To help improve marine protection and conservation, Esri partnered with the Conservation International and the National Center for Ecological Analysis and Synthesis to create the Ocean Health Hubs as part of the Ocean Health Index (OHI) program to comprehensively assess ocean health. 

The ArcGIS Hub-powered Ocean Health Hubs will display the more than 100 global datasets that presently powers OHI’s annual assessments. They will be displayed along with local data and allow faster progress on establishing ocean policies and setting priorities. They will also serve as the foundation for Ocean Health Hubs. To learn more about the data behind OHI Global Scores that will form the foundation for the new Ocean Health Hubs, go here. 

Ocean Health Hubs can be used as the first step in regional OHI assessments or on their own to track ocean conservation investments and sustainable ocean management within a region. Esri’s ArcGIS mapping and analytics software will bring this data to life, allowing users to visualize ocean health through the Living Atlas of the World and explore open-source datasets for a specific region through hubs. 

Eva Schemmel, OHI director and Conservation International science adviser said “Ocean Health Hubs will streamline data management, target setting, and communication into one tool that can be easily accessed and updated by multiple collaborators. Citizens, scientists, managers, nonprofits, and governmental agencies can use the hubs together, making engagement more efficient and effective.” 

Dawn Wright, Esri chief scientists said “Esri is happy to partner with OHI to further unlock data and lower the barriers for ocean managers and policy makers. These newly accessible datasets will allow users to better understand their regional ocean health and make sustainable ocean management decisions.”