About CoastConnect

The CoastConnect platform aims to provide data, tools, and resources to support First Nations, regulatory bodies, local communities, and scientific organizations in their coastal monitoring and conservation efforts. 

A Hakai Institute initiative, CoastConnect helps organizations by:

  • Helping them turn their data into impact – making relevant data and insights more accessible for informed decision-making

  • Making resources, documentation, data and methods freely available

  • Reducing technical and capacity barriers to monitoring efforts along the coast of British Columbia

The publicly available resources on the CoastConnect platform support organizations in establishing – or strengthening existing – programs such as habitat assessments and biodiversity studies, and also provide tools for researchers and organizations to interpret the data they collect. 

CoastConnect is also part of a broader ecosystem of ocean data and stewardship infrastructure in Canada. We build on and connect to authoritative data sources — including the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System (CIOOS), Fisheries and Oceans Canada, OBIS, and the Hakai Data Catalogue — to ensure that our tools and resources are grounded in the best available, standards-based data. Our role is to mobilize that data: turning it into products, workflows, and case studies that coastal communities and organizations can put to work.