GoMEx-an experimental GIS system for the Gulf of Mexico region using SAR and additional satellite and ancillary data

The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) National Environmental Satellite, Data, and Information Service (NESDIS) is in the third year of the Alaska SAR Demonstration (AKDEMO), an applications project using RADARSAT-1 synthetic aperture radar (SAR) and derived products. The success of this demonstration in providing near real-time SAR data, derived products, and other ancillary data to federal and state agencies, has motivated the development of a similar experimental multi-sensor data fusion system for the Gulf of Mexico and Caribbean region called GoMEx. Unlike the AKDEMO system which focused on near-real time data, this project will begin by using archived data from diverse remote sensing sensors such as RADARSAT-1 SAR, GOES imagers, SeaWiFS, MODIS, AVHRR, scatterometers, as well as data from moored buoy measurements and numerical weather models to study issues and phenomena unique to the region. Other agencies that will contribute and use this system include the National Ocean Service (NOS), Louisiana State University, National Marine Fisheries Service and the University of Maryland. Sample applications of this system are presented including detection of algal blooms, coral reefs off of Belize, oil slicks and rigs off of Louisiana, and fishery applications.