Abstract

Part 2: eEnvironment and Cross-Border Services in Digital Agenda for Europe; International audience; We investigate the potential role Volunteered Geographic Information (VGI) can play in eEvironment and various Spatial Data Infrastructures (SDI) on a local, regional, and national level. eEnvironment is the use and promotion of ICT for the purposes of environmental assessment and protection, spatial planning, and the sustainable use of natural resources. An SDI provides an institutionally sanctioned, automated means for posting, discovering, evaluating, and exchanging geospatial information by participating information producers and users. A key common theme shared by both definitions is public participation and user-centric services. We pose the research question: is VGI (an example of public participation and collaboration) is ready to participate in eEnvironment and SDI? Document type: Part of book or chapter of book

Abstract

Component 1: Supporting Implementation of MSP Sub-component 1.3.3: Data Management Guidance Document. The implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP), defined in the MSP Directive 2014/89/EU requires high quality maritime spatial data and information. Data sharing is favored by Maritime Spatial Data Infrastructures (MSDI). This type of infrastructure improves access to data and provides information on the MSP policies implemented in the neighbouring countries. MSDIs contribute to enable access to data and information. It is a basis for discussion and exchange and promotes cross-border cooperation. This report aims to transfer the knowledge built in the SIMWESTMED project context, related to MSP transboundary data sharing. It also analyses the opportunities and limits of data interoperability improvement activities undertaken, at each steps of the data management process: - Information flow: collection, publication and dissemination - Understand: production of metadata - Represent: displaying the datasets - Enhance: explain and enrich the information This report/document was produced as part of the SIMWESTMED Project (Grant Agreement N0. EASME/EMFF/2015/1.2.1.3/02/SI2.742101). PROJECT: Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Western Mediterranean region (SIMWESTMED) Competition for maritime space – for renewable energy equipment, aquaculture and other uses – has highlighted the need to manage our waters more coherently. Maritime spatial planning (MSP) works across borders and sectors to ensure human activities at sea take place in an efficient, safe and sustainable way. That is why the European Parliament and the Council have adopted a legislation to create a common framework for maritime spatial planning in Europe. The Directive 2014/89/EU of the European Parliament and of the Council of 23 July 2014 (said Maritime Spatial Planning Directive) establishes a framework in order to reduce conflicts between sectors and create synergies between different activities, to encourage investment – by creating predictability, transparency and clearer rules, to increase cross-border cooperation – between EU countries to develop energy grids, shipping lanes, pipelines, submarine cables and other activities, but also to develop coherent networks of protected areas, and to protect the environment – through early identification of impact and opportunities for multiple use of space. The SIMWESTMED project (Supporting Implementation of Maritime Spatial Planning in the Western Mediterranean region) is an EU/DG Mare co-funded cross-border project. It was launched on 1st of January 2017 and involves Spain, France, Italy and Malta, while these countries had just designated their Competent Authorities and transposed the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Directive. SIMWESTMED aims to support the implementation of the MSP Directive in the waters of Spain, France, Italy and Malta, as well as to establish cross-border cooperation mechanisms between these Member States, to contribute to the coherence of their marine spatial plans to be established by 2021. The action ran until 31st of December 2018 and was based on a partnership of public bodies of the countries and two international organisations. It was composed of CEDEX, IEO, AFB, CEREMA, Shom, CORILA and its affiliated entities IUAV and CNR-ISMAR, MIT, IMELS, PA, CPMR, UNEP-MAP and its affiliated entity UNEP-MAP/PAP-RAC. Shom acted as coordinator. The objectives of the SIMWESTMED project were addressed through a variety of activities and desktop or case studies. They are dedicated to identifying the methodology steps, and explore the challenges and opportunities of the MSP implementation in the Western Mediterranean area, including thus related to transboundary issues (Ecosystem based approach, marine policies, Barcelona Convention, Land Sea Interactions, geographical scale of the plans, data interoperability, tools to support MSP). The project led to a multiplicity of outputs including overviews of MSP relevant information related to the countries and on more focus areas, to a number of interviews and meetings where stakeholder views were collected to feed the reasoning, and to guidelines and good practices to be shared at a national and transnational level with marine stakeholders, scientists as well as planners, administrations and authorities. In addition, SIMWESTMED permitted a lot of progression internally in the countries and regarding transboundary cooperation. It led to establish and develop new dialogues and to connect the technical or scientific actors, the stakeholders, the administrations of the countries of a same sea basin, and the administrations within the countries, including the representative of Regions. It allowed to better understand Maritime Spatial Planning mechanisms, to share knowledge and as such reached to build capacities, which is of importance as there is such a need in the Mediterranean area compared to more Northern countries. The project also permitted to address topics which have never been addressed before. The involvement of some countries in SIMWESTMED and in the EU-DG Mare "brother" projects SUPREME, SIMNORAT and SIMCelt was useful for them to develop a global vision with their neighbours through the East and West side of the Mediterranean and in the Atlantic sea basin. At the end of this exercise, it is stated the need of pursuing the work and dialogue in particular through common tools, but at this stage, the SIMWESTMED has constituted a common knowledge and background. Disclaimer: The contents and conclusions of this report, including the maps and figures, do not imply the expression of any opinion or endorsement of the participating partners concerning the legal status of any country, territory, area, city or area or of its authorities, or concerning the delimitation of its frontiers or boundaries. The depiction and use of boundaries, geographic names and related data shown on maps included in this report are not warranted to be error free nor do they imply official endorsement or acceptance by any of the participating partners. This report is a working document and may rely on data from sources external to the SIMWESTMED project Consortium and, in addition to this, it may contain some information gaps. Neither the European Commission or Executive Agency for Small and Medium-sized Enterprises nor UN Environment/MAP Barcelona Convention Secretariat may be held responsible for any use that may be made of the information contained in this report.

