Architecting a National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure: A Tiered, Adaptive Strategy for Translating Diagnostic Gaps into Executive Action

Architecting a National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure: A Tiered, Adaptive Strategy for Translating Diagnostic Gaps into Executive Action | Research Square window.SnipcartSettings = { analytics: { enabled: false } }; (function() { var accessVector = localStorage.getItem('access_vector') || ''; window.dataLayer = window.dataLayer || []; if (accessVector) { window.dataLayer.push({ user: { profile: { profileInfo: { snid: accessVector } } } }); } })(); (function(w,d,s,l,i){w[l]=w[l]||[];w[l].push({'gtm.start':new Date().getTime(),event:'gtm.js'});var f=d.getElementsByTagName(s)[0],j=d.createElement(s),dl=l!='dataLayer'?'&l='+l:'';j.async=true;j.src='https://www.googletagmanager.com/gtm.js?id='+i+dl;f.parentNode.insertBefore(j,f);})(window,document,'script','dataLayer','GTM-K279D39R'); Browse Preprints In Review Journals COVID-19 Preprints AJE Video Bytes Research Tools Research Promotion AJE Professional Editing AJE Rubriq About Preprint Platform In Review Editorial Policies Our Team Advisory Board Help Center Sign In Submit a Preprint Cite Share Download PDF Article Architecting a National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure: A Tiered, Adaptive Strategy for Translating Diagnostic Gaps into Executive Action Hassan ElHalawany, Shehab Ahmed, Sameh Soliman Mohamed, Kareem Tonbol, and 1 more This is a preprint; it has not been peer reviewed by a journal. https://doi.org/ 10.21203/rs.3.rs-8491761/v1 This work is licensed under a CC BY 4.0 License Status: Under Review Version 1 posted 7 You are reading this latest preprint version Abstract Persistent underperformance in National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (NMSDI) is frequently associated with implementation pathways that prioritize technology delivery over enforceable coordination—treating the NMSDI as a finite project rather than a durable national capability. This study developed and tested an implementation-oriented approach that converts institutional diagnostics into staged, monitorable execution by linking the governance problem structure to an executable strategy implementation plan (SIP). The workflow is designed to be procedurally transferable within stated boundary conditions. A convergent mixed-methods design integrated national stakeholder evidence with an international benchmark to derive a comparative gap diagnosis. Priorities were produced via an explainable severity–feasibility MCDA and stress-tested for stability under alternative assumptions. Across the ranking outputs, governance-related barriers emerged as higher-priority than purely technical or resource constraints. The most consequential impediments concerned authority and decision-rights ambiguity, fragmentation across responsible institutions, and the absence of governed exchange mechanisms—conditions that systematically constrain data reuse and cross-sector decision coordination even when platforms and standards are available. On the basis of this diagnosis, the resulting SIP provides a tiered, governance-first execution architecture that sequences enabling coordination mechanisms ahead of large-scale technology rollout and uses explicit dependencies and review gates to support adaptive delivery under uncertainty. The study reframed the NMSDI as an integrated hydrospatial information framework in which hydrospatial services function as a national decision-support and coordination capability. Physical sciences/Engineering Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing MSDI SIP Ocean governance Institutional reform Adaptive management Integrated hydrospatial information framework Full Text Additional Declarations No competing interests reported. Supplementary Files S1NationalstakeholdersMaturityWeightedGap.docx S2BenchmarkingLikertMeanMedianIQR.docx S3SensitivityAnalysisResults.docx S4StabilityAnalysisResults.docx S5RobustnessAnalysisResults.docx Cite Share Download PDF Status: Under Review Version 1 posted Reviews received at journal 13 Feb, 2026 Reviewers agreed at journal 23 Jan, 2026 Reviewers invited by journal 23 Jan, 2026 Editor assigned by journal 23 Jan, 2026 Editor invited by journal 21 Jan, 2026 Submission checks completed at journal 20 Jan, 2026 First submitted to journal 20 Jan, 2026 You are reading this latest preprint version Research Square lets you share your work early, gain feedback from the community, and start making changes to your manuscript prior to peer review in a journal. As a division of Research Square Company, we’re committed to making research communication faster, fairer, and more useful. We do this by developing innovative software and high quality services for the global research community. Our growing team is made up of researchers and industry professionals working together to solve the most critical problems facing scientific publishing. Also discoverable on Platform About Our Team In Review Editorial Policies Advisory Board Help Center Resources Author Services Accessibility