Workshop to Establish Coordination & Communication

The  goals  of the  workshop  were  to  improve  coordination  and  collaboration  among  marine ecological survey,  modeling,  and  database  efforts  of  the  offshore  waters  of the  Mid-Atlantic region,  and to  help  ensure  that  these  efforts  help  meet  baseline  data-collection  and derived product needs  for  siting  and permitting  offshore  wind facilities.   Specifically,  this  workshop aimed  to  promote  collaboration  among  offshore  ecological  survey  efforts  and  the development of complementary  predictive  models  and compatible  databases.   Due  to funding  limitations,  the  workshop  was  organized  as  a preliminary  gathering  among  a small number of  collaborators.  The  intended result was  a  report  that  gathered  information  and opened  communication  channels  among  those  engaged  in  the  broader  set  of  related efforts,  including  those  not  participating  in  this  workshop ( Wind and Water Power Technologies Office 2013).