Description Digital Coast is a web-based platform that provides geospatial data, tools, and training to coastal communities. This measure, obtained via web statistics, provides a locational context that allows the effort to broadly assess where its users are coming from. Given that the Digital Coast effort is national in scope, yet local in its approach to providing geospatial information to address coastal issues, such as coastal resilience, this measure provides valuable information that is used to direct outreach efforts and support content development. The number of communities using Digital Coast is based on Census-designated places within coastal states, including all Census-defined cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and incorporated municipalities.

The process of designating or expanding National Marine Sanctuaries (NMS) and National Estuarine Research Reserves (NERRs) can take several years. To provide more regular updates, measure tracks progress in advancing proposed designations and expansions through these processes. The area for a proposed expansion or designation is only added to the measure once it completes a step in process, and only steps completed on or after 10/1/2021 are counted. For Sanctuaries, target and actual areas (sq. miles) are estimated based on proposal information; they remain estimates until actual designation or expansion is complete. For NERRs, the area for a proposed reserve cannot be estimated (and therefore are not included in targets or actuals) until the state-directed site selection process is complete and a range of alternatives (i.e., proposed reserve boundaries) has been developed for the environmental analysis process.

The Fish Stock Sustainability Index (FSSI) is comprised of 175 stocks (down from 199 beginning in FY 2020) selected for their economic, ecological, and social importance, that represent 83% of total catch. Each stock is given a score between 0 and 4 (0=status unknown; 4=meets all sustainable fishing criteria). The index (scored on a 1,000 point scale) increases when NMFS determines that a stock is either no longer subject to overfishing, no longer overfished, or its biomass has rebuilt or increased to at least 80 percent of target.

Description Digital Coast is a web-based platform that provides geospatial data, tools, and training to coastal communities. This measure, obtained via web statistics, provides a locational context that allows the effort to broadly assess where its users are coming from. Given that the Digital Coast effort is national in scope, yet local in its approach to providing geospatial information to address coastal issues, such as coastal resilience, this measure provides valuable information that is used to direct outreach efforts and support content development. The number of communities using Digital Coast is based on Census-designated places within coastal states, including all Census-defined cities, towns, townships, boroughs, and incorporated municipalities.

This measure captures a range of efforts by NOAA’s Aquaculture Program that together will lead to a more efficient federal permitting process. These efforts include: working with federal partners under the White House/OSTP's Subcommittee on Aquaculture to coordinate and streamline inter-agency permitting, working with industry partners to establish and manage offshore aquaculture pilot projects, conducting spatial analysis and developing siting tools, developing engineering solutions, efforts to assess and reduce risk (e.g., entanglement) from aquaculture operations, conducting programmatic environmental reviews to reduce burden on individual applicants, and drafting/revising guidance to permit applicants to improve application quality. We will also continue to support, as requested, any Congressional initiative to develop aquaculture legislation.

This measure tracks cumulative progress of NOAA’s National Geodetic Survey toward completing gravity observations for the Redefinition of the American Vertical Datum (GRAV-D) initiative and implementation of a new National Vertical Datum. The measure indicates the percentage of the U.S. for which NOAA has airborne gravity data necessary to support the new National Vertical Datum. This improved vertical reference system is critical for all observing systems and activities requiring accurate heights. For example, this system is important for helping determine where water flows in order to make accurate inundation models and assessments.

This measure shows the number of environmental reviews (ESA Section 7 formal consultation, MMPA incidental harassment authorization, EFH consultation) that exceed regulatory, statutory, or otherwise agreed-upon deadlines. Under the ESA and MSA, Federal agencies must consult with NOAA when any project or action might affect an ESA-listed marine species or a critical habitat. Under the MMPA, NMFS issues incidental harassment authorizations, which allow for the otherwise prohibited incidental “take” of marine mammals resulting from lawful activities (such as military readiness training, seismic surveys, or coastal construction).

Each site within the National Marine Sanctuary System conducts or facilitates characterization, monitoring, and research to protect the resources in the system. A series of questions are posed to all sanctuaries as a starting point for the creation of periodic condition reports that rate the status and trends of key resources, processes, and resource services provided. One way to determine how comprehensively we are conducting monitoring in a sanctuary, or gathering information for use in the condition reports, is to quantify the proportion of relevant questions and ecosystem services for which experts are able to provide ratings. The higher the proportion, the more adequate the monitoring program.

This measure tracks a range of contributions to address coastal community risk, vulnerability, and resilience to coastal hazards. It does this by using an index that incorporates a range of NOAA-sponsored activities, including training and technical assistance that communities have engaged in to mitigate their susceptibility to coastal hazards. This measure illuminates how NOAA is improving integration of its coastal programs and the Nation's capacity for end to end preparedness, response, recovery and resilience to hazards.

Each site within the National Marine Sanctuary System conducts education through formal education, informal education, and outreach for education. Programming includes hands-on activities as well as distance learning. K-12 student participation is tracked in both formal and informal education programs by counting the number of students participating in these programs. Data is collected yearly from each site and headquarters and is summarized system wide. Using these methods we can track the number of K-12 students engaged in formal or informal education and stewardship programs.