PEGASO Spatial data Infrastructure (SDI) is a distributed data sharing infrastructure made up of GeoNodes composed of three main components: a Map Viewer, a Data Catalogue and a Map Atlas. Thanks to the SDI metadata, services and datasets related to PEGASO project are shared and can be used by end users in a standardized, harmonized and interoperable way. A wide range of spatial information on the Mediterranean and Black sea region is made available through the SDI, covering a wide range of topics addressing ICZM issues at different geographical scales (from regional to very local). Predefined maps of main findings of the PEGASO Project, with explanation text and links to external web pages for further information, can be accessed through the PEGASO Atlas. It is an especially relevant outcome of the PEGASO SDI for stakeholders and policy makers, enhancing the comprehension of tools and spatial information loaded on the Map viewer of the SDI, thus supporting regional and local coastal management and planning.
Questions this practice may help answer
- How can spatial data support the implementation of ICZM Protocol for the Mediterranean Sea and the Black Sea?
- How can spatial data of Mediterranean and Black sea be harmonized and made accessible to researchers, policy makers and stakeholders?
- What are the selected PEGASO core indicators for ICZM and how can be spatially represented?
- What are the Regional Products of PEGASO Project concerning the Cumulative Impact Assessment and the Land and Ecosystem Accounting?
Implementation Context
The SDI was developed within PEGASO Project (People for Ecosystem-based Governance in Assessing Sustainable development of Ocean and coast). The main objective of PEGASO was to build on existing capacities and develop common novel approaches to support integrated policies for the coastal, marine and maritime realms of the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins in ways that are consistent with and relevant to the implementation of the ICZM Protocol for the Mediterranean. The development of a shared information infrastructure for the Mediterranean and Black Sea basins was one of the project objectives.
Aspects / Objectives
PEGASO SDI is a distributed data sharing infrastructure made up of GeoNodes and including three main components (Map Viewer, Data Catalogue and Map Atlas). Through this infrastructure metadata, services and datasets related to PEGASO project are shared and can be used by a variety of end users (stakeholders, researchers, partners, etc.) in a standardized, harmonized and interoperable way. Main objectives of PEGASO SDI are:
- Create a network of local, regional or national geonodes in order to deliver a Mediterranean and Black Sea harmonised sets of data accessible through an Internet viewer.
- Support the Pegaso Shared Governance Platform for the delivery of ICZM, and the integrated assessments of coastal zones and marine areas in the Mediterranean and the Black Sea.
- Support integration of knowledge and information needed for equitable and sustainable management of the coastal zone.
- Support multiscale demonstration activities in 10 Collaborative Application SitES (CASES) within the Mediterranean (7) and Black Sea (3) in order to test and validate ICZM tools & services developed under the PEGASO Toolbox.
- Allow partners to apply sustainability assessment tools aimed at a better informed decision-making at various levels.
Method
The SDI consists of a central node, located at the Autonomous University of Barcelona, and a set of local geonodes distributed among PEGASO partners. PEGASO SDI geoportal provides access to its main components through a web browser. Besides this web access, a deeper infrastructure makes possible to access the SDI using alternative and standardized ways based on standard protocols defined by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) and the International Organization for Standardization (ISO), following INSPIRE directive principles. Furthermore, the PEGASO SDI has been designed to be compatible to the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). All technologies employed in the development and implementation of PEGASO SDI are open source. The infrastructure includes three interlinked components, as shown in the following figure: a Map viewer, a data Catalogue and an interactive Atlas:
- PEGASO viewer is a desktop-like online application designed to easily render and display map images and vector graphics on browser screens. The interface incorporates several utilities to allow final users to interact with features on the screen (e.g. load layers, zoom in/zoom out, get info by points, length/area measure etc.). The load layers utility connects PEGASO viewer with PEGASO catalogue and finally display results matching the search criteria.
- PEGASO Catalogue is an inventory of all the geodata stored in PEGASO SDI. It contains complete metadata and allows users searching datasets by keywords, titles, spatial or temporal extents (simple or advanced search menu). The selected dataset can be displayed through a link to its interactive map or through Google Earth.
- PEGASO Atlas is an online tool that is fully integrated in the PEGASO geoportal, combining interactive maps with text, images and links to external web pages for further information on the selected topics.
Main Outputs / Results
A wide range of spatial information can be accessed through PEGASO SDI. More than 400 layers are available for the Mediterranean and Black Sea area in the PEGASO catalogue, with a link to the Map viewer. Data are collated from various sources and from different informative systems already existing in different areas of the region. The available layers cover a wide range of topics addressing ICZM issues. They refer to the land side (e.g. land use, soil type classification, population density etc.), coastal area (e.g. built up coastal areas, coastal erosion, coastal defence systems etc.) and sea side (e.g. morphology, bathymetry, fishing restriction areas etc.). The geographical extent of the available layers is very variable, depending on the specific source of each dataset. There are some layers covering the whole Mediterranean and Black sea Region (e.g. Natura 2000 Network, Digital Elevation model), and a great amount of very local layers, referring to specific areas.
Furthermore, predefined maps of main findings of the PEGASO Project can be accessed through the PEGASO Atlas of the Mediterranean and the Black Sea, especially relevant for stakeholders and policy makers. Atlas Information is organized in the following topics:
- Pegaso Local Indicators: a section containing information about the core set of indicators developed by PEGASO project to support ICZM across the Mediterranean and Black Sea regions. The information is displayed at a local scale and refers to specific study areas of PEGASO project (e.g. Built up area for the Northern Adriatic, Population density for the Cyclades Islands).
- Pegaso Regional Products: a section including regional maps and related information of Cumulative Impact Assessment (analysis performed for the Western Mediterranean) and of Land and Ecosystem Accounting (LEAC) which is the EEA approach to assess a range of policy-relevant ecosystem properties and functions, such as land cover, habitats and primary production;
- General Information: a section containing the most relevant layers and maps to understand and manage coastal and marine ecosystems in both the Mediterranean and the Black Sea Basins (maps of Natura 2000, Ramsar Network, Ecoregions);
- Information about specific coastal case-study areas of the PEGASO project (Dalyan-Koycegiz case and Guria Coastal Region case).
Transferability
The technology used in the PEGASO SDI is open source, thus allowing the transparency and reproducibility of the process. The SDI outputs can be used to support studies and planning actions on the Mediterranean and Black Sea Regions.
Contact Person
A contact form for Pegaso SDI is available on-line
PEGASO Project coordination
Francois Breton
Autonomous University of Barcelona
E-mail: francoise.breton
uab.cat (francoise[dot]breton[at]uab[dot]cat)
Responsible Entity
Autonomous University of Barcelona (UAB) and PEGASO partners
Costs / Funding Source
The SDI was developed by the PEGASO Project funded by the EC through the FP7 Progamme. Direct costs of this practice's elaboration are unknown.