Abstract

More educated people, with more sophisticated devices, are creating new trends: crowded source data and citizen science. Citizens are able to capture data and to reason about it. They are producers and consumers of their own data. Meanwhile, local administration is struggling with less resources and more pressure to become more efficient. In this paper we try to bridge the gap between these two different worlds, apart from each other, proposing a workflow. We discuss the advantages and the technical challenges we might face if crowded source data can be used by the administration. To make this possible, we take advantage of the existing European regulation, the INSPIRE directive, and designed a workflow to implement the rules regarding data specifications to the OpenStreetMap (OSM) data to combine it seamless with official existing datasets. (undefined)

Abstract

This paper presents the Tools4MSP software package, a Python-based Free and Open Source Software (FOSS) for geospatial analysis in support of Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) and marine environmental management. The suite was initially developed within the ADRIPLAN data portal, that has been recently upgraded into the Tools4MSP Geoplatform (data.tools4msp.eu), an integrated web platform that supports MSP through the application of different tools, e.g., collaborative geospatial modelling of cumulative effects assessment (CEA) and marine use conflict (MUC) analysis. The package can be used as stand-alone library or as collaborative webtool, providing user-friendly interfaces appropriate to decision-makers, regional authorities, academics and MSP stakeholders. An effective MSP-oriented integrated system of web-based software, users and services is proposed. It includes four components: the "jats:italic"Tools4MSP Geoplatform"/jats:italic" for interoperable and collaborative sharing of geospatial datasets and for MSP-oriented analysis, the "jats:italic"Tools4MSP package as stand-alone library"/jats:italic" for advanced geospatial and statistical analysis, the "jats:italic"desktop applications"/jats:italic" to simplify data curation and the "jats:italic"third party data repositories"/jats:italic" for multidisciplinary and multilevel geospatial datasets integration. The paper presents an application example of the Tools4MSP GeoNode plugin and an example of Tools4MSP stand-alone library for CEA in the Adriatic Sea. The Tools4MSP and the developed software have been released as FOSS under the GPL 3 license and are currently under further development. Document type: Article