This navigator was created in response to the 2024 stakeholder workshop hosted by the Long Island Sound Habitat Mapping Initiative.  During this workshop, stakeholders identified roadblocks they faced when making decisions in Long Island Sound.  Common roadblocks identified included difficulty in finding necessary datasets online, uncertainty regarding data quality, and inconsistency in data sharing policies.  Additionally, stakeholders stated that one of the most common uses for LIS data is for public outreach and education.  Navigator creation was informed by these issues and requests. 

To make data more findable, we developed a set of dropdown menus to filter the included datasets.  We also sorted datasets into broad data categories and labeled them with related keywords.  We provided a standardized set of metadata for each dataset and linked each dataset to the main website of the provider so that users can more easily assess data quality.  While we cannot change a provider’s regulations on data sharing, the metadata for each dataset includes fields that identify whether data is downloadable and, if so, in which formats it can be downloaded.  Additional fields, such as the “Can Export Map” and “Story Maps” fields, tell users whether they can create and download their own map and whether the provider’s site contains story maps.  These fields are intended to help users quickly identify datasets and websites that may be helpful when developing materials for public outreach and education. 

To access the navigator, click the Long Island Sound Data Navigator tab above.

To see detailed instructions on the use of the navigator, click the How to Use the Data Navigator or Example Use Scenario tabs. 

To request that your datasets be listed in the data navigator, click the Add Data to the Navigator tab.

Thank you!   

The Long Island Sound Habitat Mapping Initiative is a collaboration between researchers from the University of Connecticut, the University of New Haven, and USGS to map benthic habitats across Long Island Sound.  Data types collected by the initiative and featured in the navigator include seafloor imagery, sediment analyses, benthic infauna counts, and finalized map products synthesizing the collected data.  The initiative completes these studies in a series of “phases,” each of which corresponds to a specific area of Long Island Sound.  Each dataset hosted by the initiative is labeled in the navigator with the phase during which it was completed.  To see the full array of Long Island Sound Habitat Mapping Initiative datasets in the navigator, type “LIS Habitat Mapping Initiative” in the Search Keywords bar.  This will display datasets with both the “LIS Habitat Mapping Initiative” and “LIS Habitat Mapping Initiative (via MGDS)” Provider labels. 

USGS recently developed a Long Island Sound Clearinghouse for spatial data related to Long Island Sound (LIS) and the broader New England area.  The clearinghouse includes a metadata mapper for previewing the spatial locations of datasets and an organization system in which data are sorted into ten broad categories.  While there is significant overlap between datasets featured in the data navigator and the USGS LIS Clearinghouse, the clearinghouse contains additional data from New Hampshire, Massachusetts, Vermont, and Rhode Island that may not be found in this navigator.  To see all the datasets hosted by USGS and featured in this navigator, select the “USGS” option in the Provider dropdown menu.  You can also type “Long Island Sound Clearinghouse” into the Search Keywords bar to find a navigator entry for the clearinghouse, including a link to the clearinghouse website.