In-water sea turtle research efforts provide valuable, detailed information on the abundance, distribution and habitats of sea turtles. However, these projects are conducted by a variety of entities and it is difficult to use information because it is not compiled in one place. A common repository of peer-reviewed and professionally published data on marine turtles is necessary for efficiently gathering information on the species and is indispensable when determining future research and management needs.

In 2003, the Florida Fish and Wildlife Conservation Commission’s Fish and Wildlife Research Institute compiled information about 42 in-water sea turtle research and monitoring efforts conducted within Florida. The primary goal of this project was to make this in-water information available to promote sea turtle conservation and to help identify research priorities. The technical memorandum produced equally important compilations of the data that were available and the gaps in data that existed. The in-water inventory has been continuously maintained and expanded and now includes over 60 research and monitoring efforts that document sea turtles in Florida waters.

We have developed the Sea Turtle Research and Monitoring Information System (OSIS) to make information on sea turtle in-water projects in Florida available through an interoperable and openly accessible on-line resource. The overall goals of our project are as follows:

  • Develop an on-line environment for managers to access data from the inventory of Florida in-water sea turtle research projects.
  • Seek and incorporate advice of managers and researchers throughout the development process.
  • Maintain and update the existing database of in-water projects within Florida waters.
  • Ensure that OSIS is expandable and capable of housing data from in-water research and monitoring activities in other states and regions.
  • Develop OSIS within a cloud environment in order to ensure that the system is efficient to maintain and is fully transferable at the completion of the project.