The module focuses on the implementation and use of Spatial Data Infrastructure for Protected Areas management. The objective is to give an overview of Protected Area policies and management tools at European and national level, as well as of relevant standards, specifications and existing solutions  to use and share harmonized geographic data for nature conservation.

The module, at first, aims to provide the trainees with basic knowledge about current policies, implemented at international, European and national level, and methodologies for the planning and management of Protected Areas. Afterwards, examples on the use of SDI and GIS for Protected Areas management are devoted to introduce a more application-oriented part focused on relevant data specifications and data models in the multi-faceted context of Protected Areas management. A driven hands-on application on geo-data web-publishing aims, then, to put into practice the contents of the module and apply standards and INSPIRE principles.

The main topics of the module are:

• Driving policies
• Protected Area management
• SDI and GIS for Protected Areas
• Use case development (tutored/practical application – development of a use case)