Data for coastal GIS: issues and implications for management

Geographic information systems can provide easy access to large quantities of geographically-referenced data for monitoring, planning and environmental decision support for coastal applications. The dynamic and variable nature of the coastal ocean environment gives rise to data issues different than those associated with land-based GIS. This paper investigates, in particular, the use of different data, including those produced by numerical simulations or ocean models, for coastal management and is illustrated with examples from a Baltic Sea GIS implementation. Implications for the use of these data in environmental management are discussed.