The Oregon Coastal & Marine Data Network is a strategic data management program intended to ensure that data and information from a variety of sources are available to be used by agencies, scientists, communities, and stakeholder groups for the purpose of ocean management. This program is designed to be sufficiently flexible to account for the constant addition of new data and scientific information relevant to ocean and coastal management, the evolving needs among potential users, and the continuing advances in data technologies.

The genesis of the Oregon Coastal & Marine Data Network (OCMDN) can be traced back to the the 2009 legislative session, in which HB 3106 led to the formation of the Task Force on Nearshore Research (NRTF).

The Taskforce was assembled to study the management issues in Oregon’s nearshore areas and make improvement recommendations back to the governor. The final NRTF report was submitted in August 2010, and contained six recommendations, including one entitled “Data Management and Coordination”. It is from this recommendation that the OCMDN eventually emerged.

The work of the OCMDN is currently ongoing, and more information about current priorities, data management training, past meetings, and major agreements may be found at the OCMDN Website: http://www.coastalmarinedata.net/