It is well known that the US ocean data ecosystem is rich in content, variety and potential for meeting the greatest of needs in marine conservation, the $373 billion blue economy, and for the sustainable and equitable use of ocean resources. And providing open access to this ecosystem is the first step in furthering the understanding of the importance of ocean health to everything else on this planet. But what sets this report apart from others is not just its comprehensive review of ocean data assets, data sharing mechanisms, partnerships, and all the related challenges at present, but the emphasis going forward on solutions. This is a very rigorous solutions document, structured for maximum impact. It cites a near-exhaustive host of specific actionable opportunities and recommendations for the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy, the US Congress and the federal agencies, and more, along with an estimate of long-term impacts. The importance here will be the utility of the report not just for government policy-making and resource management, but much more broadly for all the intersecting organizations in the ocean conservation, business, and citizen activist/education sectors. This is essential reading.

Dr. Dawn Wright

Esri Chief Scientist and on behalf of the Esri Oceans Team

The health of the ocean is critical to the earth’s future and high quality data is necessary to maintain healthy ocean ecosystems. Without a healthy ocean, we cannot hope to control climate change, feed the world’s population through sustainable fisheries, and create good jobs in the ocean economy. The Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE) is proud to partner with Ocean Conservancy on this landmark paper, which provides an overview of the complex ocean data landscape in the United States. We hope our recommendations will lead to more equitable, interoperable, and useful ocean data and contribute to the long term health of the ocean and our planet.

Joel Gurin

President, Center for Open Data Enterprise (CODE)

The ocean data revolution is faced with complex and interrelated challenges but they are not insurmountable. If America wants to lead with science and keep our ocean working, now is the time for sustained federal investment and deep engagement with communities so that we can work together to turn data into smart decisions for marine conservation, our blue economy and climate solutions.

Amy Trice

Lead author and director of Ocean Conservancy’s Ocean Planning program