Spain

Abstract

The Regional Ministry for the Environment of the Regional Government of Andalusia launched the Environmental Geographic Information System of Andalusia (SinambA) in 1984. The main aim then was the development of tools for environmental planning and the management of natural resources in the region. Subsequently, the Environmental Information Network (REDIAM), established in May 2000, produced standardized protocols and still disseminates information on the environment in Andalusia, providing a useful tool for management, research, decision-making and environmental knowledge in general. In the last five years the REDIAM has undergone a major redesign to accommodate the European Union’s INSPIRE Directive and to provide a comprehensive service to the public, decision makers and researchers. The strategy follows the development of a series of OGC-compliant subsystems (biodiversity, climate, coastal, etc.) that aim at facilitating accessibility to and robustness of complex geodatabases that were mostly designed for Internet use through 2D and 3D viewers by ELIMCO Systemas. The SIGLA - Sistema de Información Geografica del Litoral Andaluz or Coastal Information System of Andalusia is now under development as a REDIAM subsystem for refining access protocols and procedures to utilize the vast data sets available as well as formalizing agreements to maintain external services from other administrative bodies that gather and maintain spatial databases with coastal information.