Mapping Human Uses of the Ocean: Informing Marine Spatial Planning through Participatory GIS

摘要

Understanding human uses of the ocean is an essential component to successful marine resource planning and management. Unfortunately, spatial data on ocean uses are limited, as use patterns are often qualitative, subjective and difficult to capture consistently over large areas. Further confounding this problem, knowledge of ocean use patterns is often held by a small number of individuals within each sector who routinely observe the coastal and marine environment and the activities occurring there. Emerging technologies in the arena of participatory Geographic Information Systems (GIS) are providing new ways to tap this critical knowledge and document human use patterns in a spatial context. Participatory GIS techniques offer a unique, interactive means of collecting spatial information on ocean uses that capitalizes on expert knowledge from local individuals through the application of specialized GIS mapping tools.