574
D.R. Green and S.D. King
The worrying thing is that many of these statements continue to reiterate statements
made many years ago; for example, comments and statements from Riddell (1992) and
Green (1995b, 1996), Jeffries-Harris (1992), and Atkins (1995, p. 8-10) from Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH) who noted in relation to data and information for coastal zone
management that:
The high level requirements are:
Ease of access to information
Capability to do spatial analysis
Integration for information from different sources
Present information in different formats
Know what information is available
Project managers require to be able to undertake:
Spatial analysis
Query different data at the same time
View graphically different resources at the same time
Have the ability to overlay resources spatially
Isolate areas and look at the relationship between all activities
Be able to generate basic statistics
Be able to generate basic business graphics
Be more responsive and timely to queries
Query on an ad hoc basis
Know where information is held and how to access it
Be able to produce mapped information as well as reports
Whilst Australia, the US and Canada have gone on to make considerable progress in
addressing the potential and the problems that need to be overcome in order to develop
access to data and information, the UK has in many respects stagnated, preferring to
continue with a largely 'piecemeal approach' to virtually everything that concerns the
provision of practical access to data and information for Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM). This is not to say that good work has not been undertaken e.g. the
OS and the UK Hydrographic Office; the numerous fora and voluntary groups e.g. Forth
Estuary Forum (FEF), Moray Firth Partnership (MFP), Solway Firth Partnership (SFP),
Firth of Clyde Forum, and the work of English Nature (EN), Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). However, what is
lacking is the existence of an equivalent 'federal' body, and a 'federal-level' initiative, to
ensure that all the spatial data and information that we currently hold about the UK, and
that is continuing to be collected, is properly documented, catalogued, and its collection
and dissemination (where possible) co-ordinated for the benefit of the UK end-user
whether they be researchers, environmental consultancies, or educators.
D.R. Green and S.D. King
The worrying thing is that many of these statements continue to reiterate statements
made many years ago; for example, comments and statements from Riddell (1992) and
Green (1995b, 1996), Jeffries-Harris (1992), and Atkins (1995, p. 8-10) from Scottish
Natural Heritage (SNH) who noted in relation to data and information for coastal zone
management that:
The high level requirements are:
Ease of access to information
Capability to do spatial analysis
Integration for information from different sources
Present information in different formats
Know what information is available
Project managers require to be able to undertake:
Spatial analysis
Query different data at the same time
View graphically different resources at the same time
Have the ability to overlay resources spatially
Isolate areas and look at the relationship between all activities
Be able to generate basic statistics
Be able to generate basic business graphics
Be more responsive and timely to queries
Query on an ad hoc basis
Know where information is held and how to access it
Be able to produce mapped information as well as reports
Whilst Australia, the US and Canada have gone on to make considerable progress in
addressing the potential and the problems that need to be overcome in order to develop
access to data and information, the UK has in many respects stagnated, preferring to
continue with a largely 'piecemeal approach' to virtually everything that concerns the
provision of practical access to data and information for Integrated Coastal Zone
Management (ICZM). This is not to say that good work has not been undertaken e.g. the
OS and the UK Hydrographic Office; the numerous fora and voluntary groups e.g. Forth
Estuary Forum (FEF), Moray Firth Partnership (MFP), Solway Firth Partnership (SFP),
Firth of Clyde Forum, and the work of English Nature (EN), Scottish Natural Heritage
(SNH), and the Joint Nature Conservation Committee (JNCC). However, what is
lacking is the existence of an equivalent 'federal' body, and a 'federal-level' initiative, to
ensure that all the spatial data and information that we currently hold about the UK, and
that is continuing to be collected, is properly documented, catalogued, and its collection
and dissemination (where possible) co-ordinated for the benefit of the UK end-user
whether they be researchers, environmental consultancies, or educators.