Development of a SCAT data management manual

The Shoreline Cleanup Assessment Technique (SCAT) is a commonly used method in North America to document oiling conditions in the aftermath of an oil spill. The data generated by SCAT can support all aspects of the process needed to develop and apply shoreline treatment methods such as planning treatment strategies, selecting treatment methods, providing detailed instructions to response personnel and evaluating the response effort. In order to be effective, SCAT data must be validated, entered within computerized systems, and transformed into support documents such as maps, tables and reports. This paper describes the development of a guidance manual for SCAT data coordinators and spill response managers that use the results of SCAT data. Guidance is presented for emergency procedures that enable the generation of minimal, but adequate, SCAT data management services. The creation of the manual involved the development of formal descriptions of the role, responsibilities and abilities of the SCAT data management team. The manual provides solution to several data processing issues, including those related to the presence of multiple parallel bands of oil within a segment of shoreline. Summary tables were created to report the length of oiled shoreline by oiling category and to present surface oiling characteristics in overview maps. The manual also includes details on how SCAT data is used for response planning, decision making and to support operations. 12 refs., 7 tabs., 8 figs