MAINE MONITOR • October 10, 2025
Amid the Trump administration’s cuts to federal climate change research, a New England remote sensing company released a new high-definition map of Maine’s coastline that its founder hopes will help local officials plan for climate resilience. The online platform, from New Hampshire-based Nearview, plots the best opportunities to fortify dunes and beaches along Maine’s 3,500-mile coastline to protect against sea-level rise. The map also marks where wild underwater forests lurk off the coast, which could inform seaweed harvesters and regulators. The Coastal Ecosystem Map Application Platform, or CEMAP, was in the works for years, said Stefan Claesson, Nearview’s founder and a specialist in geographic information systems. Claesson hopes CEMAP will provide data that municipal officials, regulators, researchers and seaweed harvesters can use to manage Maine’s coastline and plan for climate change.