GEOSPATIAL TOOL

AMAre WebGIS Geoportal

BACK TO EXPLORE

Pilot areas

TO WHOM IS ADDRESSED?

Decision-makers, Marine Protected Area (MPA) managers, scientists, the interested general public

THEME

Ecosystem approach

KEYWORDS

Data sharing, management, Maritime Spatial Planning, MPA

DOWNLOAD PDF

WHAT PROBLEM WOULD THIS SOLVE?

MPAs need coordinated strategies in support of sound Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) in these areas, and to address conflict “hotspots” that require scientific-based, informed management decisions.

The AMAre WebGIS Geoportal is a web-based portal that provides MPA managers, decision-makers, scientists and citizens with a user-friendly platform for sharing spatial data and information, which is instrumental for taking informed decisions for MPA management.

WHAT IS NEEDED FOR IMPLEMENTATION?

Technological infrastructure

A PC and an internet connection are necessary to access the WebGIS Geoportal.

Training

A necessary activity, envisaged in the context of AMAre, is training the personnel to use the geoportal and other tools, targeted especially at MPA managers.

Investment

No cost is associated with accessing and using the WebGIS Geoportal.

HOW TO USE IT?

Concept

The Geoportal is an HTML5 application (ArcGIS server + Moka kit) that allows sharing, integrating and displaying data, printing maps, and other functionalities. It combines intelligent web maps with graphs, charts, tables, and text to unlock, provide access to and re-use the data relevant for managing MPAs in a coordinated manner. The data layers are organised by themes and are described by proper metadata. Their accessibility and preservation will be guaranteed through the ISMAR Metadata Portal (ESRI Geoportal).

Recommended implementation frequency

The AMAre WebGIS Geoportal Is already online and can be consulted at any time.

What challenges may arise?

The main challenges to using the Geoportal are related to the implementation of more advanced functions and in the free download of the data. Spatial data are covered by a data policy defining the request protocol to retrieve data, and the community is not ready yet to meet completely the open data concept.

WHAT CHALLENGES MAY ARISE?

Pilot areas

Alonissos Northern Sporades National Marine Park (Greece); Freus d’Eivissa i Formentera – Balearic Islands (Spain); Porto Cesareo Marine Protected Area (Italy); The North-East Marine Protected Area – Maltese Islands (Malta); Torre Guaceto Marine Protected Area (Italy).

WHAT ARE THE EXPECTED RESULTS?

Quantitative results

Massive use of the AMAre Geoportal would have an effective impact on conservation, management and marine science. This tool can help in maritime spatial planning, in the monitoring plan implementation, to support the management plan and for dissemination purposes.

Transfer potential

To date, the WebGIS Geoportal covers only the 5 pilot MPAs involved in the AMAre project. Its coverage may be extended to include relevant data and information to support the management of other Mediterranean MPAs and to share information between MPAs at the basin level.

For further information

Project contact: AMAre

https://amare.interreg-med.eu/special-pages/contact/

Links of interest

Partners

Corsican Agency for Environment (OEC)
Euro-Mediterranean Centre on Climate Change – CMCC
French Research Institute for Exploitation of the Sea, Department of Oceanography and Ecosystem Dynamics (IFREMER)
Hellenic Centre for Marine Research
Management Body of The National Marine Park of Alonissos Northern Sporades
Management Consortium of Torre Guaceto
National Research Council, Institute of Marine Science – CNR-ISMAR
Regional Government of the Balearic Islands – Department of Environment, Agriculture and Fisheries
Spanish National Research Council (CSIC)
University of Malta