Computer mapping and analysis system for analyzing shrimp harvest data

This paper describes part of an evolving process that .the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) is undertaking to develop desk-top information systems to improve the application of large NOAA data bases for decision-making. The Strategic Assessment Branch (SAB) of the Office of Oceanography and Marine Assessment, National Ocean Service, and the Galveston Laboratory of the Southeast Fisheries Center, National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS), are jointly developing a desk-top, microcomputer-based information system to enable rapid analyses of the NMFS Gulf of Mexico commercial shrimp harvest data base. This system is a special application of SAB's Computer Mapping and Analysis System (Cmas). Cmas enables comparisons, analyses, and mapping of information on the distribution, abundance, and life history of marine species throughout major regions of the U.S. Exclusive Economic Zone.