Maps & GIS Data

Spatial data is critical to fulfilling NOAA Fisheries' mission in the Pacific Northwest. The location of fish, marine mammals, habitat, and human activities, and where and how they interact, are analyzed and visualized with specialized tools.

Geographic Information Systems, known as GIS, are systems of computer hardware, software, and procedures that support the capture, management, manipulation, analysis, and display of spatially referenced data. NOAA Fisheries uses and develops GIS (or geospatial) data representing features such as streams, critical habitat, restoration sites, fish distribution, hydrologic units, barriers, pinniped haul-out sites, essential fish habitat areas, and other entities. GIS allows us to model complex spatial relationships, so as to conserve, protect, and manage natural resources.