CoastGIS’99: geomatics and coastal environment
Drawing from the feedback and the findings of the Demonstration
Programme (EC, 1999), the development of a local coastal observatory
is proposed. This will be a major point of contact for coastal data and
information, providing signposts to contacts as well as facilitating
guidance for known problems. The information system and Website
would run alongside this social network. Two major tasks were identitied
for such an observatory: publicity (generating awareness of the resource;
generating participation in getting stakeholder data online) and maintenance (overviewing metadata currency, quality, data interpretation and
glossary building).
Conclusion
The findings of the audit, backed up by user recommendations in the
seminar will feed into the construction of a demonstration CZMIS to
support the overall strategy. An Internet-based hybrid metadata system was proposed to show the 'what’ and 'where' of coastal data, using
all the suggested modes of metadata access, and with the highlighted
changes (ensuring ease of use). This would be supported by a coastal
observatory to maintain a human interface with the decision makers.
Three chief tasks of the observatory would be strategy (ensuring a
holistic view to coastal data management), maintenance (regular updates)
ancl publicity of coastal clata, information ancl their access mechanisms.
Through participation activities such as questionnaires, interviews and seminars, this chapter has shown what can be achieved by involving the CZMIS
user in all stages of the design of such a system. This closes the gap
between the decision-makers and the best technology available to help them
in their day-to-day tasks. This surely means that the end system is one
that is relevant and one that will be widely used in practice.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all people who have taken part in the audit phase and seminar, particularly the members of the Coastal Information Focus Group. We would
also like to thank Brian Shipman and Aidan Winder for their helpful comments
on this paper, John Marshall for his programming aclvice and Thomas Coty for the
translation. The Atlantic Living Coastlines Project is funded by the European Union
TERRA (DG XVI) programme. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors
and not those of the Atlantic Living Coastlines Project.
Bibliographic references
Association for Geographic Information (AGI), 1999. Guidelines for
Geographic Information Content and Quality. AGI, London.
British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)., 1999- EDMED - The European Directory of Marine Environmental Data. Natural Environment
Research Council, Bidston.
Busby J.R., 1999. Principles, Practices ancl Current Directions in Information Management - An Overview. In: Bridge L. (ed.). Info-Coast’99
Symposium report. CoastLink Coastal and Marine Observatory, Dover,
UK and EUCC UK, Brampton, UK. 7-10.
102
Drawing from the feedback and the findings of the Demonstration
Programme (EC, 1999), the development of a local coastal observatory
is proposed. This will be a major point of contact for coastal data and
information, providing signposts to contacts as well as facilitating
guidance for known problems. The information system and Website
would run alongside this social network. Two major tasks were identitied
for such an observatory: publicity (generating awareness of the resource;
generating participation in getting stakeholder data online) and maintenance (overviewing metadata currency, quality, data interpretation and
glossary building).
Conclusion
The findings of the audit, backed up by user recommendations in the
seminar will feed into the construction of a demonstration CZMIS to
support the overall strategy. An Internet-based hybrid metadata system was proposed to show the 'what’ and 'where' of coastal data, using
all the suggested modes of metadata access, and with the highlighted
changes (ensuring ease of use). This would be supported by a coastal
observatory to maintain a human interface with the decision makers.
Three chief tasks of the observatory would be strategy (ensuring a
holistic view to coastal data management), maintenance (regular updates)
ancl publicity of coastal clata, information ancl their access mechanisms.
Through participation activities such as questionnaires, interviews and seminars, this chapter has shown what can be achieved by involving the CZMIS
user in all stages of the design of such a system. This closes the gap
between the decision-makers and the best technology available to help them
in their day-to-day tasks. This surely means that the end system is one
that is relevant and one that will be widely used in practice.
Acknowledgements
We would like to thank all people who have taken part in the audit phase and seminar, particularly the members of the Coastal Information Focus Group. We would
also like to thank Brian Shipman and Aidan Winder for their helpful comments
on this paper, John Marshall for his programming aclvice and Thomas Coty for the
translation. The Atlantic Living Coastlines Project is funded by the European Union
TERRA (DG XVI) programme. The views expressed in this paper are those of the authors
and not those of the Atlantic Living Coastlines Project.
Bibliographic references
Association for Geographic Information (AGI), 1999. Guidelines for
Geographic Information Content and Quality. AGI, London.
British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)., 1999- EDMED - The European Directory of Marine Environmental Data. Natural Environment
Research Council, Bidston.
Busby J.R., 1999. Principles, Practices ancl Current Directions in Information Management - An Overview. In: Bridge L. (ed.). Info-Coast’99
Symposium report. CoastLink Coastal and Marine Observatory, Dover,
UK and EUCC UK, Brampton, UK. 7-10.
102