91
1. Materials and Methods
Mapping is central to MSP. Regardless of the geographic scope, mapping all current uses and
conditions is the starting point of an MSP process although it is not the only intended endproduct.
Mapping the studied area is meant to validate the interviews, and MACTOR results, and to better
illustrate the layout of different activities, zonings, and the local conflicts of use, also providing
reference thematic maritime spatial use maps of the Algerian eastern sector.
There are activities for whom the area makes sense to characterize overlapping uses (e.g.,
conservation areas), and those for whom we consider the capacity or the intensity of the activity
to impact others (e.g., seawater desalination plant). Therefore, we either speak of:
Activity‟s spatial hold (What perimeter does it occupy?); or
Activity‟s intensity (What perimeter does it impact?)
We thereby, delimited approximate impact zones for the main activities whose impact depends
on their intensity, considering the area‟s features (bathymetry, courants, and configuration of the
coast…etc.).
QGIS or Quantum GIS is an opensource Geographic Information System software which is an
IT system for creation, storage, organization, manipulation, analysis, and display of spatially
referenced information. In this study we used QGIS version 3.22.3 for mapping, and processing.
As detailed in figure 65, data was collected from different sources in both shapefile, and raster
formats along with qualitative information.
After digitizing information extracted from rasters, and literature research, the data was
assembled, and sorted, then validated first through QGIS geometry validation tools then by
overlaying them with base-maps such as Google-maps or OpenStreetMap. Basic geospatial
treatments were conducted on some layers (e.g., buffers to produce regulated delimitations
layers), and the data was then organized into thematic MSP maps. Three tools were found useful
for data collection:
- QuickOSM plugin in QGIS allowing to download OpenStreetMap data in
shapefile formats.
- QuickMapServices in QGIS providing a multitude of base-maps in raster format
mostly for inland areas.
- Navionics Marine chart in SAS.Planet software
2 providing maritime data generally
used for navigation purposes in raster formats.
2 SAS.Planet is a free application used to view, and download satellite maps submitted by such services as Google
Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps.
1. Materials and Methods
Mapping is central to MSP. Regardless of the geographic scope, mapping all current uses and
conditions is the starting point of an MSP process although it is not the only intended endproduct.
Mapping the studied area is meant to validate the interviews, and MACTOR results, and to better
illustrate the layout of different activities, zonings, and the local conflicts of use, also providing
reference thematic maritime spatial use maps of the Algerian eastern sector.
There are activities for whom the area makes sense to characterize overlapping uses (e.g.,
conservation areas), and those for whom we consider the capacity or the intensity of the activity
to impact others (e.g., seawater desalination plant). Therefore, we either speak of:
Activity‟s spatial hold (What perimeter does it occupy?); or
Activity‟s intensity (What perimeter does it impact?)
We thereby, delimited approximate impact zones for the main activities whose impact depends
on their intensity, considering the area‟s features (bathymetry, courants, and configuration of the
coast…etc.).
QGIS or Quantum GIS is an opensource Geographic Information System software which is an
IT system for creation, storage, organization, manipulation, analysis, and display of spatially
referenced information. In this study we used QGIS version 3.22.3 for mapping, and processing.
As detailed in figure 65, data was collected from different sources in both shapefile, and raster
formats along with qualitative information.
After digitizing information extracted from rasters, and literature research, the data was
assembled, and sorted, then validated first through QGIS geometry validation tools then by
overlaying them with base-maps such as Google-maps or OpenStreetMap. Basic geospatial
treatments were conducted on some layers (e.g., buffers to produce regulated delimitations
layers), and the data was then organized into thematic MSP maps. Three tools were found useful
for data collection:
- QuickOSM plugin in QGIS allowing to download OpenStreetMap data in
shapefile formats.
- QuickMapServices in QGIS providing a multitude of base-maps in raster format
mostly for inland areas.
- Navionics Marine chart in SAS.Planet software
2 providing maritime data generally
used for navigation purposes in raster formats.
2 SAS.Planet is a free application used to view, and download satellite maps submitted by such services as Google
Earth, Google Maps, Bing Maps.