facilitates scenario testing by researchers, educators, and decision makers of various network designs and implementations.