You may know that the Office for Coastal Management’s Digital Coast website was developed to meet the unique needs of the coastal management community. What you may not be aware of is that in addition to providing data and predictive tools, the site offers a wealth of learning resources through its Digital Coast Academy.

One goal of the Academy is to help people understand how they can get the most out of Digital Coast tools and data sets. The Sea Level Rise Viewer tutorial is a good example, as is the animation that explains shallow coastal flooding.

The Academy also provides a number of skill-building resources that NOS employees and their outside partners can benefit from on a daily basis. Two of our popular offerings, for instance, enhance one’s ability to work with others.

If, for example, you have a “talkative blowfish” on your team, or a “dominating shark” in one of your partner organizations, you can read the quick reference on Dealing with Disruptive Behaviors in Meetings—which builds off of our very popular facilitation training—for innovative tips to effectively work with various personality types. Similarly, the Academy’s Risk Communication Basics publication was originally written for local officials, but the information has proven helpful in all sorts of situations, both professional and personal.

We like to say “learning isn’t an event, it’s a process.” Explore the Digital Coast Academy often to make use of its learning resources, including the quick references that touch on a wide variety of topics. We hope you will use these materials yourself and recommend them to your constituents and colleagues.

Ginger Hinchcliff
Chief, Learning Services Division
Office for Coastal Management