Increasingly used to analyze and manage marine and coastal zones, Geographical Information Systems (GIS) provide a powerful set of tools for integrating and processing spatial information. These technologies are increasingly used in the management and analysis of the coastal zone. Supplying the guidance necessary to use these tools, GIS for Coastal

Discusses the role that GIS might have in better coastal management.

Marine and coastal applications of GIS are finally gaining wide acceptance in scientific as well as GIS communities, and cover the fields of deep sea geology, chemistry and biology, and coastal geology, biology, engineering and resource management. Comprising rigorous contributions from a group of leading scholars in marine and coastal GIS, this book will inspire and stimulate continued research in this important new application domain. Launched as a project to mark the UN International Year of the Ocean (1998) and supported by the International Geographical Union's Commission on Coastal Systems, this book covers progress and research in the marine and coastal realms, in the areas of theory, applications and empirical results. It is the first book of its kind to address basic and applied scientific problems in deep sea and coastal science using GIS and remote sensing technologies. It is designed for GIS and remote sensing specialists, but also for those with an interest in oceans, lakes and shores. Coverage ranges from seafloor spreading centres to Exclusive Economic Zones to microscale coastal habitats; and techniques include submersibles, computer modelling, image display, 3-D temporal data visualization, and development and application of new algorithms and spatial data structures. It illustrates the broad usage of GIS, image processing, and computer modelling in deep sea and coastal environments, and also addresses important institutional issues arising out of the use of these technologies.

Geoinformatics for Marine and Coastal Management provides a timely and valuable assessment of the current state of the art geoinformatics tools and methods for the management of marine systems. This book focuses on the cutting-edge coverage of a wide spectrum of activities and topics such as GIS-based application of drainage basin analysis, contribution of ontology to marine management, geoinformatics in relation to fisheries management, hydrography, indigenous knowledge systems, and marine law enforcement. The authors present a comprehensive overview of the field of Geoinformatic Applications in Marine Management covering key issues and debates with specific case studies illustrating real-world applications of the GIS technology. This "box of tools" serves as a long-term resource for coastal zone managers, professionals, practitioners, and students alike on the management of oceans and the coastal fringe, promoting the approach of allowing sustainable and integrated use of oceans to maximize opportunities while keeping risks and hazards to a minimum.

In 2005 the CoastGIS symposium and exhibition was once again held in Aberdeen, Scotland, in the UK, the second time that we have had the privilege host this international event in the city of Aberdeen. This was the 6th International S- posium Computer Mapping and GIS for Coastal Zone Management, a collabo- tion between the International Cartographic Association’s (ICA) Commission on Marine Cartography, and the International Geographical Union’s (IGU) Comm- sion on Coastal Systems. The theme for 2005 was: De ning and Building a Marine and Coastal Spatial Data Infrastructure. As a major coastal event, the CoastGIS series of conferences always attracts an international audience of coastal researchers, managers, and pr- titioners who use one or more of the geospatial technologies (e. g. GIS, GPS, digital mapping, remote sensing, databases, and the Internet) in their work. The CoastGIS series is fundamentally an international event which over the years has gained a strong following attracting delegates from around the globe. Hosted by the University of Aberdeen – at the Aberdeen Exhibition and Conference Centre (AECC) – once again CoastGIS 2005 provided an opportunity to communicate the results of a wide range of innovative scienti c research into coastal and marine applications of the geospatial technologies, including remote sensing, Geograp- cal Information Systems (GIS), Global Positioning Systems (GPS), databases, data models, the Internet and online mapping systems.

In recent years, geographic information systems (GIS) and their coastal applications have drawn increasing awareness globally, regionally, and locally. These systems are used to monitor, model, and predict coastal zone issues. New technologies, including advances in GIS platforms and techniques, are being adopted and innovatively applied to coastal environments and disasters, coastal resources, coastal social systems, and coastal urban environments using new algorithms, big data processing, and deep learning approaches. This book examines a variety of GIS applications, providing a comprehensive overview of techniques, approaches, and experiences in GIS for coastal zones.