A New Look for the National Ocean Economics Program

| by Rachel Christopherson and Anthony Castelletto

National Ocean Economics Program logo--green and blue letters, the O is like an ocean with a wave

The National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) website has long been one of the few places where researchers and the public could go to for data on the Blue Economy. This year we have overhauled the site with new datasets (natural capital, renewable energy, and climate change) and responsive reports.  

nine squares each with a picture representing different parts of the ocean economy and datasets

The National Ocean Economics Program (NOEP) website provides a full range of the most current economic and socioeconomic information available on changes and trends along the U.S. coast and in coastal waters. This summer, thanks to generous support from the Loker-Hicks Foundation, NOEP has become an even greater resource for ocean and coastal economic analysis.

We have updated the site for responsiveness and to provide enhanced data services, including a responsive design which supports browsing by mobile devices, interactive data visualizations and report generation, and regular users can access the data with an Automated Program Interface (API).

“The CBE team has done an outstanding job updating a foundational resource for the blue economy community at a time when both the pressures on the ocean and the possibilities for new pathways are both growing incredibly fast.”
 
— Jason Scorse, PhD, Director of the Center for the Blue Economy & Chair of the Environmental Policy and Management program at MIIS

Another goal was to make the data immediately usable. Users can now create customized graphs of the data on the website and download the graphs. Users can work with the data on the site without having to download it and put it in a spreadsheet.  Users may still download the data, but they can also get quick answers directly on the site.

Anthony Castelletto in a business suit, glasses, mustache and goatee, smiling and looking serious
“Taken together, these updates make NOEP’s data accessible to users of all skill levels from students, elected leaders, and the general public as well as our traditional audience of professional economists and other researchers.”
— Anthony Castelletto, MS, MPP, Research Associate, Center for the Blue Economy and main architect of the updated NOEP resources

Lastly, we have expanded our data offerings to include natural capital, renewable energy, and climate change.  Since location and extent are central to these issues, we are developing new online mapping capabilities using ARC GIS Online and R Shiny. Development of the data and website continues, with online mapping, new graphics capabilities, and new data coming this next year, making the National Ocean Economics Program website (oceaneconomics.org) the single largest data source for ocean-related economic data in the U.S.

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For More Information

Visit and explore the newly revamped National Ocean Economics Program website