Grenadines MarSIS
What is Grenadines MarSIS? The Grenadines Marine Resource and Space-use Information System (MarSIS) is a Geographical Information System (GIS). The development of the MarSIS forms part of Kim Baldwin's PhD research supervised by Professors Robin Mahon and Hazel Oxenford at the CERMES Department of the University of the West Indies Cave Hill Campus, Barbados.
MarSIS is spatial mapping database which has been developed as a tool to aid decision-making and allow for more sustainable transboundary marine resource management. By using GIS, existing scientific information can be merged together with a variety of local knowledge information on the marine resources and other areas important for conservation and livelihoods in order to provide a wider information base and allow for a more holistic and informed decision-making process between the countries of Grenada and St. Vincent and the Grenadines.
Moreover, the Grenadines MarSIS is considered a 'participatory GIS' in that has been collaboratively developed with a range of stakeholders (including the various marine-related government agencies of both St. Vincent and the Grenadines and Grenada, a variety of NGOs, the marine resource users and the Greadine communities) over the past four years. Data collection for the MarSIS was completed in late 2009 and now is publically accessible via this website and available for viewing and download through both Google Earth.
Key spatial datasets in the Grenadines MarSIS include:
- Marine habitats*
- reefs, mangroves, seagrass beds, beaches, rocky shores, infrastructure
- seaports, marinas, jetties, roads, hotels, desalination plants, Marine resource users*
- dive shops, day-tours, yachting, fishing, ships, communities, NGOs, Marine space-use patterns*
- anchorages, dive sites, fishing grounds, shipping lanes, recreation and livelihood areas Biological/Conservation areas*
- sea turtle nesting beaches, seabird roosting, marine protected areas, nursery grounds, historical/cultural sites, shipwrecks, Areas of threat*
- sand-mining, dredging, beach erosion, dumping, land-based sources of marine pollution, mangrove cutting
