Environmental Sensitivity Index (ESI) maps can help oil and chemical spill responders identify vulnerable coastal locations, establish protection priorities, and identify cleanup strategies. When a shoreline is threatened by an approaching spill, responders must quickly decide which locations along a shoreline to protect from the spill. Making these decisions sometimes requires difficult tradeoffs.

The in-depth exercises below can help you become more familiar with ESI maps and data. The first exercise is especially useful for beginning ESI users and as an exercise for students, because it goes through the decision-making process and how ESI maps can be used to make more informed choices. The second exercise is designed for more advanced ESI users, who want to learn how to work with ESI data in multiple formats.