GPS Azores: Geographical and Political Scenarios in Maritime Spatial Planning for the Azores and North Atlantic

GPS Azores Project will contribute to fill a knowledge gap on maritime existing and potential uses; on conflicts “uses-uses”‖ and “uses-environment”‖, and on existing and potential and on Best Sustainable Development Scenarios for Maritime Spatial Planning.

Focusing on the Azores and the North Atlantic, the project will:

i. provide detailed diagnosis of implemented maritime governance and its legal and political framework;

ii. develop a first approach in which the spatial components of marine governance are identified;

iii. identify uses, conflicts and possible development scenarios; and support a MSP proposal for the Azores

In light of the EU’s IMP, maritime spatial plans will be integrated in order to:

(i) define and establish maritime geopolitical scenarios, considered to be of strategic interest;

(ii) develop an information platform to back up maritime policy through a ―Map Viewer Platform. Determination of geo and political maritime scenarios is a tool which gives visibility to a territory (the ocean) where policy actions operate with a high strategic value. Scenarios building will be achieved by using the intuitive logics Method that has proven to be suitable in strategic and political scenarios.

The project is divided into 5 Work Packages:

WP1- Legal Framework

WP2 – Geopolitical Framework –Macaronesia

WP3 – Azorean Scenarios and MSP

WP4 – Strategic Assessment

WP5 – Map Viewer

The project can be followed on social media: Facebook and Twitter

Project partners

• University of the Azores / Universidade dos Açores- Promotor (PT)
• The Gaspar Frutuoso Foundation / Fundação Gaspar Frutuoso (FGF) – Promotor (PT)
• Seascape Consultants Ltd - Participating Entity ()
• Faculty of Social and Human Sciences of the NOVA University of Lisbon / Faculdade de Ciências Sociais e Humanas da Universidade Nova de Lisboa (FCSHUNL) - Participating Entity (PT)
• University of Seville / Universidad de Sevilla (US) – Participating Entity (ES)
• Faculty of Sciences of the University of Lisbon / Faculdade de Ciências da Universidade de Lisboa - Participating Entity (PT)
• DDDD Productions Enterprise - Participating Entity (PT)