Marine GIS Applications:
Background
Marine GIS can cover a wide range of applications and can be
categorised as coastal, oceanographic or fisheries GIS. An oceanographic GIS
describes methods for the mapping and measurement of major ocean processes that
greatly affect the state of marine environment while a fisheries GIS provides a
framework for the facilitation of the complex fisheries management process.
However, there is a good deal of overlap among these three
kinds of marine GIS. For example, a coastal fisheries GIS may require data on
oceanographic processes. such as upwelling, to describe how fish populations and
production are affected. The development of marine GIS is a multidisciplinary
process and requires participation from many scientific disciplines.
The following examples provide an overview of the many types
of marine GIS applications.
Fisheries Management and Planning
- The Food and Agriculture
Organization of the United Nations (FAO) Technical Manual
[1] provides a
short introduction to GIS software and its applications in fishery science.
The overall objective of the manual is to encourage fishery managers to use
GIS tools to foster the sustainable use of natural resources. The manual is
aimed at fisheries biologists, aquatic resource managers and decision makers
in developing countries who have no knowledge about GIS. The manual was
written for use with ESRI's ArcView 3.x and Spatial Analyst software.
- There are five main sections in the manual:
- GIS concepts and functions and key tools provided by
ArcView 3.x,
- Geographic coordinate system and map projections,
- Raster data and analysis,
- Regression analysis, and
- Application case studies.
- All sections are accompanied by exercises that have
been designed to illustrate key applications of GIS in inland and marine
fisheries management.
Coastal Atlas
- The Belgian Coastal Atlas
[2] is an
initiative by the Co-ordination Centre for Integrated Coastal Zone
Management, is an online atlas providing information on a number of themes
and activities along the coast of Belgium:
- Spatial setting
- Physical environment
- Spatial structure
- Use of the sea
- Environment and nature
- Tourism and recreation
- Industry and business
- Fisheries and agriculture
- Culture and heritage
- Living near the sea
- Coastal defence
- Coastal management
- The site provides flexibility and interactivity
access to:
- Interactive maps
- Downloadable maps, figures and diagrams in PDF
- Downloadable maps and data in GIS format
- Diagrams and charts
Oil Spill
Response
- Oil and chemical spills in the marine environment can
have widespread impacts and long-term consequences on wildlife, fisheries,
coastal and marine habitats and human health. A GIS can assist oil and
chemical pollution response in the marine environment.
- The Australian Oil Response Atlas
[3] is a GIS that
provides an integrated and uniform spill response atlas for Australia that
can be quickly accessed and operated by spill response organisations,
planning and cleanup teams, environmental and wildlife agencies, and other
emergency organisations.
- Some of the national datasets included in the GIS
are:
- Biological, environmental, wildlife and man-made
resources,
- Geomorphological mapping and shoreline sensitivity to
oil spills,
- Human-use resource considerations,
- Logistical and infrastructure information to support
a spill response.