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SmartAtlas enhances marine data sharing in AfricaNed Dwyer 1 , Ali AlOthman 1 , Yassine Lassoued 1 , Mika Odido 2 & Anja Kreiner 31 Coastal and Marine Research Centre, University College Cork, Irelandn.dwyer@ucc.ie, a.alothman@ucc.ie, y.lassoued@ucc.ie2 Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), Nairobi, Kenyam.odido@unesco.org3 National Marine Information and Research Center, Swakopmund, Namibiaakreiner@mfmr.gov.naAbstractThe African Marine Atlas was initiated as a continental-scale online resource of public-domain geospatialdata for the support of coastal and marine research and management in Africa. Its most recent phase has seen thedevelopment of national atlases to house higher resolution and more nationally relevant datasets to help withlocal decision making. In order to achieve this, the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange(IODE) programme supported the development of SmartAtlas as part of an initiative facilitated by theInternational Coastal Atlas Network (ICAN). SmartAtlas was developed using Open Source software solutionsand is an easy to use platform, which allows the rapid addition of GIS data layers and associated metadata andthe ability to publish them on the Web, without the necessity for detailed knowledge of web mappingtechnologies and associated software. Close interaction between the developers and the local implementationcommunities ensured that the delivered product meets local community needs.IntroductionThe African Marine Atlas was initiated as a continental-scale online resource of public-domain geospatialdata for the support of coastal and marine research and management in Africa (Scott and Reed, 2010). Theproject was designed to identify, collect and organize data sets into an atlas of environmental themes. A secondaim was to provide training to increase the use of Geographic Information Systems (GIS) and spatial dataproducts for the dissemination of appropriate, timely and relevant information. The inventory of data sets in theatlas is also a useful indicator of gaps, either in the knowledge base or the availability of the data in the publicdomain.The initial list of over 200 data sets which were identified for the atlas was based on an extensive survey ofcoastal and marine data needs undertaken in early 2006 by all the countries participating in the Ocean Data andInformation Network for Africa (ODINAFRICA). A website was set up as a clearinghouse of data sets(omap.africanmarineatlas.org). The site is hosted by the International Oceanographic Data Exchange (IODE)programme of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. However, the scales for thelayers in the continental atlas were coarse, and this limited its usefulness for integrated management of theenvironment and resources at the local and national levels. The institutions participating in ODINAFRICA havetherefore embarked on an initiative to develop National Coastal and Marine Atlases that will provide maps,images, data and information to a wide range of users, including scientists, students, coastal resources managers,planners, and decision-makers from national institutions and other specialized agencies in Africa (UNESCO,2010). National Atlas teams have been established and training provided to equip them with the necessary skillsto develop the national atlases. The national atlases can be accessed at www.africanmarineatlas.net while themetadata is available at geonetwork.iode.org/geonetworkAMA/.This paper describes the concept behind SmartAtlas, its key technological features and how it has been usedin assisting implementation of the national Atlases in Africa. Furthermore it outlines the support available viathe International Coastal Atlas Network to those developing coastal web atlases.The Origins of SmartAtlasThe Coastal and Marine Research Centre (CMRC) of University College Cork, Ireland began development ofthe Marine Irish Digital Atlas (MIDA, mida.ucc.ie) in 2003. It was launched in 2006 and has had over 90,000visits since. Its goal was to provide data and information pertaining to coastal areas of Ireland to a broadaudience. It includes over 150 separate data layers and extensive metadata from more than 30 organisations(Dwyer et al., 2010). The CMRC was a founder member of the International Coastal Atlas Network (ICAN)175