International

ICAN is a project of UNESCO IOC´s IODE Programme, and ICAN members seek to play a leadership role in forging international collaborations of value to the participating nations, thereby optimizing regional governance in coastal zone management and marine spatial planning.

Coastal

We live on a blue planet, with oceans and seas that cover more than 70% of the Earth's surface. The oceans feed us, regulate our climate, and generate most of the oxygen we breathe. Approximately 37% of the world's population lives within 100 km of the coast. (UNEP)

Atlas

CWAs are "...collections of digital maps and datasets with supplementary tables, illustrations, & information that systematically illustrate the coast, oftentimes with cartographic & decision support tools, all of which are accessible via the Internet."  O'Dea et al., 2007

Network

Membership in ICAN is open to all interested parties who agree to the mission & objectives of ICAN, including those with an operational coastal web atlas, as well as those hoping to design and build a coastal web atlas in the future.

Join us!

On Friday 28 September 2018 ICAN hosted a mini-workshop at the CoastGIS 2018 conference in Ísafjörður, Iceland.

 

The mini-workshop program featured presentations on recent ICAN member activities around the world, and a brainstorming session on the theme of “How can ICAN and CWA operators contribute to United Nations Sustainable Development Goal (SDG) 14 and the UN Decade of Ocean Science?” Presenters included:

  • Kathrin Kopke, University College Cork, Ireland
  • David Hart, University of Wisconsin Sea Grant, USA
  • Anja Kreiner, National Information and Research Centre, Namibia
  • Francisco Arias, INVEMAR, Columbia
  • Kathy Belpaeme, Provincie West-Vlaanderen, Belgium

After presentations, the room broke into 4 groups for focused discussion on the topics presented, and participants documented their discussions.

These notes were transcribed after the event, and key points are:

Highlights from the mini-Workshop Breakout Groups

A Coastal Atlas is a portal to understanding that provides:

  • insights into nature
  • understanding of the interaction of processes
  • democratic access to information
  • ability to participate in conversations
  • highlight the importance of the coast for decision makers

Coastal Atlases could potentially provide:

  • Open access to data
  • Information about
    • economic value of coasts
    • ecosystem services
    • human uses and intensity
    • climate change, future mitigation
    • land loss due to sea level rise
    • indigenous / cultural community impacts
    • Access to crowd-sourced information based on citizen observations
    • Tools to “make your own” version
    • Improved use of indicators
    • Priority to local approaches
    • Mobile friendly / compatible applications

ICAN should have:

  • Provide more comprehensive coverage
  • Access to guidance and best practices for Atlases
  • Access to information about Coastal Atlases worldwide and the information they contain
  • Consider minimum atlas pages for not yet participatory countries (e.g. via OBIS)
  • Opportunities for non-coastal countries, especially those with watersheds that contribute plastics

We had approximately 30 participants from 16 countries, and participants were surveyed both before and after the event to gauge their reaction to, and perception of the topics and approach. Overall, reactions from participants were positive regarding the group break out approach, and participants reported increased knowledge about ICAN, the UN Ocean Decade of Science, and the SDGs after the conclusion of the event. Presentations are posted on the ICAN website.

  For our Coasts

Vol, 8, Nr 2 - Now Available!

We are now entering our 9th year publishing the ICAN newsletter. Many thanks to our Editor Andy Sherin!

Please consider preparing an article for the next newsletter that will likely be published in the spring of this year.

Happy New Year!

Photos from CoastGIS 2018

Our friends from CoastGIS 2018 have posted a wonderful gallery of photos, including the recent ICAN mini-workshop:

See how many ICAN members you can spot!