Web-based public decision support tool for integrated planning and management in aquaculture

Abstract The development of spatial planning and management approaches is required to increase the space available for aquaculture production and to support the increasing global demand for food resources. During a European funded project, a large consultation exercise highlighted that stakeholder involvement is a necessity for successful planning and must be a continuous process as part of the development of a decision-making tool. In this study we present a decision support tool built on a web based dynamic interface to Geographic Information Systems which facilitates access to information related to site selection, environmental interactions and management in aquaculture. It is derived from the AkvaVis concept and uses interactive functions that instantly display the results of spatial parameters chosen by the user. We adapted the tool for use within four case studies which deal with very different scales of aquaculture and issues related to aquaculture in four different countries. The key strengths of our tools relate to their capacity to manage and display spatial data from different sources in a transparent way, the ability to use and display a series of built-in indicators, and the long-term development potential made possible by the maintenance strategy of the tools, services and data depository. Consultations and meetings provided an accurate view of stakeholder expectations as well as feedback on the tool development and applicability, therefore helping the tool to meet the prerequisite for operational decision-making tools.