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Coastal Resource Information System in Support
of the Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Climate Change (CPACC)
Project
World Bank / CPACC Regional Project Implementation
Unit (Barbados)
The Caribbean Planning for Adaptation to Global
Climate Change (CPACC) project is a multi-year initiative funded
through the World Bank Global Environment Facility. CPACC's objective
is to support Caribbean countries in preparing to cope with the
adverse effects of climate change, particularly the impacts of sea-level
rise in coastal areas. As part of the CPACC project, ESSA was engaged
to design and implement a computerized information system for managing
coastal resources and uses for each of the 12 participating Caribbean
countries.
The ESSA project team designed a Coastal Resource
Inventory System (CRIS) that provides a flexible environment in
which each of the 12 countries can customize and maintain their
own specific database of coastal resources. The database for the
CRIS will have two linked components: a spatial database (stored
in a GIS) and an attribute database (stored in a relational database).
The information system consists of a simple "toolkit"
of functions that provides users with basic querying and updating
capabilities for both spatial and non-spatial data. Each country
will receive a common set of tools, based upon a common database
design, but with their own specific coastal resource inventory.
A key objective of the project is to develop
the capacity in the participating countries to manage and use an
environmental information system for better policy and decision
making. To this end, we provided two kinds of training: for individuals
in the repository agency of each country, training in how to develop
and modify the system; for managers and decision makers, training
in how to use the system to improve coastal resource management.
Tasks performed:
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assessment of user needs; review
of existing data, hardware and software; |
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defined system architecture
(hardware and software); specified spatial and attribute database
design; established protocols for data entry; presented system
prototype; |
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develop customized software
routines; implement, test and deliver the CRIS; prepare system
documentation; |
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provide training to develop
sustainable capacity to create, use, and maintain a coastal
resource inventory in each participating country; and |
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project management; liaison
with the client and in-country counterparts; coordination with
other consultants. |
Reports and Publications
 King,
Ian C. Caribbean
Coastal Resources Inventoried with GIS. ESRI ArcNews Online,
Spring 2002 Issue.
[off-site link]
Daniel,
C.J. 2001. Developing a
Regional Caribbean Coastal Resource Information System: The Inside
Story. A paper delivered at the URISA 2001 Caribbean GIS Conference,
September 9-12, 2001, Montego Bay, Jamaica. Urban and Regional Information
Systems Association, Illinois, USA.
[PDF- 205 kb]
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