Maritime Claims and Boundaries GIS Database.
The Global Maritime Boundaries Database (GMBD) is the Standard for Maritime Jurisdictional Studies. Maritime boundaries are critical elements to the planning of any activity in the ocean realm. From the early 1700s when the Dutch issued a decree establishing a "territorial sea" that was as wide as "the hypothetical range of an imaginary cannon," nations have sought to control portions of the global ocean which touch their shores. Under evolving criteria being established by the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea (UNCLOS), nations continue to redefine their sovereign claims to ocean space. Many industries and activities recognize the growing importance of maritime claim and boundary delimitation. National claims may overlap, creating areas of disputed ownership and jurisdiction that can lead to confrontation and even open conflict. In the assessment, exploration and recovery of petroleum, mineral or fishing resources, a distance of a few hundred meters...