API Access RSS feed Manage Cookie Preferences © Research Square 2026 | ISSN 2693-5015 (online) Privacy Policy Terms of Service Do Not Sell My Personal Information {"props":{"pageProps":{"initialData":{"identity":"rs-8491761","acceptedTermsAndConditions":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"archivedVersions":[],"articleType":"Article","associatedPublications":[],"authors":[{"id":579449905,"identity":"7dfd0673-2270-45de-abef-4bc572520bf8","order_by":0,"name":"Hassan ElHalawany","email":"data:image/png;base64,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","orcid":"","institution":"Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport","correspondingAuthor":true,"prefix":"","firstName":"Hassan","middleName":"","lastName":"ElHalawany","suffix":""},{"id":579449906,"identity":"cad99103-32a9-4887-8249-b600efcaf6cb","order_by":1,"name":"Shehab Ahmed","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Shehab","middleName":"","lastName":"Ahmed","suffix":""},{"id":579449907,"identity":"7b3dd933-3b14-4f62-aad7-0b75e2e2aa81","order_by":2,"name":"Sameh Soliman Mohamed","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Egyptian Navy Hydrographic Department (ENHD)","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Sameh","middleName":"Soliman","lastName":"Mohamed","suffix":""},{"id":579449908,"identity":"759d1085-06d1-4730-be7d-baeb4607fe93","order_by":3,"name":"Kareem Tonbol","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Kareem","middleName":"","lastName":"Tonbol","suffix":""},{"id":579449909,"identity":"608436f6-ee33-4c30-9426-7a19ed7b0cd2","order_by":4,"name":"Saad Mesbah Abdelrahman","email":"","orcid":"","institution":"Arab Academy for Science, Technology and Maritime Transport","correspondingAuthor":false,"prefix":"","firstName":"Saad","middleName":"Mesbah","lastName":"Abdelrahman","suffix":""}],"badges":[],"createdAt":"2025-12-31 18:38:38","currentVersionCode":1,"declarations":"","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8491761/v1","doiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8491761/v1","draftVersion":[],"editorialEvents":[],"editorialNote":"","failedWorkflow":false,"files":[{"id":101882161,"identity":"bdb84f9c-1dfc-4734-a628-3ce009046a2b","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-04 15:21:24","extension":"pdf","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"manuscript-pdf","size":1579944,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"Manuscript.pdf","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8491761/v1_covered_1ead3bfa-1716-4d48-be11-5020e3532c2c.pdf"},{"id":101354368,"identity":"417b387d-3350-4c89-8efd-a1ef6de58264","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-28 19:48:59","extension":"docx","order_by":0,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":15867,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S1NationalstakeholdersMaturityWeightedGap.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8491761/v1/ec09b1b5e0b352337bf58c41.docx"},{"id":101354370,"identity":"e61a4169-4420-49fd-8c2c-850daf95d9ec","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-28 19:48:59","extension":"docx","order_by":1,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":18614,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S2BenchmarkingLikertMeanMedianIQR.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8491761/v1/555f641309cae7863f6aa801.docx"},{"id":101354371,"identity":"d4d4b655-9d6a-47e2-b152-a035986ea122","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-28 19:48:59","extension":"docx","order_by":2,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":16214,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S3SensitivityAnalysisResults.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8491761/v1/aa02ff4df3f981820ca6af43.docx"},{"id":101354369,"identity":"6a5113aa-bb50-4515-9501-dacb51924d0f","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-01-28 19:48:59","extension":"docx","order_by":3,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":14796,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S4StabilityAnalysisResults.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8491761/v1/84cfcc94bc7ced93951893ae.docx"},{"id":101880518,"identity":"ccfea2b4-7463-487f-8684-91d961a3ec13","added_by":"auto","created_at":"2026-02-04 15:03:08","extension":"docx","order_by":4,"title":"","display":"","copyAsset":false,"role":"supplement","size":14846,"visible":true,"origin":"","legend":"","description":"","filename":"S5RobustnessAnalysisResults.docx","url":"https://assets-eu.researchsquare.com/files/rs-8491761/v1/4c9ff7f3dcfdb47b6ee762d6.docx"}],"financialInterests":"No competing interests reported.","formattedTitle":"Architecting a National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure: A Tiered, Adaptive Strategy for Translating Diagnostic Gaps into Executive