CHAPTER 30
Development of a Spatial Decision Support System for the Biological
Influences on Inter-Tidal Areas (Biota) Project within the Land Ocean
Interaction Study
N. J. Brown, R. Cox, A. G. Thomson, R. A. Wadsworth, and M. Yates
ABSTRACT: The Land Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS) is a major NERC initiative seeking
to understand the exchange, transformation and storage of energy and materials between the
land and the ocean. In LOIS the BIOTA programme studies the fluxes of the inter-tidal
zone and especially the interactions between biotic and abiotic components of the system.
To facilitate communication and co-operation the BIOTA data centre has developed a
spatial Decision Support System (DSS) based on a hybrid distributed database and a
Geographical Information System (GIS). Special attention has been paid to ensuring:
known data quality, the existence of appropriate meta-data, the integration of process based
models and spatial analysis and visualisation tools.
Introduction
The coastal zone is an area of potential conflict between human activities and the natural
environment. Many major cities have coastal locations. It provides resources for,
recreation, transport, waste disposal, industrial and agricultural activities. However, many
coastal environments are suffering from degradation due to human activities. These effects
may be exacerbated by predicted climate change and consequent sea level changes. In the
past, sea levels have fluctuated considerably. For instance, during the Pleistocene period sea
levels were more than 120m below current levels and it has been suggested that the sea level
may rise by a metre over the next century (Warrick and Oerlemans, 1990). The Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC) of the United Kingdom has recognised the
importance of this environment and has funded The Land Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS).
LOIS was the largest project within NERC’s extensive community research programme. In
425
D.R. Green and S.D. King (eds.), Coastal and Marine Geo-Information Systems, 425–436.
© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.
Development of a Spatial Decision Support System for the Biological
Influences on Inter-Tidal Areas (Biota) Project within the Land Ocean
Interaction Study
N. J. Brown, R. Cox, A. G. Thomson, R. A. Wadsworth, and M. Yates
ABSTRACT: The Land Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS) is a major NERC initiative seeking
to understand the exchange, transformation and storage of energy and materials between the
land and the ocean. In LOIS the BIOTA programme studies the fluxes of the inter-tidal
zone and especially the interactions between biotic and abiotic components of the system.
To facilitate communication and co-operation the BIOTA data centre has developed a
spatial Decision Support System (DSS) based on a hybrid distributed database and a
Geographical Information System (GIS). Special attention has been paid to ensuring:
known data quality, the existence of appropriate meta-data, the integration of process based
models and spatial analysis and visualisation tools.
Introduction
The coastal zone is an area of potential conflict between human activities and the natural
environment. Many major cities have coastal locations. It provides resources for,
recreation, transport, waste disposal, industrial and agricultural activities. However, many
coastal environments are suffering from degradation due to human activities. These effects
may be exacerbated by predicted climate change and consequent sea level changes. In the
past, sea levels have fluctuated considerably. For instance, during the Pleistocene period sea
levels were more than 120m below current levels and it has been suggested that the sea level
may rise by a metre over the next century (Warrick and Oerlemans, 1990). The Natural
Environment Research Council (NERC) of the United Kingdom has recognised the
importance of this environment and has funded The Land Ocean Interaction Study (LOIS).
LOIS was the largest project within NERC’s extensive community research programme. In
425
D.R. Green and S.D. King (eds.), Coastal and Marine Geo-Information Systems, 425–436.
© 2003 Kluwer Academic Publishers. Printed in the Netherlands.