The IMEDEA M&CGIS: a GIS Based Interdisciplinary Tool for Scientific Management of the Coastal Zone

A. Fornés, A. Orfila, G. Basterretxea, T. Jordi, F. Moral, A. Álvarez, G. Vizoso, B. Casas,
C. Duarte, J. Tintoré

Grupo de Oceanografía Interdisciplinar, IMEDEA (CSIC-UIB), Esporles (ES)

The high economical and environmental value of the marine and coastal areas, compel to act with the basic principle of knowledge. In this sense, the Cross-Disciplinary Oceanographic Group (GOI) of the Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA) is joining efforts to achieve the integration of the physical, chemical and biological processes of the marine and coastal environment. New information systems, data acquisition techniques and communication technologies are, at these moments, essential for marine and coastal studies using up-to-date scientific technologies and global perspectives. This aim can be pursued with the construction of a Marine and Coastal Geographic Information System (M&CGIS) that integrates environmental data and governmental regulations allowing to consider the complexity of all the coastal system. The M&CGIS allows environmental managers, legislators, scientists and other potential users access to maps and geographic data so that adequate management decisions can be made taking into account the complexity of the coastal system.

Herein we present an overview of the particularities and difficulties of the marine and coastal data model due to its interdisciplinary interest, its wide range of methods, instruments, time scales, periodicity, precision and accuracy of data collection, and also due to the inherently fuzzy and indeterminate nature of so many coastal entities and phenomena. We therefore present the IMEDEA M&CGIS, where its capacity of capture, management, manipulation, analysis and display of data has proven to be useful and valuable in a great number of applications exposing here an specific study case at Santa Ponça bay (Calvià - Mallorca)