CHAPTER NINETEEN A Territorial Information System (TIS) for the Management of the Seine Estuary – Environmental and Management Applications Jean-Côme Bourcier 19.1 INTRODUCTION Located at the geographic, sociological, economic, and environmental convergence of multiple interest groups, the estuary of the Seine (Normandy, France – Figure 19.1) presents itself as a coastal zone subject to divergent, if not contradictory, anthropogenic pressures In fact, its position vis-à-vis its ecosystems gives it rare and specific functions and its location within geographic space confers strategic advantage The urbanisation and level of primary industry of the region must develop in directions that respect an ecological heritage, and an exceptional landscape, that is subject to the attention of local communities as well as local, state and European levels of administration Furthermore, the existence of various pollutants, risks from technological hazards, the exploitation of natural resources, an upstream/downstream divide, a disparity between left and right banks, and multiple activities, etc., are just some of the key issues in this unique space In this context, geographical information systems (GIS) present a wealth of applications as tools capable of collecting, harmonising and analysing data about the estuary coastline in order to monitor the health of the region and provide summary information as an aid to decision-making Harnessing these technological, methodological, and operational tools enables coastal management problems to be defined and resolved in an holistic and consensual manner They could also lead to a new approach to management and a remediation, by providing a better understanding of coastal processes, functioning and change; an approach more attuned to the natural and human complexities of a geographic space that encompasses all levels of organisation, and which has set sustainable development as primary goal These distinguishing features justify the establishment and use of a GIS specific to the Seine estuary within the CIRTAI laboratory at the University of © 2005 by CRC Press LLC Le Havre (UMR 6063 CNRS – Research's group CIRTAI) More specifically, it consists of a territorial information system (TIS) tied to a multidisciplinary and multi-thematic, geographically referenced database designed to improve understanding of the processes and functioning of the estuary in order to support operational and participatory management practices Within the range of spatially referenced information systems, (Prélaz-Droux, 1995), this territorial information system sits mid-way between the two end-points of land information system and geographical information system as defined by the author: it exceeds the institutional limits of a land information system, and applies the potential of a GIS in its ability to support development of land and environment in a complex geographic space that requires management at multiple scales and involving multiple actors The aim of this article is to demonstrate a particular application of the TIS, as an observatory of the natural heritage of the Seine estuary Within this application, different levels of information have been integrated and analysed in order to provide qualitative and quantitative assessments of this heritage by means of territorial diagnostics Figure 19.1 The Seine estuary (Normandy, France) 19.2 ON THE NEED FOR AN OBSERVATORY OF THE NATURAL HERITAGE IN THE SEINE ESTUARY As a meeting point for terrestrial, fluvial and marine environments, the Seine estuary integrates a number of biologically productive and varied ecosystems It is © 2005 by CRC Press LLC an integral element in the routeway for many species of migrating birds and provides shelter and nutrients for fisheries and shellfish farming as well as for certain invasive species The estuary basin is characterised by the juxtaposition of alluvial plains and calcareous plateaux, giving rise to an extraordinarily diverse range of humid-zone landscape types that act as sponges and filter-cleaners for the environment Nowadays, the natural heritage of this estuary is subject to the impacts of numerous activities and processes at the local scale (industrialisation, urbanisation, agriculture, resource exploitation) as well as nationally (it is the outlet of a drainage basin within whose borders is found 30% of the French population and 40% of the national economic activity) This convergence of interests, and the conflicts that arise, raises the problem of how to conserve natural spaces whose resources are limited and whose equilibrium is fragile Management of this territory must therefore ensure balanced development, taking into account both scientific data and socio-economic factors (Chappuis, 1993), at a scale that is essentially local but which also has national and international elements (Bailly, 1995) Every stage in the process involves nature and the landscape, and it is often necessary to draw on a complete inventory of the natural and landscape heritage in order to steer decision-making in appropriate directions whenever choices present themselves In order to address these requirements, the Seine Estuary TIS acts as an observatory of natural heritage, and an intelligent tool for providing territorial and environmental indicators needed to manage this unique coastal system GIS offers technologies with potential for better planning, management and analysis of our environment (Bryant, 1993); for tackling the integrated, holistic and rational management of space; for pooling necessary information; and for overcoming institutional limitations, to allow all levels of environmental organisation (hydrological systems, landscape systems, drainage basins, etc.) to be taken equally into account The objective is to make available to environmental managers and decisionmakers a suite of key indicators that will allow better understanding of disparities between left and right banks of the river, conditions of flood and low water, competition and compatibilities of estuarine biota, etc., and