Visualization for planning and management of oceans and coasts

This paper reviews visualization tools available to environmental planners and managers working on ocean and coastal environments. The practice of visualization involves making and manipulating images that convey novel phenomena and ideas. First I describe visualization within the context of visual environmental communication, an emerging and rapidly evolving discipline. A review of the literature on visualization is provided and a typology of cartographic visualization and scene simulation is proposed. Ways to make visualizations relevant for work with the public and policy makers is discussed. While significant progress has been made in the area of visualization for climate change with much of it focusing on coastal impacts, little attention has been given to visualizing the marine environment within the framework of visualization studies. More technical work on integrating maps and scenes is needed for planning and management of ocean and coasts, including research on advanced GIS methods for decision-making and virtual reality.