GRIIDC attends GOAA All Hands Meeting in Mississippi

GRIIDC attended the Gulf of America Alliance (GOAA) All Hands meeting in Biloxi, Mississippi, from May 5-8, 2025. The meeting brought together 450 participants from state and federal agencies, non-governmental organizations, and academia representing all five Gulf Coast states. GRIIDC hosted an exhibit booth, participated in the Tools Café, and attended Data and Monitoring team meetings throughout the event.

The ever-popular Tools Café and Welcome Reception was held the first night, showcasing 26 mapping, storage, and monitoring tools focusing on topics ranging from vessel traffic, climate, resilient housing, marine science, sea level, and beach conditions. Rosalie Rossi, Program Manager, and Dr. Deborah LeBel, Subject Matter Expert, presented the GRIIDC data management system. Another tool that was showcased was the Data Managers Forum Discourse site, where users can submit data management questions and topics for discussion. Rossi is one of the moderators for the site to assist in responses and lead topic discussion.

GOAA meetings were held throughout the week and centered around the priority teams to discuss projects and ideas to support the Governors’ Action Plan for Healthy and Resilient Coasts. Priority teams include Coastal Community Resilience, Data and Monitoring, Education and Engagement, Habitat Resources, Human Benefits of Nature, Marine Debris, Water Resources, and Wildlife and Fisheries. Rossi participated in the Data and Monitoring team meetings, which covered updates on the Gulf Mapping Network, state mapping initiatives, Mississippi programs, and the Gulf Monitoring Networks.

An evening reception was held the second night with Gulf states trivia, Bananas Foster station, and continued collaboration, in the most fun way!

The meeting was sponsored by the National Academies of Sciences Gulf Research Program, The University of Southern Mississippi, Esri, the Harte Research Institute, Mississippi Department of Marine Resources, Mississippi State University, and Gulf of America Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS).

The meeting was a success as always, and GRIIDC is looking forward to the next one in 2026!