A study of the use of data provided by coastal atlases in coastal policy and decision-making [graduate project].

Abstract

Every 20 seconds a new journal article is published, emphasizing the fact that an incredibly large volume of data and information is being generated, yet most of it remains underutilized or overlooked. Information plays a key role in evidence based policy making, but many barriers may prevent decision-makers from using environmental information. Nova Scotia is a coastal province with many different activities and resources occurring in its marine areas. Correspondingly, many different stakeholders are involved in generating marine data and information around the province. A lack of a tool to amalgamate a wide variety of data and information, in particular information generated by different governmental departments, is a current management problem. Digital coastal atlas tools have been suggested to aid with information management as well as coastal policy and decision-making. By interviewing users and developers associated with four coastal web atlases in different jurisdictions (Maryland, Massachusetts, Scotland, and British Columbia), this research addressed the following question: are coastal web atlases proving to be a useful for data management as well as coastal policy and decision-making? The results from this study indicate that users and developers in the different jurisdictions find their respective atlases useful for several reasons, including increased transparency, increased decision-making confidence, and ability to easily access a wide variety of credible information in a single location. Recommendations for the government of Nova Scotia and areas for future research are discussed.