56
R.A. Longhorn
meetings. As the GISDATA has come to an end (a five-year funding effort from the
ESF which began in 1992), the members of GISDATA have proposed creating a new
association with a wider brief called AGILE - Association of Geographic Information
Laboratories in Europe (Burrough et al., 1997). This new association would move
beyond examining only social science issues and would represent the views and needs
of the whole European GI research community in its widest definition, which certainly
includes the practical needs of the marine and coastal zone research community.
A survey carried out in February 1997 by questionnaire sent to more than 50
GI research establishments in 13 EU Member States, from which 25 positive responses
were returned, indicated that:
there is unanimous agreement that an organisation such as AGILE is needed in
order to continue the previously important and valuable work of GISDATA
and the EGIS/JEC conferences;
the most important task for such an organisation would be to organise focused
meetings on key research issues;
the organisation should also organise an annual or bi-annual geographic
information research conference and set up working groups intended to
influence the future European geographic information research agenda.
If these views are regarded as reasonably representative of other GI research
groups in Europe, or of multi-disciplinary research groups which rely heavily on GI to
effect their research, then there is a strong case for establishing an organisation such as
AGILE. To that end, a small group of representatives from research centres in
different parts of Europe has been created to prepare proposals with respect to the title
of the organisation, its mission statement, its organisational structure, the procedures
for the election of officers, the criteria for membership and subscription fees and to
define a position with respect to other European level bodies such as EUROGI.
AGILE can provide an important role in furthering GI/GIS research and
education in Europe, at a pan-European level. It will most probably be able to launch
itself, with wide European participation of major actors in GI/GIS R&D and academia,
based on resources generated from low annual subscription fees. It is up to members of
allied research communities which rely heavily on GI and GIS, especially those
involved in cross-border projects or programmes, to make their concerns known to the
policy makers at national and EU level. AGILE could provide a useful vehicle for
achieving this goal.
Conclusion and Recommendations
What the reader will no doubt by now have realised is that there is no single focal point
nor source of EU funding for research or technology projects relating specifically to
“coastal zone management”. There never has been nor (probably) ever will be a single
focal point for all the diverse actions that need to be undertaken in regard to CZM at
transnational (cross-border) level, simply because these activities are so diverse in
R.A. Longhorn
meetings. As the GISDATA has come to an end (a five-year funding effort from the
ESF which began in 1992), the members of GISDATA have proposed creating a new
association with a wider brief called AGILE - Association of Geographic Information
Laboratories in Europe (Burrough et al., 1997). This new association would move
beyond examining only social science issues and would represent the views and needs
of the whole European GI research community in its widest definition, which certainly
includes the practical needs of the marine and coastal zone research community.
A survey carried out in February 1997 by questionnaire sent to more than 50
GI research establishments in 13 EU Member States, from which 25 positive responses
were returned, indicated that:
there is unanimous agreement that an organisation such as AGILE is needed in
order to continue the previously important and valuable work of GISDATA
and the EGIS/JEC conferences;
the most important task for such an organisation would be to organise focused
meetings on key research issues;
the organisation should also organise an annual or bi-annual geographic
information research conference and set up working groups intended to
influence the future European geographic information research agenda.
If these views are regarded as reasonably representative of other GI research
groups in Europe, or of multi-disciplinary research groups which rely heavily on GI to
effect their research, then there is a strong case for establishing an organisation such as
AGILE. To that end, a small group of representatives from research centres in
different parts of Europe has been created to prepare proposals with respect to the title
of the organisation, its mission statement, its organisational structure, the procedures
for the election of officers, the criteria for membership and subscription fees and to
define a position with respect to other European level bodies such as EUROGI.
AGILE can provide an important role in furthering GI/GIS research and
education in Europe, at a pan-European level. It will most probably be able to launch
itself, with wide European participation of major actors in GI/GIS R&D and academia,
based on resources generated from low annual subscription fees. It is up to members of
allied research communities which rely heavily on GI and GIS, especially those
involved in cross-border projects or programmes, to make their concerns known to the
policy makers at national and EU level. AGILE could provide a useful vehicle for
achieving this goal.
Conclusion and Recommendations
What the reader will no doubt by now have realised is that there is no single focal point
nor source of EU funding for research or technology projects relating specifically to
“coastal zone management”. There never has been nor (probably) ever will be a single
focal point for all the diverse actions that need to be undertaken in regard to CZM at
transnational (cross-border) level, simply because these activities are so diverse in