Support Technologies for ICZM - a check list
Issues and criteria to consider for the use of in the selection of IT-based technologies to support ICZM
• Can you afford the full, long-term costs - including the cost and operational resources required for software, hardware, staffing, licensing, time etc.?
• What are the training and skills requirements - including both operators and the audience for the technology?
• "Fitness for purpose" - applicability and relevance to the task?
• Before developing in-house technologies consider Commercial Off-The-Shelf (COTS) products.
• Communication of results - how clearly can the results be communicated, particularly to a non-technical audience?
• Potential (or otherwise) for up-scaling from a pilot phase to full operation?
• Comparability and replicability with existing systems including geo-spatial data, scales and language?
• Potential for, or barriers to cross-sectoral integration - is the choice and use the technologies an integrating issue?
• Is the basic data available to operationalise the technology - how much will it coast to obtain, and can what resources will be required to update?
Finally, do you really need the technology to tell you the answer - or are resources beter deployed to exploit existing human knowledge, intuition and expertise?
“Many of the technical tools, have yet to develop their claimed potential in the coastal zone, partly because of inevitable technical problems and impossible appetites for data, but also because of major differences in the perception of their design and practical value between the system designers and potential end-users. More seriously, false technological solutions divert attention from the real needs in the coastal zone-namely to create a cultural, political and legal framework in which true integration, embracing societal and technological values, can be achieved.” Shipman, Brian and Stojanovic, Tim (2007) Facts, Fictions, and Failures of Integrated Coastal Zone Management in Europe, Coastal Management,35: 375-398
