MapCoast

MapCoast Memorandum of Understanding (MOU)

MEMORANDUM OF UNDERSTANDING FOR THE MAPPING PARTNERSHIP FOR COASTAL SOILS AND SEDIMENT (MAPCOAST)

Purpose

The purpose of this agreement is to establish a partnership of individuals, institutions, organizations, and groups with common interests in developing an inventory of coastal and subaqueous soil and sediment resources. The goal of the Mapping Partnership for Coastal Soils and Sediment, hereinafter referred to as "MapCoast," is to develop a readily accessible database of soils and sediment in coastal Rhode Island that meets the variety of needs of the user community. Soils and sediment map data and attributes are essential for management and protection of these important coastal ecosystems.

MapCoast strives to create a seamless soils/ sediment database of the near-shore coast above and below (~ 2.5 m) the sea surface. MapCoast also strives to create a high resolution, accurate seamless digital terrain model (topography and bathymetry) above and below the sea surface in coastal environments. These data (and their metadata) will be made available to all members of the user community in a reliable, accessible manner.

Objectives

MapCoast understands the need to develop a common hierarchal system of coastal soil and sediment classification that encompasses all disciplines including biology, wetlands, geology, and pedology. It is mutually agreed that MapCoast will work cooperatively and partners will share resources, technology, and knowledge to achieve the following objectives:

Develop soil and sediment mapping standards and protocols to produce accurate and useful maps.
Build multiple interpretations of the soil and sediment data to service the coastal resource management community.
Ensure that the soil, sediment, and bathymetric data collected will be made available to all users.
Provide training and educate users about the soil and sediment data and maps.

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