The U.S. Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution today awarded its first “Innovation in Technology and ECR” Award to the MarineMap Consortium, a group that brings together partners from University of California, Santa Barbara, Ecotrust, and The Nature Conservancy. The Award was presented at the Institute’s ECR 2010 conference in Tucson, Arizona. MarineMap incorporates Google Earth visualization into a web-based tool for participatory spatial planning. MarineMap allows users to draft planning proposals onto a familiar geography, generate real-time reports on prospective social and environmental effects of the plans, and share and discuss their plans with others. In California’s Marine Life Protection Act Initiative, MarineMap has been used to extend participation among fishermen, conservation groups, scientists, and the general public in the planning of marine protected areas off the state’s coast. Read More
