Data requirements and tools to operationalize marine spatial planning in the United States

The U.S. is adopting a Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) approach to address conflicting objectives of conservation and resource development and usage in marine spaces. At this time MSP remains primarily as a concept rather than a well-defined framework, however expanding anthropogenic impacts on coastal and marine areas reinforce the need to adopt an MSP approach to manage societal demands while preserving the marine environment. The development of theory and methods to implement MSP are on the rise across the nation to address coastal and marine environmental challenges. Critical components of marine spatial planning are (1) spatial data collection, (2) data management, (3) data analysis, and (4) decision support systems. Advances in geotechnology have increased access to spatial data enabling the development of decision support tools to organize, analyze, and inform the MSP process by projecting future scenarios. A review of the current literature reveals the available technological and methodological tools that are best suited for marine spatial planning, as well as suggests areas for further research in order to better inform this process in the U.S.