GIS as a tool in data management in the coastal zone: An application to Izmir Bay

Since coastal zones are ecologically sensitive areas where the stresses due to economic developments are comparatively higher, much more objective decisions are needed to prevent, or at least to minimize adverse effects of excessive impacts. Parallel to their importance in other areas of natural resource management, geographical information systems (GIS) can be considered as indispensable tools for the coastal zone as well. GIS have the potential for significantly enhancing data management efforts in the coastal zone since: much of the coastal data are spatial in nature; GIS are sophisticated and fast-responding tools for decision makers, with the capability to incorporate a wide variety of data sources including remotely sensed imagery; GIS contribute to the better understanding of links between the sea and the land processes in the coastal zone by supporting statistical analysis, modeling and impact assessments; most significantly, GIS actually create new forms of information from the same data set rather than just retrieve previously encoded information. The following are the six potential applications of GIS in integrated coastal zone management (ICZM): cartography, land management; freshwater habitat management; marine habitat management; Potential for aquaculture development; Coastal resources study. In this paper, the features of a database and information system, which includes GIS as a tool of data management, are presented as components of an integrated approach to coastal zone management of the Izmir Bay, which is a heavily polluted marine environment mostly due to inefficient management.