Action","fulltext":[],"fulltextSource":"","fullText":"","funders":[],"hasAdminPriorityOnWorkflow":false,"hasManuscriptDocX":false,"hasOptedInToPreprint":true,"hasPassedJournalQc":"","hasAnyPriority":false,"hideJournal":false,"highlight":"","institution":"","isAcceptedByJournal":false,"isAuthorSuppliedPdf":true,"isDeskRejected":"","isHiddenFromSearch":false,"isInQc":false,"isInWorkflow":false,"isPdf":true,"isPdfUpToDate":true,"isWithdrawnOrRetracted":false,"journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true},"keywords":"MSDI, SIP, Ocean governance, Institutional reform, Adaptive management, Integrated hydrospatial information framework","lastPublishedDoi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8491761/v1","lastPublishedDoiUrl":"https://doi.org/10.21203/rs.3.rs-8491761/v1","license":{"name":"CC BY 4.0","url":"https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/"},"manuscriptAbstract":"\u003cp\u003ePersistent underperformance in National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure (NMSDI) is frequently associated with implementation pathways that prioritize technology delivery over enforceable coordination\u0026mdash;treating the NMSDI as a finite project rather than a durable national capability. This study developed and tested an implementation-oriented approach that converts institutional diagnostics into staged, monitorable execution by linking the governance problem structure to an executable strategy implementation plan (SIP). The workflow is designed to be procedurally transferable within stated boundary conditions. A convergent mixed-methods design integrated national stakeholder evidence with an international benchmark to derive a comparative gap diagnosis. Priorities were produced via an explainable severity\u0026ndash;feasibility MCDA and stress-tested for stability under alternative assumptions. Across the ranking outputs, governance-related barriers emerged as higher-priority than purely technical or resource constraints. The most consequential impediments concerned authority and decision-rights ambiguity, fragmentation across responsible institutions, and the absence of governed exchange mechanisms\u0026mdash;conditions that systematically constrain data reuse and cross-sector decision coordination even when platforms and standards are available. On the basis of this diagnosis, the resulting SIP provides a tiered, governance-first execution architecture that sequences enabling coordination mechanisms ahead of large-scale technology rollout and uses explicit dependencies and review gates to support adaptive delivery under uncertainty. The study reframed the NMSDI as an integrated hydrospatial information framework in which hydrospatial services function as a national decision-support and coordination capability.\u003c/p\u003e","manuscriptTitle":"Architecting a National Marine Spatial Data Infrastructure: A Tiered, Adaptive Strategy for Translating Diagnostic Gaps into Executive Action","msid":"","msnumber":"","nonDraftVersions":[{"code":1,"date":"2026-01-28 19:48:54","doi":"10.21203/rs.3.rs-8491761/v1","editorialEvents":[{"type":"communityComments","content":0},{"type":"editorInvitedReview","content":"","date":"2026-02-13T12:22:29+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewerAgreed","content":"136970020762349581273586911396671046856","date":"2026-01-23T09:24:40+00:00","index":"hide","fulltext":""},{"type":"reviewersInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-23T07:50:54+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorAssigned","content":"","date":"2026-01-23T07:47:23+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"editorInvited","content":"","date":"2026-01-21T19:55:42+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"checksComplete","content":"","date":"2026-01-20T18:00:18+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""},{"type":"submitted","content":"Scientific Reports","date":"2026-01-20T17:52:13+00:00","index":"","fulltext":""}],"status":"published","journal":{"display":true,"email":"[email protected]","identity":"scientific-reports","isNatureJournal":false,"hasQc":true,"allowDirectSubmit":false,"externalIdentity":"scirep","sideBox":"Learn more about [Scientific Reports](http://www.nature.com/srep/)","snPcode":"","submissionUrl":"","title":"Scientific Reports","twitterHandle":"","acdcEnabled":true,"dfaEnabled":true,"editorialSystem":"stoa","reportingPortfolio":"Scientific Reports","inReviewEnabled":true,"inReviewRevisionsEnabled":true}}],"origin":"","ownerIdentity":"e1c57963-0ff4-493a-a5c6-f7c11e4cdbd2","owner":[],"postedDate":"January 28th, 2026","published":true,"recentEditorialEvents":[],"rejectedJournal":[],"revision":"","amendment":"","status":"under-review","subjectAreas":[{"id":61654794,"name":"Physical sciences/Engineering"},{"id":61654795,"name":"Physical sciences/Mathematics and computing"}],"tags":[],"updatedAt":"2026-01-28T19:48:55+00:00","versionOfRecord":[],"versionCreatedAt":"2026-01-28 19:48:54","video":"","vorDoi":"","vorDoiUrl":"","workflowStages":[]},"version":"v1","identity":"rs-8491761","journalConfig":"researchsquare"},"__N_SSP":true},"page":"/article/[identity]/[[...version]]","query":{"redirect":"/article/rs-8491761","identity":"rs-8491761","version":["v1"]},"buildId":"XKTyCvWXoU3ODBz1xrDgd","isFallback":false,"isExperimentalCompile":false,"dynamicIds":[84888],"gssp":true,"scriptLoader":[]}