MOAS: GEOINFORMATIC DATABASE FOR INTEGRATION AND SYNTHESIS IN COASTAL MODELING

Integrated modeling of coastal systems has developed as a new methodology within the last decade through advances in the technologies of data acquisition, data synthesis and simulation modeling. Processing of field and model data in multi-disciplinary integrated science studies is a vital part of synthesis modeling. Collection and storage techniques for field data vary greatly between the participating scientific disciplines due to the nature of the data being collected, whether it be in situ, remotely sensed, or recorded by automated data logging equipment. Spreadsheets, personal databases, text files and binary files are used in the initial storage and processing of the raw data. Network Common Data Form (NetCDF) files are created as output from intermediate processing procedures for portability and machine-independent sharing of time-series and array-oriented data sets. In order to be useful to scientists, engineers and modelers the data need to be stored in a format that is easily identifiable, accessible and transparent to a variety of computing environments. The Model Operations and Synthesis (MOAS) database and associated web portal were created to provide such capabilities. The industry standard relational database is comprised of spatial and temporal data tables, shape files and supporting metadata accessible over the network, through a menu driven web-based portal or spatially accessible through ArcSDE connections from the user's local GIS desktop software. A separate server provides public access to spatial data and model output in the form of attributed shape files through an ArcIMS web-based graphical user interface. Structured externally to MOAS is a geospatial grid termed the “Universal Grid”. This grid along with temporally referenced shape files reside in an ESRI mxd file and serve as the framework for data visualization, manipulation and utilization which are essential components of the integration and synthesis of costal models and data. The Universal Grid provides a user-friendly GIS interface to the data within MOAS through point and click menus for easy navigation, display, and exportation of data. Each cell or group of cells within the grid can be linked directly to the database using the ‘add data' function within ArcGIS then interrogated, analyzed and compiled within the interface. The data can then be extracted in database, spreadsheet or text file format. The interface supports rapid display of attributes without the necessity of direct user manipulation of color bars, parameters, and fields. The interface also supports on-the-fly projection changes, and point click navigation as well as many other tools under development. This approach serves as a viable solution to the ever-growing need to access large amounts of data for modeling, mapping, and synthesis. Users of the Universal Grid require only minimal knowledge or training in GIS to take advantage of its vast capabilities.

The Tampa Bay Integrated Coastal Model is used as a case study in this paper building on the wealth of published research and modeling information staged within the estuary. The integration and storage of physically collected, synthesized and modeled data are described in studies concerning hydrodynamic, biogeochemical, sedimentary and hydrological processes.