Current approaches in Geographic Information Systems for coastal management

Abstract

Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are being widely applied in coastal resource management. Critical coastal management issues such as sensitivity analysis, habitat modelling and pollution monitoring require the ability for resource managers to make rapid and appropriate decisions. With the capability to incorporate a wide variety of alphanumeric and graphic data, including remotely sensed imagery, GIS provide an increasingly sophisticated tool for decision-makers. Furthermore, current technological developments in artificial intelligence and expert systems are opening up new avenues for advanced GIS applications. However, such developments have the effect of making GIS more and more remote as far as resource managers and scientists are concerned, due to the high level of technical expertise required to operate these advanced systems, not to mention the high costs of the required hardware and software. This paper addresses the need to provide simpler and relatively inexpensive GIS for coastal resource management, especially for developing countries. Emphasis is placed on the need to develop GIS within an effective data management infrastructure that responds to the dynamic nature of modern data bases, and provides for a truly well informed decision-making process.