Happy 10th Birthday to NOAA’s Digital Coast!
The American Planning Association (APA) is a partner in the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration's (NOAA) Digital Coast, an innovative experiment designed to bring focused data, tools, and training to the people charged with addressing the development and environmental challenges facing coastal communities.
Digital Coast Initiative Celebrates 10th Anniversary
The Digital Coast is turning 10 this year. APA's involvement with this initiative has allowed APA to bring place-based tools and resources to coastal communities.
These include:
- A Guide to Assessing Green Infrastructure Costs and Benefits for Flood Reduction
- Coastal Flood Exposure Mapper
- Riverine Flood Inundation Maps
- Sea Level Rise Viewer
In addition to APA, which was the sixth Digital Coast partner when it joined the partnership in 2010, the Digital Coast partnership includes the Association of State Floodplain Managers, the Coastal States Organization, the National Estuarine Research Reserve Association, the National States Geographic Information Council, the Nature Conservancy, and the Urban Land Institute.
Building Coastal Resilience Through Partnerships
APA's engagement in the Digital Coast partnership has led to opportunities to build new working relationships to pursue shared goals and expand the impact of our work. For example, APA and the Association of State Floodplain Managers (ASFPM) are currently working on a NOAA-funded project focused on Building Coastal Resilience Through Capital Improvements Planning. Through this ASFPM-led project, ASFPM and APA are working to develop techniques for incorporating climate, flood, and hazard data into capital improvement plans.
Be sure to watch the Digital Coast 10th anniversary interview featuring APA's (recently retired) Hazard's Center Manager, Jim Schwab, FAICP, and NOAA's Miki Schmidt, which highlights the value of partnerships:
If you haven't had a chance to check out the Digital Coast tools and resources yet, we recommend doing so.
Top image: Screenshot of NOAA Digital Coast 10th anniversary logo.