URI combines research, multimedia communications in project to map Fire Island National Seashore

Researchers and students from the University of Rhode Island (URI) recently took part in the U.S. Department of the Interior’s Hurricane Sandy recovery projects by mapping the underwater habitats of Fire Island National Seashore in New York.
 
“The initial step in effectively managing submerged natural resources is to have an accurate and detailed understanding of what resources you actually have,” URI Oceanography Professor John King said. “Our project is providing that knowledge about the study sites to the National Park Service for the first time.”
 
Using technology like acoustic sonars and remote-controlled underwater vehicles, student’s from King’s laboratory in the Graduate School of Oceanography were able to gather information about the National Park, 75 percent of which is under water.
 
In addition to the research, URI students in the Society, Ecology and Communication Laboratory collaborated on the project to create a multimedia story entitled “The Big Reveal: Developing Habitat Maps of the Seafloor of Key Coastal Natural Resources,” which includes copy, interactive maps, photos and graphics on the project.
 
“It’s important people understand the value of this research,” Jamie Remillard, rhetoric and composition doctoral student and co-creator of “The Big Reveal,” said. “‘The Big Reveal’ is informative, and it also connects people with science that matters in an engaging, interactive way. Making that sort of connection is key.”