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R.A. Longhorn
GSDI in the New Millennium?
What is the role of the CZM/marine research community in the current GSDI debate
and how much can be achieved as we enter the next millennium? As with most
“global” initiatives, there are hundreds of actors and scores of main actions to be
involved in creating a GSDI. At this stage (mid-1997), we have not even defined what
should be the major elements in a GSDI, let alone which of those elements will be of
most interest to the CZM/marine research community. However, one thing is certain,
CZM is multi-disciplinary and uses multiple types of GI, GIS tool sets and other
modelling tools. The GI collected, analysed and disseminated by the CZM community
varies widely in composition, scale, quality and content. The skills used in CZM span
a wide range, from “simple” coastal plain cartography to hydrography, remote sensing
and analysis of satellite imagery, biology, chemistry, hydrology, geography and
oceanography, to name but a few. New tools, methodologies and techniques, theories
and counter-theories are being proposed daily. A major task of the CZM researcher is
simply to keep informed!
Where can the GSDI be most helpful to the CZM research community? Three
areas spring to mind:
Marine/CZM metadata - including adoption of relevant international
standards for creating and disseminating marine information metadata
Global directory development - directories of information resources (with
relevant and good quality metadata!), directories of researchers, directories
of results, directories, directories, directories! And preferably on-line, please
Enabling the creation of truly global CZM user communities, via the Internet
or Web, who share common goals, problems, experiences
1)
2)
3)
How is the CZM community represented today in regard to the GSDI?
Widely throughout the many regional and global environmental, sustainable
development and ocean observing programmes and initiatives which already exist. Yet
nowhere in regard to the current GSDI Forum meeting(s). It is time that CZM and
marine research staff took an interest in these issues and discussion fora, in order that
all aspects of GI can be covered by or within the evolving Global Spatial Data
Infrastructure. This means participation in the GSDI debates, which will become more
numerous and (hopefully) more focused, from organisations at all levels, e.g.
independent researchers, research institutions, national and pan-regional research
associations, global organisations (UNEP, WMO, FAO, IHO, IMO and many others).
Based on your own research experiences, whether these be in purely local
projects, or national, regional or global investigations, let the convenors of the next
GSDI meeting know what it is that most concerns YOU regarding global marine GI.
R.A. Longhorn
GSDI in the New Millennium?
What is the role of the CZM/marine research community in the current GSDI debate
and how much can be achieved as we enter the next millennium? As with most
“global” initiatives, there are hundreds of actors and scores of main actions to be
involved in creating a GSDI. At this stage (mid-1997), we have not even defined what
should be the major elements in a GSDI, let alone which of those elements will be of
most interest to the CZM/marine research community. However, one thing is certain,
CZM is multi-disciplinary and uses multiple types of GI, GIS tool sets and other
modelling tools. The GI collected, analysed and disseminated by the CZM community
varies widely in composition, scale, quality and content. The skills used in CZM span
a wide range, from “simple” coastal plain cartography to hydrography, remote sensing
and analysis of satellite imagery, biology, chemistry, hydrology, geography and
oceanography, to name but a few. New tools, methodologies and techniques, theories
and counter-theories are being proposed daily. A major task of the CZM researcher is
simply to keep informed!
Where can the GSDI be most helpful to the CZM research community? Three
areas spring to mind:
Marine/CZM metadata - including adoption of relevant international
standards for creating and disseminating marine information metadata
Global directory development - directories of information resources (with
relevant and good quality metadata!), directories of researchers, directories
of results, directories, directories, directories! And preferably on-line, please
Enabling the creation of truly global CZM user communities, via the Internet
or Web, who share common goals, problems, experiences
1)
2)
3)
How is the CZM community represented today in regard to the GSDI?
Widely throughout the many regional and global environmental, sustainable
development and ocean observing programmes and initiatives which already exist. Yet
nowhere in regard to the current GSDI Forum meeting(s). It is time that CZM and
marine research staff took an interest in these issues and discussion fora, in order that
all aspects of GI can be covered by or within the evolving Global Spatial Data
Infrastructure. This means participation in the GSDI debates, which will become more
numerous and (hopefully) more focused, from organisations at all levels, e.g.
independent researchers, research institutions, national and pan-regional research
associations, global organisations (UNEP, WMO, FAO, IHO, IMO and many others).
Based on your own research experiences, whether these be in purely local
projects, or national, regional or global investigations, let the convenors of the next
GSDI meeting know what it is that most concerns YOU regarding global marine GI.