South Carolina 2015 ESI Human-Use Data: Navigation and Marine Features

2015 Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) data for South Carolina's coastal zone, characterizing human-use resources for oil spill planning. The dataset, created by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), contains vector polygons, points, and lines depicting anchorages, boat ramps, ports, shipping lanes, and other navigation features. It is part of a broader ESI framework that also includes shoreline habitats and sensitive biological resources.

Use Cases

• Modeling potential oil spill impacts on human-use resources based on the described navigation and marine infrastructure.
• Planning coastal access and marine traffic management based on the locations of anchorages, boat ramps, and shipping lanes.
• Integrating human-use data with biological and habitat layers for comprehensive environmental sensitivity assessments.
• Mapping jurisdictional and resource management boundaries in conjunction with the described political and management area layers.

Strengths

• Data is part of the standardized Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) framework used for oil spill planning.
• Includes multiple vector data types (polygons, points, lines) covering distinct feature classes like anchorages, ports, and shipping lanes.
• Published by the authoritative National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), Department of Commerce.

Limitations

• Column-level documentation is absent; field semantics must be inferred after download.
• Row count is unknown, which may limit suitability assessment.
• Data is from 2015; freshness should be verified for current applications.

Provenance

Source

National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Department of Commerce

Collection Method

Likely compiled for the Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) program.

Time Range

2015

Freshness

Last updated 2026-03-13 22:19:59.133541; freshness should be verified.

Geography

South Carolina, USA