On May 1-3, 2012, OR&R will host a workshop at NOAA's Disaster Response Center in Mobile, Ala., to address the status and future of its ESI mapping program and products.

In order to ensure we are addressing the "wants and needs" of the ESI community, we have developed an ESI User Survey to assess the usability of the current ESI maps and data, and to gauge where users would like the ESI program to go in the future. (Supplementary materials are provided on the ESI Workshop page.)

Survey topics range from user satisfaction with map presentation and digital data, to the training that ESI users would like to be offered. In addition to answering multiple-choice and ranking type questions, respondents can provide additional comments and suggestions. All ESI users are encouraged to participate. The survey results will serve as a starting point for many sessions during the upcoming workshop, where we'll address topics such as:

• ESI mapping, in progress and planned.
• Review of user needs, based on survey results.
• Current digital products and tools.
• Future of the hard copy and PDF map products.
• Online service of ESI data, including ERMA^®, ArcGIS for Server, and Florida's FMSAS.
• Shoreline, biology, and human-use data resources and collection protocols.
• Important Ecological Areas (IEA) and other mapping programs, and their roles within ESIs.
• ESI training and outreach.

Questions: Contact us with questions, comments, or suggestions about ESI maps.