The Interagency Working Group on Ocean and Coastal Mapping brings together federal, state, industrial, academic, and nongovernmental organizations to coordinate the best use of mapping resources and to avoid duplication of effort. The first task of this group is to develop an inventory of ocean and coastal mapping data and activities.

The Joint Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology created the working group in response to recommendations of the U.S. Ocean Action Plan and the 2004 National Research Council report, A Geospatial Framework for the Coastal Zone: National Needs for Coastal Mapping and Charting.