Geographic Information Systems (GIS) applications provided a framework for effective data management and integration of information from a variety of scales and sources, thereby increasing spatial understanding of marine resources and corresponding spatial uses. The system was used to demonstrate practical GIS applications valuable for ecosystem-based decision-support and marine spatial planning. Using a participatory GIS approach supported the development of ecosystem-level GIS spatial analyses of the region to be conducted and presented in ways that increased stakeholder understanding.
- GIS capacity and access to funding for GIS software, which is generally costly.
- Well identified actual problems that were of concern to stakeholders and could be addressed with the information acquired.
- Continued public access to the transboundary information produced via the research website maintained by the NGO-academic partnership
The usefulness of integrating interdisciplinary information and multiple sources of knowledge for marine spatial planning is well documented, yet the actual framework and practical methodologies for acquiring holistic ecosystem-based information is lacking. We found a participatory GIS approach useful for identifying, collecting, integrating and understanding interdisciplinary information. Practical GIS analyses were applied to produce relevant ecosystem-based information. Additionally, the application of a participatory GIS approach (in terms of both information integration and visualization) proved beneficial in the conduction and presentation of information generated in ways that increased stakeholder understanding, thus supporting marine governance. Despite the overall success of participatory GIS, the maintenance of the MarSIS will require additional capacity building, particularly in terms of GIS skills.