ultimately allow the delimitation of zones of strong environmental vulnerability This will also help bridge the gaps between scientific research and real-world practice and, more precisely, between those scientists, technicians, professionals, and politicians who are involved in strategic and political decision-making The territorial information system for the Seine estuary aims to bring the many facets of the same geographic reality into a common framework Thus organised and structured, all available data for a given location may be integrated as part of a single analysis, in order to better define environmental objectives, and to provide support for decisions relating to territorial planning and management within the estuary © 2005 by CRC Press LLC 19.3 FROM DATA COLLECTION ENVIRONMENTAL DIAGNOSTICS TO DEVELOPMENT OF This TIS for the Seine estuary exploits a multi-source and multi-thematic geographically referenced database, presently consisting of more than 80 layers of data in vector format, standardised on the Lambert conformal conic projection and georeferenced on the Lambert zone coordinate system (the local system for the north of France) Data in raster format are used to provide rapid enrichment and updating of the database, according to immediate needs These data layers are all subject to a number of quality-control parameters (Laurini and Milleret-Raffort, 1993) including accuracy, precision, and timeliness (Rouet, 1991), and each layer is the subject of a file of metadata (Bourcier et al., 1998) to ensure that it is used appropriately and optimally A dynamic link has been developed, so that the metadata may be consulted directly via the user interface of the GIS software The operational use of the TIS requires, inter alia, data to be updated regularly, since they describe a territory that is subject to strong spatio-temporal evolution Data relating to the natural heritage of the Seine Estuary are collected on a regular basis by various groups: the regional Ministry of Environment for Upper and Lower Normandy, the Department of Hunting, an organisation for the conservation of wetlands, the Regional Nature Park of Brittany, Nature Park, etc This demands an effective partnership, in order to respond to the specified quality criteria Initially, exchange of these data was via hard-copy paper media (maps, cadastral plans, etc.), which implied heavy, time-consuming digitisation overheads More recently, all the data-providing partners have opted for the advantages of digital technologies (GIS platforms, CAD, computer-assisted cartography), which has enabled much more efficient implementation of the system An environmental geodatabase is by definition multidisciplinary and multiterritorial; its quality and relevance depend on, among other factors, the abilities of the GIS team to manage interdisciplinary conflict, institutional compartmentalisation and protectionism, hierarchical management “pyramids” and cultures of regulation, etc.; and especially possessive attitudes and the equation of information with power, leading to a reluctance among some players to share information with others 19.3.1 Environmental heritage diagnostics in the Seine Estuary As has been discussed above, all management practices have environmental implications, and therefore require access to a complete inventory of the natural heritage This essential knowledge of the natural resources of a region needs no further justification The natural heritage value of the Seine estuary is recognised through the implementation of a number of statutory instruments of national or European origin: the Ecological Fauna and Flora Inventory (“ZNIEFF”), Nature Reserve, Special Areas of Conservation (SACs), Biotope conservation, etc To these are added other protective measures, such as the purchase of land © 2005 by CRC Press LLC It seems evident that this accumulation of regulations makes the direction of management projects even more difficult, especially since many of these provisions lack clarity, are obsolete, are contradictory and of uncertain relevance, or are imprecise and subject to multiple, subjective interpretations Figure 19.2 Spatial concentration of environmental conservation in the Seine estuary Superimposition of all these layers demonstrates visibly the multiplicity of initiatives and regulatory measures that currently apply to this territory We may also note several important geographical overlaps between these various measures, rendering their representation in cartographic form particularly difficult Overall, such a representation implicitly demonstrates the high heritage value of this estuary, but the resulting legislative overload demonstrates clearly the need for harmonization of French Environmental law French estuaries present a major challenge for the law, which must find ways to address their hybrid character and their multifunctional nature Analysis of the legal treatment accorded these spaces demonstrates the weak acknowledgement in national law of their distinctive nature and, indeed, a strong tendency to promote their development, despite the accumulated knowledge of their ecological interest and their vulnerability (Auger and Verrel, 1998) © 2005 by CRC Press LLC In terms of spatial analysis, it is necessary to go beyond simple superimposition of data layers, to examine the spatial distribution of particular entities and to synthesise the information they present The aim is to create a new layer of information that compares, aggregates and analyses various perspectives on the region, so as to present alternative views of reality, for better environmental comprehension, decision-making and management The complexity of the real world is thus rendered easier to read and communicate Thanks to the topological functionality of GIS, an expansion of the various layers of information relating to this natural heritage has enabled a “quantitative synopsis of protection measures” to be drawn up This spatial analysis facilitates easy identification and classification of zones according to the sum of