An Ocean Health Assessment Tool
We all benefit in some shape or form from a healthy ocean. Directly or indirectly, we all rely on the ocean’s services: food, livelihood, recreational opportunities, or regulation of the global climate. The enormity of the ocean, a sparsity of data about the detailed goings-on in its depths, and conflicting views on what constitutes responsible resource use make sustainable management of this wide range of benefits a big task.
Optimal management means using resources sustainably, but also to their fullest capacities within the sustainable range, as it is the coupled human–ocean system we are interested in managing. Maintaining this balance across the broad range of benefits requires an approach that is both comprehensive and quantitative. The Ocean Health Index, consisting of ten diverse public goals, is designed for this purpose.
An Analogy: Features & Usage
An analogy for how the pieces work together: The driving action comes from actively running the calculate_scores.R script in the assessment folder or repository. The prepared data is pulled into the assessment by ohicore functions and the objects it creates. Data included and models contained in the assessment repository functions.R script are both somewhat adjustable but some combinations are best – as with bike gears’ chainrings and rear sprockets.
An Open Data Science Project
Besides doing awesome science to support policy and research aimed at improving our use and care of ocean resources, we are committed to following and championing open data science practices. ohicore and this site are one component of this; to learn more about this dimension of our work explore our better science in less time page.