The RWSC Research Planning Map is a publicly available tool that helps coordinate research activity in Atlantic waters.
Today, new technologies help us collect more information about marine environments and the species that inhabit them than ever before. With all this research activity, however, keeping track of who is working on which projects, where, and when is a substantial undertaking. Imagine the possibilities if researchers could visualize this information on a single, integrated platform.
Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry (ACT) Network members are contributing to an interactive online map that helps researchers, resource managers, developers, and other ocean users visualize where environmental and wildlife data are being collected in Atlantic waters. This comes out of a collaboration with the Regional Wildlife Science Collaborative (RWSC), a coordination hub for research in U.S. Atlantic waters.
The RWSC launched the Research Planning Map in July 2024 with the goal of facilitating information sharing between researchers and other ocean stakeholders. The publicly available map hosts a suite of layers and integrates with the Northeast Ocean Data Portal for additional flexibility. Users can toggle layers on and off and even import their own data to visualize spatial relationships between existing monitoring equipment, wind energy areas, and transmission cables.
The Acoustic Telemetry Receivers Layer displays the locations of ongoing, paused, planned, and completed receivers from the ACT and FACT Networks, which collectively span the U.S. Atlantic Coast and associated waterways, as well as data sent directly to the RWSC. Another layer displays the locations of receivers within the Ocean Tracking Network (OTN). While OTN receivers are found throughout the world, this layer filters for receivers in the Northwest and Southwest Atlantic Ocean. A third layer displays boxes to indicate where private acoustic telemetry receivers that owners have submitted to the RWSC are located.
“None of this would be possible without the hard work of the ACT Network, the FACT Network, and the OTN. It’s great when these entities can come together and deliver a product that stakeholders request and then actually use,” said Katz.
Kimberly Richie, ACT Network data manager, collects data from receiver stations within the Network three times per year. With the permission of participating researchers, Richie provides the receiver locations to Katz, who uploads this information to the Acoustic Telemetry Receivers Layer. At the time of writing, there were 1,646 active receivers within the ACT Network.
One group that was able to use the acoustic telemetry layers to inform its research plan is the New Jersey Offshore Wind Research and Monitoring Initiative (RMI), says Dr. Caitlin McGarigal, a research scientist with the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection. Researchers at the New England Aquarium and Monmouth University will lead this RMI-funded project, which aims to understand how acoustic telemetry arrays should be best configured to study highly migratory species in Southern New England and the New York-New Jersey Bight.
McGarigal’s team used the Map’s acoustic telemetry layers to find information about current and planned locations where acoustic telemetry and passive acoustic monitoring (PAM) equipment are installed together. McGarigal says that co‑locating sensors provides benefits for the broader science community and helps researchers make the most of limited funding resources.
“For RMI, toggling between data layers on the map was really useful for visualizing the deployed sensor landscape and seeing where there are gaps to be addressed and planned for in the future,” explains McGarigal. This gave them a better understanding of the feasibility of a combined regional network of PAM and acoustic telemetry.
To Richie, one of this tool’s main advantages is that it prevents duplication of effort, which can occur when multiple groups place receivers close together in the water. By avoiding duplication, researchers can efficiently use funds to expand the geographic coverage of the acoustic receiver network.
Dr. Beth Bowers is a research ecologist who focuses on standardizing acoustic telemetry data and ensuring that data adheres to FAIR Principles, meaning that it is findable, accessible, interoperable, and reusable. Bowers serves as a liaison between the ACT Network and the RWSC.
To Bowers, the goal of the map and the partnership between the RWSC and the ACT Network more broadly is to “coordinate across platforms to make information more accessible to ocean users to minimize conflict and increase efficiency.” This could mean coordinating time on the water, as well as avoiding overlapping receiver arrays.
As Protected Fish Species Subcommittee coordinator, Katz continues to solicit feedback from map users. There are plans to expand the map to include a time slider to show when projects came online, and a layer that displays acoustic receivers affixed to underwater gliders, Katz says, reflecting the growing use of mobile receivers in telemetry research. These changes underscore the responsive nature of the tool and the collaborative spirit of the partnerships behind it. If you are an array owner or would like to learn more, please contact Jordan Katz {jordan.katz@noaa.gov}.
Jordan Katz is a protected species wind analyst with IBSS, a contracting company supporting the marine development and ecology branch of NOAA’s Northeast Fisheries Science Center.
Kimberly Richie is a data manager for the Atlantic Cooperative Telemetry Network at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Dr. Beth Bowers is a research ecologist in the Fisheries Conservation Lab at the Smithsonian Environmental Research Center.
Dr. Caitlin McGarigal is a Research Scientist in the Division of Science and Research at the New Jersey Department of Environmental Protection and manages the New Jersey Offshore Wind Research and Monitoring Initiative.
by Molly Murphey/SERC