> For the complete documentation index, see [llms.txt](https://scatoolsuite.gitbook.io/sca-tool-suite/llms.txt). Markdown versions of documentation pages are available by appending `.md` to page URLs; this page is available as [Markdown](https://scatoolsuite.gitbook.io/sca-tool-suite/support/economy.md). # Data Measures for Gulf Economy ## High Priority Working Lands RESTORE Goal: **Gulf Economy** – Priority Attribute: **Working Lands** **DEFINITION** The percentage area of pine, cropland, and pasture/hay classes from the National Land Cover Database (NLCD) 2016 classification map (Yang et al. [2018](/sca-tool-suite/support/economy.md#references)) excluding the areas that are already protected according to the Protected Areas Database of the United States (PAD-US) 2.0 (Gergeley [2016](/sca-tool-suite/support/economy.md#references)). > **Data Summary** > > * **Data Source:** [GAP](https://www.sciencebase.gov/catalog/item/573cc51be4b0dae0d5e4b0c5) (USGS 2011); [Florida Cooperative Land Cover](https://myfwc.com/research/gis/regional-projects/cooperative-land-cover/) (FL CLC) (FL-FWS 2019); [Texas Ecological Mapping Systems](https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/programs/landscape-ecology/ems/) (TX EMS) (TX-TPWD 2019) > * **Unit:** Percentage (%) > * **Default Utility Function:** The higher percentage of priority working lands (higher score), the better for conservation > * **Area of Interest Aggregation:** The score for the area of interest is the summed score from the hexagons inside the area of interest > * **Threshold:** Continuous utility function ranging from 0 to 1 **Workflow:** 1. Extract the target layers from NLCD 2016 to a new raster file. 2. Transform the raster data to a vector shapefile. 3. Perform spatial join to calculate the percent area within each hexagon. ## Commercial Fishing Reliance RESTORE Goal: **Gulf Economy** – Priority Attribute: **Economically Valuable Species** **DEFINITION** Commercial fishing reliance measures the presence of commercial fishing through fishing activity as shown through permits and vessel landings relative to the population of a community. A high rank indicates more reliance. > **Data Summary** > > * **Data Source:** [NMFS Social Indicators](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/socioeconomics/social-indicators-fishing-communities-0) \[([Colburn et al. 2016](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X16302123)),([Jepson and Colburn 2018](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4438))] > * **Unit:** Index > * **Default Utility Function:** The higher the reliance on commercial fishing (higher score), the better for conservation > * **Area of Interest Aggregation:** Maximum score from the hexagons inside the area of interest > * **Threshold:** Discrete utility value ranging from 0 to 1 > * Low, Medium, Medium-High, High **Workflow:** 1. Clip the Commercial fishing reliance data to hexagon boundaries. 2. Perform spatial join to obtain the commercial fishing reliance data within each hexagon. ## Recreational Fishing Engagement RESTORE Goal: **Gulf Economy** – Priority Attribute: **Economically Valuable Species** **DEFINITION** Recreational fishing engagement measures the presence of recreational fishing through fishing activity estimates, including charter fishing pressure, private fishing pressure, and shore fishing pressure. A high rank indicates more engagement. > **Data Summary** > > * **Data Source:** [National Marine Fisheries Service (NMFS) Social Indicators](https://www.fisheries.noaa.gov/national/socioeconomics/social-indicators-fishing-communities-0) \[([Colburn et al. 2016](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X16302123)),([Jepson and Colburn 2018](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4438))] > * **Unit:** Index > * **Default Utility Function:** The more recreational fishing engagement (higher score), the better for conservation > * **Area of Interest Aggregation:** Maximum score from the hexagons inside the area of interest > * **Threshold:** Discrete utility value ranging from 0 to 1 > * Low, Medium, Medium-High, High **Workflow:** 1. Clip the recreational fishing engagement data to hexagon boundaries. 2. Perform spatial join to obtain the recreational fishing engagement data within each hexagon. ## Access & Recreation - Number of Access Points RESTORE Goal: **Gulf Economy** – Priority Attribute: **Access and Recreation** **DEFINITION** This measure indicates the number of points within a 25 km buffer radius of a hexagon, where the public can access places to engage in outdoor recreation, including boat ramps and access points to parks, wildlife management areas, wildlife refuges, and National Estuarine Research Reserves. > **Data Summary** > > * **Data Sources:** > * **Roadways:** Topologically Integrated Geographic Encoding and Referencing [(TIGER)/Line Shapefiles](https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.html) by the United States Census Bureau (USCB) (U.S. DOC 2019) > * **Intersections between roadways and protected areas:** Protected Areas Database for the United States [(PAD-US) 2.0](https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-data-download?