oceandatr: An R Package to Acquire and Process Geospatial Ocean Data

Maps and spatial models inform natural resource management and policy decisions. However, the geospatial data needed for these decisions are often scattered across websites and services, and typically require technical skills to download, process and analyze. The R programming language is widely used in environmental science, and while there are some R packages available for obtaining terrestrial geospatial data, those for marine data are limited to specific datasets. To fill this gap, we introduce the oceandatr R package, an interface that provides streamlined access to a suite of global ocean data. It provides functions for acquiring and processing many data sources-including bathymetry, geomorphology, ecological, and human use data-and returns these in several grid-based formats. The gridded output data can be used directly in modeling, spatial analysis and spatial planning. While oceandatr accesses marine data, the functions for retrieving boundaries and gridding data can also be used in other contexts. We outline uses of oceandatr and present two case studies where we use oceandatr to access and process data for a spatial planning application and a spatial model of fishing effort. Oceandatr simplifies the process of geospatial analysis for marine researchers and spatial planners, reducing technical barriers and supporting evidence-based decision making.