the protective measures that apply to them (Figure 19.3) Figure 19.3 Quantitative synopsis of nature conservation in the Seine estuary While a diagnostic utility of this type is visibly effective at demonstrating the multiple protective measures, it also underscores the relevance of the known natural heritage of the Seine estuary, and explicitly reveals the conservation importance of the intertidal areas and of the flood plains These latter are wetlands of acknowledged ecological importance, according to the National Programme of Research on Wetlands (Bourcier et al., 1999) The TIS allows real-time spatial and thematic analyses, such as calculating the type, number and surface area of © 2005 by CRC Press LLC biotopes for each of the identified sectors, thereby allowing optimal planning and management for these environments Still within the perspective of generating useful indicators for stakeholders and decision-makers, the foregoing increase in topological data is further enriched by the addition of information relating to the level of legal protection accorded to these zones This leads to a “qualitative synopsis of the degree of protection of the natural environment”, which identifies and classifies different zones according to a cumulative index of conservation (Figure 19.4) Figure 19.4 Qualitative synopsis of nature conservation in the Seine estuary The most protected zones (very high value) are located mainly in the alluvial plains, which underscores the ecological importance of these habitats This territorial index usefully complements the preceding map, by conveniently summarising the environmental constraints of the estuarine lands, providing indispensable information when territorial management projects or planning exercises are undertaken Achieving an optimal management of the natural heritage, at all levels of organisation, will probably require a greater harmonisation of the many superimposed levels (local to international) of environmental protection, in legal as much as in economic terms Additionally, this harmonisation offers the advantage of representing environmental constraints as homogenous zones that transcend administrative © 2005 by CRC Press LLC boundaries, and which are thereby more appropriate to holistic understanding of the environment from the global to the estuarine scale From the perspective of optimal management of the natural environment, would it not be useful to avoid the heavy imposition of all these different protected zone boundaries and, perhaps, rely on European and international commitments (e.g the Natura 2000 network)? These levels of administration could provide powerful tools for protection through regulatory and financial instruments 19.3.2 An environmental impact of coastal management in the Seine Estuary The usefulness of the spatial analytical functions of the TIS may equally be demonstrated in the assessment of the impacts of traffic noise on the bird life of the estuary: by combining different of layers of information which, at first sight, have no apparent link between them, we can demonstrate the complexity of the real world and, more particularly, the influence of human activities on the natural environment (Figure 19.5) The alluvial plain north of the Seine estuary is also subject to conflicts between natural environment and economic development, the resolution of which calls for sustainable development strategies to be drawn up In this context, spatial analysis allows vehicular traffic levels to be correlated with the natural habitat of the Spoonbill (Platalea leucorodia, a migratory bird, see Figure 19.6), in order to measure the potential impact of noise pollution on the distribution of this bird The routeways thus identified are of particular interest when they lie adjacent to the Natural Reserve of the Seine Estuary, liable to be directly linked to Port 2000, the future expansion strategy for the current commercial port Statistics on the movements of vehicles (light and heavy freight) were obtained from the authorities of the three departments concerned, and were used to calibrate the “road traffic” data layer A noise level envelope was calculated, based on traffic levels of 5000 vehicles per day (all vehicles, travelling in both directions), which corresponds to a noise level of 70 dB SPL The TIS then allows a buffer polygon to be created around selected entities, and this can be intersected with the Spoonbill habitats to create an output layer that precisely identifies those areas where noise disturbance could be a potential problem By simple querying, it is easy to obtain the location of each area, as well as their spatial attributes (length, width, perimeter, area, etc.) © 2005 by CRC Press LLC Figure 19.5 Platalea leucorodia (Spoonbill: a migratory bird) (© Cybernat - Le Havre University) Figure 19.6 Effect of road traffic noise on Platalea leucorodia area This type of spatial analysis can also be applied to other domains (pollution of air or soil, etc.), by developing specialised algorithms for use in modelling impact analysis or simple diagnosis and visualisation In the final analysis, the GIS tools have demonstrable relevance to aiding understanding, decision-support and management of environmental resources in a territory such as the Seine Estuary By means of regional indicators, they can contribute to more holistic approaches to territorial management operations © 2005 by CRC Press LLC 19.4 CONCLUSION The concept of environmental management demands engagement with the interface between society and nature, since the multiple activities (often concurrent and mutually conflicting) that take place within a region are governed by economic and social paradigms Even if environmental considerations are nowadays better taken into account during processes of economic and social decision-making, they are still often only brought in towards the end of the process, while the various actors may frequently lack important elements needed to establish priorities and anticipate problems Current practices and procedures, at