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects) (Gergeley 2016) > * **Public boat ramps:** Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission ([FL-FWCC 2019](https://atoll.floridamarine.org/dle_gis/javascript/boat_ramp_status/)); Alabama Dept. of Conservation and Natural Resources ([AL-DOCNR 2019](https://www.outdooralabama.com/boating/coastal-alabama-boating-access)); Mississippi Dept. of Marine Resources ([MS-DOMR 2019](http://gis.dmr.ms.gov/PublicAccess/)); Louisiana Dept. of Wildlife and Fisheries ([LA-DOWF 2019](https://ldwf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4c4a4d9526c248c080c3eaa4808b9bea)); Texas Parks and Wildlife Dept. ([TX-PWD 2019](http://www.landscope.org/texas/tx_map_layers/tx_recreation_layers/ramps_for_boats/24760/)) > * **Unit:** Count (#) > * **Default Utility Function:** The fewer the recreational access points (lower score), the better for conservation > * This measure reflects opportunities to provide access where it is currently limited > * **Area of Interest Aggregation:** Maximum score from the hexagons inside the area of interest > * **Threshold:** Discrete utility value ranging from 0 to 1 **Workflow:** 1. Clip the access points data to hexagon boundaries. 2. Create a 25 km buffer around the centroid of each hexagon. 3. Obtain the counts of access points that intersect with the 25 km buffer of each hexagon. ### References AL-DOCNR. 2019. “Coastal Alabama Boating Access.”[ https://www.outdooralabama.com/boating/coastal-alabama-boating-access](https://www.outdooralabama.com/boating/coastal-alabama-boating-access). Colburn, LL, M Jepson, C Weng, T. Seara, J. Weiss, and J.A. Hare. 2016. “Indicators of Climate Change and Social Vulnerability in Fishing Dependent Communities Along the Eastern and Gulf Coasts of the United States.” Mar. Policy 75: 323–33.[ https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X16302123](https://www.sciencedirect.com/science/article/pii/S0308597X16302123). FL-FWCC. 2019. “Florida Public Boat Ramp Finder.”[ https://public.myfwc.com/LE/boatramp/public/Default.aspx](https://public.myfwc.com/LE/boatramp/public/Default.aspx). FL-FWS. 2019. “Florida Fws-Cooperative Land Cover, Version 3.3.” Tallahassee, FL, USA: Florida Fish; Wildlife Conservation Commission. Gergeley, A, K.J.; McKerrow. 2016. “PAD-Us—National Inventory of Protected Areas.” Reston, VA, USA: USGS.[ https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-data-download?qt-science\_center\_objects=0#qt-science\_center\_objects](https://www.usgs.gov/core-science-systems/science-analytics-and-synthesis/gap/science/pad-us-data-download?qt-science_center_objects=0#qt-science_center_objects). Jepson, M., and L.L Colburn. 2018. “Development of Social Indicators of Fishing Community Vulnerability and Resilience in the U.s. Southeast and Northeast Regions.”[ https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4438](https://repository.library.noaa.gov/view/noaa/4438). LA-DOWF. 2019. “Louisiana Outdoor Explorer.”[ https://ldwf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4c4a4d9526c248c080c3eaa4808b9bea](https://ldwf.maps.arcgis.com/apps/MapSeries/index.html?appid=4c4a4d9526c248c080c3eaa4808b9bea). MS-DOMR. 2019. “Public Access Inventory.”[ http://gis.dmr.ms.gov/PublicAccess/](http://gis.dmr.ms.gov/PublicAccess/). TX-PWD. 2019. “Public Boat Ramps.”[ http://www.landscope.org/texas/tx\_map\_layers/tx\_recreation\_layers/ramps\_for\_boats/24760/](http://www.landscope.org/texas/tx_map_layers/tx_recreation_layers/ramps_for_boats/24760/). TX-TPWD. 2019. “Texas Ecological Mapping Systems-Txems.” Austin, TX, USA: Texas Parks; Wildlife.[ https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/programs/landscape-ecology/ems/emst](https://tpwd.texas.gov/landwater/land/programs/landscape-ecology/ems/emst). U.S. DOC, Geography Division TIGER/Line Shapefile, U.S. Census Bureau. 2019. “Series Information for the All Lines County-Based Shapefile.”[ https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.html](https://www.census.gov/geographies/mapping-files/time-series/geo/tiger-line-file.html). USGS. 2011. “U.S. Geological Survey Gap Analysis Program; Gap/Landfire National Terrestrial Ecosystems.” Reston, VA, USA: USGS. [Yang, L., S. Jin, P. Danielson, C. Homer, L. Gass, S.M. Bender, A. Case, C. Costello, J. Dewitz, and J. Fry. 2018. “ISPRS J. Photogramm. Remote. Sens.” A New Generation of the United States National Land Cover Database: Requirements, Research Priorities, Design, and Implementation Strategies 146. ](https://www.fs.fed.us/nrs/pubs/jrnl/2018/nrs_2018_yang-l_001.pdf)