Welcome to UNDS GIS Homepage
Geographic information systems (GIS) are a network
of hardware and software used to store, retrieve, map, and analyze
geographic data. The benefit of a GIS lies in its ability to associate
data with a particular location and generate a visual representation
- a map - of that data. Because UNDS regulates discharges throughout
the United States and its territories, Navy has developed the
UNDS GIS website. With GIS, information can be linked to location
data, such as addresses, buildings, or homeports (in the case
of UNDS). This information can be layered to provide a better
understanding of how different types of information (layers) work
together. This functionally will associate information by geographic
area to enhance our current UNDS outreach information. As more
functionality is built, the UNDS GIS page will convey additional
information regarding UNDS such as ship activities at those ports,
critical habitat areas, coastal zone management practices, and
possibly marine sanctuaries and/or coral reefs depending on availability
of data.
The following links provide visual representations
of Armed Forces' homeports for vessel populations within the U.S.
and its territories. Please note that homeports overseas, such
as Italy and Japan, are not represented by these maps. Homeports
are the bases from which vessels perform the majority of their
operations that occur within 12 nautical miles of shore. The sizes
and locations of Armed Forces homeports vary with the mission
of the vessels they service. Homeport data is representative of
the typical vessel population in a given port at any given time.
The number of homeports depicted in the maps is derived from Armed
Forces' vessel inventory data compiled to support UNDS analyses.
Homeports and vessels present are not static; therefore, these
maps do not reflect the inventory or specific location of vessels
at any given time. Vessel locations can be affected by, but are
not limited to, operation and mission of vessels, base realignment
and closures, vessel transfers, and commissioning and decommissioning
of vessels.
