Originally published by GCOOS
Just in time for Summer, GCOOS has completed the inclusion of our All Things Beaches app into the GCOOS ArcGIS Online.
All Things Beaches is a one-stop-shop for information beachgoers need to have a fun, safe day at a Gulf beach. Want to know how hot it is? If there are weather alerts, rip currents, harmful algal blooms or water quality issues on a beach you plan to visit? The interactive maps on All Things Beaches allow visitors to explore beaches across the Gulf, including those that are regularly monitored and tested for water quality in coastal Texas, Louisiana, Mississippi, Alabama and on Florida’s west coast. The guide also includes local links to beach information, including hours, parking, restrooms, showers, accessibility and other amenities.
GCOOS developed All Things Beaches after two of its main advisory committees — the Products and Services Advisory Council and the Outreach and Education Council — identified the need during discussions with stakeholders in Gulf communities. Stakeholders said they wanted an internet-based tool that would bring all the information about conditions at individual beaches together in a single location. All Things Beaches does that by collecting beach data from numerous sources, including the National Weather Service (NWS) and the Environmental Protection Agency (EPA), as well as a multitude of state and local agencies and compiling it into a single, easily searchable website.
Visit All Things Beaches at bit.ly/Gulf-beach-guide (or all-things-beaches-gcoos.hub.
