Governor McAuliffe announced decades of Chesapeake Bay-related data will be added to the Commonwealth’s Open Data Portal (data.virginia.gov), while speaking at the Commonwealth Data Analytics and Humanities Summit at William & Mary.
Powered by William and Mary’s Virginia Institute of Marine Science (VIMS), the “Bay Data” resources provide information and new open data sets across a wide variety of Chesapeake Bay topics, including indices of fish and crab abundance, inventories of tidal-marsh condition and health, water-quality trends, and knowledge of fish diversity and dietary preference.
“The Chesapeake Bay is one of Virginia’s greatest natural assets and its stewardship must be a communal effort across the entire watershed,” said Governor McAuliffe, speaking at today’s announcement. “I am pleased to partner with the Virginia Institute of Marine Science at William & Mary to provide these valuable datasets. We are making decades of research and hard work available to the public so scientists, entrepreneurs, and innovators can build on this information and develop the next generation of tools to help us maintain and preserve this valuable ecosystem.”
“Our stewardship of the Bay requires cutting edge science and the ability to easily use data to make our management decisions,” said Secretary of Natural Resources Molly Ward. “This information will help managers and citizens alike pursue strategies for success in our restoration efforts.”
“Building the new Virginia economy is not just about creating new technologies, it is also about using tools, such as data analytics and visualization, to enhance critical decision-making about precious assets like the Bay and its tributaries,” said Secretary of Technology Karen Jackson.
Dr. Mark Luckenbach, Associate Dean of Research and Advisory Services at VIMS, added, “VIMS scientists have been collecting and analyzing data on the Bay and its marine resources for more than 75 years. We are excited about all the new opportunities for sharing these datasets with the public so that everyone can benefit from the treasure trove of knowledge they contain.”
Bay Data provides innovators, programmers, scientists, and watermen with accessible data to help the Commonwealth better maintain and protect Chesapeake Bay and its fragile ecosystems. Entrepreneurs can now access the data to create programs and tools to better engage the next generation of Bay stewards, enthusiasts, resource users, and recreational visitors. Additional postings to Bay Data will be finalized and added in the coming months.
For more information on data analytics, please visit data.virginia.gov. To learn more about VIMS, visitwww.vims.edu.
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