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Designing for our oceans: GeoDesign, science and marine spatial planningEvan PaulMarine Science Institute, University of California Santa Barbara, California, 93106, USAetp@msi.ucsb.eduAbstractMarine spatial planning (MSP) requires the use of decision support tools for visualizing, analyzing and modelinggeospatial information. For marine issues, these tools have historically been designed for those with specializedknowledge of geographic information systems (GIS) and not for the average stakeholder—people with little or noscientific or technical background. California's Marine Life Protection Act Initiative pioneered the use of GeoDesigntechnologies with MarineMap (www.marinemap.org) for marine protected area planning, allowing stakeholders topropose and implement science-based MPA networks.Leveraging open-source and ESRI technologies, SeaSketch (www.seasketch.org) is a “next-generation” marinespatial planning tool developed for world-wide, collaborative GeoDesign developed at the UCSB Marine ScienceInstitute. I will present the essential features of MarineMap and SeaSketch to illustrate how web-based GeoDesigntechnologies will transform how citizens are engaged in and ultimately responsible for how ocean space is used andmanaged using (or rejecting) the best available science.IntroductionIt is commonly acknowledged that, ideally, marine spatial planning maximizes stakeholder involvement. Whiletechnology alone cannot guarantee effective and empowered stakeholder engagement (McCall, 2003), ensuringaccessible technologies is often a necessary precondition for effective involvement (Craig et al., 2002). Despite this,many of the technologies used in marine spatial planning to date have required experience and training in scienceand GIS. These geospatial applications and modeling tools have often been difficult to master for the average stakeholderand, in some cases, use of these tools has bred suspicion or resentment by those who could not use or understandthem.Between 1999 and 2004, scientists advised the California Department of Fish and Game on potential plans for anetwork of marine protected areas (MPAs) in state waters. However, because stakeholders were not adequatelyinvolved in the development of these plans, and because the tools used by scientists were opaque and eyed withsuspicion, the plans were rejected. Subsequently, the Marine Life Protection Act Initiative (MLPAI) was establishedand tasked stakeholders with developing plans for a statewide network of MPAs (Gleason et al., 2010). In the followingsix years, the McClintock Lab developed MarineMap (www.marinemap.org), a web-based application foruse by stakeholders to design MPAs based on science and policy guidelines (Merrifield et al., 2012). This paperdescribes the essential features of MarineMap, how they have been carried over in the next-generation tool calledSeaSketch (www.seasketch.org), and how stakeholders may use these tools to use (or reject) scientific informationand advice in the design of marine spatial plans.MarineMapIn MarineMap, users could display maps, sketch marine protected area proposals, generate analytical reports, andshare proposals with others. MarineMap made participation much more accessible by enabling stakeholders to participateremotely at any time of their choosing or in face-to-face meetings. MarineMap's analytical reports had beentailored to the MLPAI, which enabled participants to better understand their and others’ proposals in the context ofwhat that particular planning process was working to achieve. The fast and stable performance of MarineMap, particularlyin comparison with many desktop applications, enabled stakeholders to generate over 30,000 differentMPA proposals, each with an associated analytical report. In 2010, the MarineMap Consortium received an Innovationin Technology award from the US Institute for Environmental Conflict Resolution(www.ecr.gov/AnnouncementsEvents/AnnouncementsEvents.aspx?Item=69).81