If you’ve been following the oil spill, as most of us have, heres new tool from NOAA, GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse
Their website says “The dynamic nature of the BP oil spill has been a challenge for a range of communities – from hotel operators to fishermen to local community leaders. We know the American people have questions about how the federal government is responding to this crisis, and we are committed to providing the answers with clarity and transparency. The site you’re viewing right now is a symbol of that commitment.

GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse is a new online tool that provides you with near-real time information about the response effort. Developed by NOAA with the EPA, U.S. Coast Guard, and the Department of Interior, the site offers you a “one-stop shop” for spill response information.

The site integrates the latest data the federal responders have about the oil spill’s trajectory with fishery area closures, wildlife data and place-based Gulf Coast resources — such as pinpointed locations of oiled shoreline and current positions of deployed research ships — into one customizable interactive map.

GeoPlatform.gov/gulfresponse employs the Environmental Response Management Application (ERMA®) a web-based GIS platform developed by NOAA and the University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Response Research Center. ERMA was designed to facilitate communication and coordination among a variety of users — from federal, state and local responders to local community leaders and the public. The site was designed to be fast and user-friendly, and we plan to keep it constantly updated.”

I think this will be a useful tool for Environmental Science, as well as a range of social scientists charting the social and economic impact of the spill. Next time something more cheerful.

Courtesy of  Greta E. Marlatt who keeps all the docs librarians updated on new reports…

Here’s the official word…http://www.whitehouse.gov/sites/default/files/rss_viewer/national_security_strategy.pdf

Their blog adds this background for the document

http://www.whitehouse.gov/blog/2010/05/27/a-blueprint-pursuing-world-we-seek

The National Security Strategy is guided by a clear understanding of our
increasingly interconnected world where the free flow of information,
people and goods continues to accelerate at an unprecedented pace
promising new opportunities while simultaneously posing challenges that
no longer recognize borders: global networks of terrorists and
criminals, threats in space and cyberspace, a degrading climate, and
technologies with tremendous destructive power. The response systems and
international architecture of the 20th century, designed for another
time, are buckling under the weight of these new threats. Currently,
these realities describe the world as it is.

Throughout American history, we have risen to such moments of transition
and faced new challenges head on to help shape a world of greater
security and prosperity. The National Security Strategy is a blueprint
for pursuing the world that we seek by outlining a strategy to rebuild
our foundations, promote a just and sustainable international order,
strengthen and integrate national capabilities, all while advancing
American interests, security, prosperities, and universal values.

From ensuring strong alliances, which are the foundation of U.S.,
regional and global security, to leveraging American leadership to
encourage sustained international cooperation to address global issues,
America has the tools to face the national security challenges of the
21st century while holding true to the universal values our nation has
stood for since its founding.