GIS and REMOTE SENSING: GIS for Aquaculture-GIS tools for integrated management of coastal aquaculture

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Figure 1	Donna-Claire Hunters research focuses on the interaction of aquaculture development with sensitive environments. A very comprehensive spatial database for the Outer Hebrides has been built up. Initial stages involved the creation of submodels for cage suitability for the Western Isles; Figure 1 shows an example of model output.
Figure 2	Of particular importance was the development of submodels concerning sensitive environments explored through holistic biotope mapping with particular reference to defined protected areas and identified protected species for the Western Isles (Figure 2).
Figure 3	The study then moved on to a simple waste dispersion submodel addressing aquaculture waste dispersion, not simply relative to each individual site as is current practice but at a much wider scale and incorporating mutiple sites and groups of fish farms, considering their impact as a collective group on the environment in which they are situated and their surroundings (Figure 3).
	The latest submodels to be developed are Viewshed submodels, allowing assessment of the visual impact of developments (Figure 4).
Figure 4	As this project develops, there will be further refinements of current submodels and creation of more submodels in the form of free-standing tools. It is envisaged that the completed group of submodels will lead to a final variable-outcome model, or models, which will address the vision set out by DEFRA (2002) for clean, healthy, safe, productive and biologically diverse coasts and seas. All this will be achieved through a cost-effective, scientifically robust and universally applicable system.