Building a marine cadastral information system for the United States — a case study

Depleted marine resources and increased threats by man-made pollutants are forcing many countries to increase law enforcement and begin offshore planning. Accurate, useable, and accessible digital boundaries, with defined territorial claims, are becoming essential for daily business in the ocean. The term cadastre has not often been used in the context of the marine environment, though many (and some may argue all) of the cadastral components such as adjudication, survey, and owner rights have a parallel condition in the ocean. This paper discusses some of the framework issues that must be considered in the development of marine cadastral data and the use of these data in a marine information system for the United States. The unique features of coastal and marine data, the policy framework that surrounds the development of these data, and the implications to state1, national, and international policy are discussed. In addition, a specific case study, the Ocean Planning Information System is outlined as a "real world" application where these cadastral data have been applied toward integrated ocean planning and governance.