Ocean Planning Area Grid Under the Oceans Act of 2008

Oceans Act of 2008 data provides a gridded polygon representation of the Ocean Management Planning Area. The layer consists of 1-kilometer square grid cells projected into the Massachusetts State Coordinate System. The dataset was created by SCIOPS based on the legal framework of the 2008 Act.

Use Cases

• Calculate the total area and number of grid cells within the Ocean Management Planning Area for regulatory reporting.
• Perform spatial joins with other marine datasets using the 1km2 grid geometry to analyze resource distribution within the planning zone.
• Model potential policy impacts by overlaying the planning grid with data on shipping lanes, fishing grounds, or conservation areas.
• Visualize the jurisdictional boundaries defined by the Oceans Act of 2008 for public communication and stakeholder engagement.

Strengths

• Grid cells have a defined spatial resolution of 1 kilometer on a side.
• Data is projected into a standardized coordinate system (Mass State Coordinate System, Mainland Zone, Fipszone 2001).

Limitations

• The total number of rows (grid cells) and dataset size are unknown.
• Data currency is unknown; it may not reflect subsequent amendments or planning updates.

Provenance

Source

SCIOPS, based on the Oceans Act of 2008.

Collection Method

Created as a GIS data layer from the legal definition of the Ocean Management Planning Area.

Geography

Ocean Management Planning Area as defined by the Oceans Act of 2008, presumed to be off the coast of Massachusetts.