What is GIS? How were the SAV maps used by CRSSA with this technology?
Geographic Information System (GIS) is a technology utilizing digital geographic data and computer software/hardware to map, analyze, model and present spatial information. In this case, the digital geographic data is submerged aquatic vegetation. The maps from the 1960’s, 1970’s, 1980’s and 1990’s were digitized from their original paper map sources into the GIS. Once digitized, the maps were analyzed by comparing the different time periods simultaneously; additionally, using other data of turbidity and seagrass depth limits, CRSSA was able to develop a model to predict the distribution of potential seagrass habitat through Barnegat Bay under current and theoretical conditions. These modeled distributions were then compared to the mapped distributions then presented visually using the GIS.