different scales, are poor at anticipating environmental consequences of territorial management, due to a lack of appropriate information technologies and, equally, of suitable conceptual tools Spatial management of an estuary such as that of the Seine can only be successful and balanced if suitable structures are established to arbitrate effectively and equitably between the many pressures that currently lead to conflict Sustainable development is frequently advocated as a solution to these problems, whereby a dynamic balance is sought between economics, ecology and the needs of society, at local levels of organisation but also compatible with national and international levels Implementation of sustainable development policies requires a global approach and interdisciplinary vision, so that policies can lead to improved decision-making In this context, the TIS for the Seine estuary has many potential applications It serves as a tool capable of collecting, organising, integrating, and analysing information about the environment, from which territorial indicators and syntheses may conveniently be obtained to support decision-making, and to help solve problems of regional management and development In particular, it allows the properties and geographic distribution of natural resources or areas of interest to be defined; it improves the compatibility and interoperability of diverse datasets; and it facilitates spatial analyses of environmental impacts that would otherwise be overlooked or discarded for reasons of cost or procedural complexity This TIS constitutes a relevant tool because it has as its first objective the representation of a region, in this way improving our understanding and permitting the description and analysis of natural and human phenomena produced by the landscape Since it lies at the junction of several disciplines, this TIS brings convergence and standardisation to the description and representation of space It aims to bring coherence to all the many aspects of the same reality and, structured accordingly, data relating to the same location can be integrated within a single analysis, in order to better define environmental objectives and provide support for arguments or reasoning concerning regional development and planning within the estuary The TIS has thereby enabled information relating to the natural heritage of the Seine estuary to be related, aggregated, and synthesised, in order to create territorial indicators of use for understanding, decision-making and management of the region Nonetheless, “mastering GIS, and developing robust methods of analysis, implies the ability on the one hand to assimilate elements of different terminologies, and the concepts associated with them, so as to permit truly © 2005 by CRC Press LLC multidisciplinary dialogue; while, at the same time, allowing questions to be formalised in terms that are compatible with the various elements of the information system” (Meillet, 1999) Finally, it remains the case that these techniques carry limitations, even though they allow the integration of multiple sources of data The user must always understand the consequences of their implementation, and minimise possible errors due to data quality, problems linked to the treatment of data, or due to sensitivities inherent in the selected methodologies (Marois, 1993) In other words, their use within the process of large-scale choice and decision-making requires those concerned to have a high degree of confidence in the relevance and reliability of the data that are exploited The quality of data and of their interpretation thus prove to be the crucial sine qua non of any process of decisionmaking 19.5 REFERENCES Auger, Ch and Verrel, J.-L., 1998, Les estuaires franỗais ẫvolution naturelle et artificielle, (Plouzanộ: IFREMER) Bailly, A., 1995, Les concepts de la géographie humaine, (Paris: Masson) Bourcier, A., Bourcier, J.-C and Pouchin, Th., 1999, Appréhension de la cinématique paysagère par télédétection spatiale en estuaire de Seine: contribution au programme national de recherche sur les zones humides In La télédétection en francophonie: analyse critique et perspectives, Collection Actualité Scientifique, (Montréal: Agence Universitaire de la Francophonie), pp 215–223 Bourcier, J.-C., Bourcier, A and Pouchin, Th., 1998, L’Observatoire des zones humides - Zones humides de l’estuaire et des marais de Seine: structure, fonctionnement et gestion, (Le Havre: Université du Havre) Bryant, C.R., 1993, Les SIG au service de l’aménagement et du développement communautaire Revue de Géographie Alpine, 9, (Grenoble: Université Joseph Fourrier), pp 63–66 Chappuis, J.-B., 1993, Protéger la nature – Guide pratique de la protection de la nature et du paysage, (Lausanne: Delachaux et Niestlé) Laurini, R and Milleret-Raffort, Fr., 1993, Les bases de données en géomatique, (Paris: Hermès) Miellet, Ph., 1999, SIG pour la gestion et l’aménagement urbain, (Paris: Ministère de l’Équipement, des Transports et du Logement) Marois, C., 1993, Environnement et Systèmes d’Information Géographique In Revue de Géographie Alpine, 9, (Grenoble: Université Joseph Fourrier), pp 1114 Prélaz-Droux, R., 1995, Système d’information et gestion du territoire: Approche systémique et procédure de réalisation, (Lausanne: Presses Polytechniques et Universitaires Romandes) Rouet, P., 1991, Les données dans les systèmes d’information géographique, (Paris: Hermès) © 2005 by CRC Press LLC ... participatory management practices Within the range of spatially referenced information systems, (Prélaz-Droux, 199 5), this territorial information system sits mid-way between the two end-points of... analysis of our environment (Bryant, 199 3); for tackling the integrated, holistic and rational management of space; for pooling necessary information; and for overcoming institutional limitations,... quality-control parameters (Laurini and Milleret-Raffort, 199 3) including accuracy, precision, and timeliness (Rouet, 199 1), and each layer is the subject of a file of metadata (Bourcier et al., 199 8)