Maryland's Coastal Atlas was developed to provide direct access to available data needed for coastal and ocean planning efforts. From finding the best location for renewable energy projects to locating sand resources needed for beach replenishment to helping local communities identify areas vulnerable to sea level rise and erosion—the Coastal Atlas assists users in identifying potential conflicts so that they can then be avoided early in the planning process.

The Coastal Atlas is the result of a collaborative effort among the Maryland Department of Natural Resources, the Maryland Energy Administration, Towson University, the University of Maryland, The Nature Conservancy, and the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The data available through the Coastal Atlas includes physical characteristics, human uses, and ecological resources. Through the Coastal Atlas, users are able to visualize, query, map, and analyze available data to better manage our marine and estuarine resources. The tools currently available, and those that will be continually developed for the Coastal Atlas, are designed to support better decision making by transforming available data into information tailored for specific issues.