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A coastal information system for monitoring Colombian’s shoreline –COSTEROJose Eduardo Fuentes 1 , Julio Bohorquez-Naranjo 1 , David Morales 2 & Paula Cristina Sierra-Correa 11 Research Program on Marine and Costal Management and Information Systems Lab at Marine and Coastal Research Institute– INVEMAR. Santa Marta, Colombiajose.fuentes@invemar.org.co, julio.bohorquez@invemar.org.co, paula.sierra@invemar.org.co2 Geosciences Research Program at INVEMAR. Santa Marta, Colombiadavid.morales@invemar.org.coAbstractThe Marine and Coastal Research Institute (INVEMAR) designs and develops the Marine Environmental InformationSystem of Colombia (SIAM). Until now, SIAM has made significant progress in terms of information relatedto biological components. However, it is desirable to strengthen the information system with data concerningphysical components (climate, geology, and geomorphology) including coastal processes and broaden the oceanographicdatabase available. To enrich SIAM and contribute substantially to establishing management measures forcoastal erosion, a coastal information system was developed for monitoring Colombia’s shoreline (COSTERO).COSTERO is focused on coastal areas that are subject to erosion resulting from conjugated actions of tides, currentsand associated dynamics, including socioeconomic impacts. COSTERO exemplifies national efforts in Colombia toimprove shoreline management. COSTERO will give information necessary for understanding phenomena associatedwith coastal dynamics. Decision makers may conduct planning processes about coastal risk management in theshort, medium and long term.Introduction and relevanceTaking into account the combined effects of increased human settlements on the coast, the potential impacts ofclimate change like coastal erosion and flooding, risk management constitutes a priority activity. A research programon coastal erosion was established for the Caribbean and Pacific coasts in Colombia (Guzman, 2008). Thisprogram proposed a tool for data and information management at a national scale: the coastal information system formonitoring Colombian’s shoreline (COSTERO).COSTERO is defined as the technology platform (Figure 1) that integrates knowledge gained from science aboutthe coastal dynamics and its governance and instrumented in order to contribute to the implementation in the coastalzone of sustainable strategies and socioeconomic aspects in the long-term. Its main objective is to support the organization,analysis, and dissemination of data and information sources on abiotic environmental components of coastalareas of Colombia related to characterization and dynamics through the application of information technologies andcommunication strategies contributing to the production of scientific knowledge and decision-making regarding theprevention, mitigation and control of the spatial and temporal variation of the coastline with special emphasis oncoastal erosion.ImplementationThe system was designed and implemented in three stages. The first reached consensus with national experts, leftclearness in the institutional framework on definitions considered relevant to view the developments and tools thathandle national interest in coastal erosion. In the second part, the conceptualization, definition of users, methodology,requirements, logical and physical architecture, design and software development for the operation of the systemwere made.The last stage was the development of a website to access the logic tools needed to gather, organize, find andtransfer geographic and alphanumeric information on the climate, geology, geomorphology and physical oceanographyof the coastal area of Colombia. Integrated data and information sources in order to develop information productsand web services and statistical geographic outputs required for better understanding the phenomena related to215