Users can now access dolphin and whale sightings in the Hawaiian Islands from 2000-2012 in PacIOOS Voyager. Cascadia Research Collective (CRC), which conducts research needed to manage and protect threatened marine mammals, provided the information.  Simply open the "fish and wildlife" data category in Voyager, click "sightings," then "distribution."  This update more than triples the number of CRC sightings previously available in Voyager and includes a wide variety of dolphin and whale species.

Voyager Mobile screenshots: 1) user's location offshore Diamond Head with surface currents (left); 2) measuring the length of Penguin Bank (middle); and 3) identifying coral depth near Kailua (right).

Voyager Mobile has three new functionalities (see the upper left corner of the map screen).  The "You" button allows users to find their current location and better orient themselves in the map. A ruler option provides a way to measure the distance between two locations. The end points can even be dragged to new locations, or multiple rulers can be used at one time. Through the Google Maps Elevation Service, users can see the ocean depth or elevation of an area simply by clicking a point on the map.  Check these tools out, and let us know what you think!

Voyager Mobile now includes tsunami evacuation zones and flood hazard zones for the State of Hawai'i. Nearest emergency shelter locations are also available when users provide their current location. Each of these data layers was obtained from the State of Hawai'i GIS Program. Their respective sources include the Federal Emergency Management Agency (flood hazard zones) and the State of Hawai'i Civil Defense (tsunami evacuation zones and emergency shelters). These new tools can help users in times of emergency when they are on the go. 

PacIOOS is excited to welcome a new institutional partner and Memorandum of Agreement (MOA) signatory! The Republic of the Marshall Islands Environmental Protection Agency (RMI EPA) met with PacIOOS in mid-December to sign the agreement.  If your organization would like to become a PacIOOS partner, please download, sign, and return our Memorandum of Agreement. 

RMI EPA looks after the natural environment of the Marshall Islands, ensures sustainability of resources and a balance between economic development and the environment, and enhances the quality of life (public health and safety) for the Marshallese.