Erosion along our nation’s coasts is one of the primary natural hazards faced by today’s state coastal resource managers. NOAA’s Coastal Services Center provides tools, techniques, and training to enable these “front-line” professionals to do their jobs more effectively.

The NOAA Coastal Services Center (CSC) provides skills and information resources to state and local coastal resource managers. CSC personnel, which include members of federal agencies, universities, nonprofit organizations, the private sector, and state natural resource management agencies, offer training, consultations, access to new data and tools, and fellowship programs. CSC experts work directly with state and local partners to resolve site-specific issues. The center supports more than 100 projects throughout the year.

CSC continuously evaluates its operations and efforts to maintain its focus on services most needed by the nation’s coastal resource managers. Its primary support initiatives involve those issues considered most important to managers—hazards, habitats, sustainable communities, and data and information access and usability. CSC personnel have expertise in many fields, including geographic information systems (GIS), coastal remote sensing, and training methods.

The center’s annual operating plan and budget are jointly supported by all of NOAA’s line offices and their assistant administrators. As a result, CSC is oriented toward collaboration and partnership building.