Abstract

SeaSketch - Ocean GeoDesign using Real-time Web Technologies
Track: Ocean, Coastal, and Marine Resources
Authors: Chad Burt

SeaSketch makes marine geospatial information relevant and useful for diverse stakeholders participating in Marine Spatial Planning. SeaSketch enables stakeholders to draw potential Marine Protected Areas, aquaculture sites, offshore wind sites, or other uses of the ocean and receive rapid feedback on the potential impacts of those uses. Through face-to-face and online discussions, stakeholders can discuss and negotiate different proposals. The resulting plans benefit from diverse participation in creating the plan elements and broader support for how trade-offs have been managed between competing uses.

SeaSketch makes innovative use of new technologies such as Node.js and Socket.IO to produce an HTML5 single-page application that integrates with the ArcGIS Server REST API. This technology stack supports an extremely responsive user interface for GeoDesign with features such as real-time, map based chat. In this talk we'll discuss the advantages and challenges of working with this unique architecture.