Sustainable development : the role of GIS and visualisation

Latu, Savae (2009) Sustainable development : the role of GIS and visualisation. Electronic Journal of Information Systems in Developing Countries (EJISDC), 38 (5). pp. 1-17. ISSN N/A

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Abstract

The physical environment in which we live and on which our continuing existence depends has limited capacity, therefore people should not consider it as a resource to be exploited for short-term maximised profits. If we are to enjoy a safe and a successful life on the planet Earth then we must use the limited resources at our disposal wisely by being good stewards of our own environment. Our environment has been dominated by our actions and the need to better manage it has been debated widely and vigorously in recent years. In many developing countries, including the insular island nations of the Pacific, economic development and environmental conservation are often in conflict. Conservation is often viewed by economists and some politicians as a constraint to a nation’s economic development aspirations. This paper argues that decision makers, especially in traditional societies ignore expert advice provided by Geographic or Spatial Information System (GIS, or SIS). The capability of GIS has been extended to include modelling and visualisation of terrain features in order that decision makers will be able not only to see the current state of the resources that they managed but also see the impacts of their decisions and the future state of those resources. The paper examines the impact of economic development activities on the coastal ecosystems in exemplar developing countries, in the Pacific, and proposes GIS-Visualisation strategies for moving beyond subsistence and economic development aspirations to socially, economically and environmentally sustainable development activities.

Item Type:	Journal Article
Subjects:	G Geography. Anthropology. Recreation > GE Environmental Sciences H Social Sciences > HD Industries. Land use. Labor
Divisions:	Faculty of Business and Economics (FBE) > School of Land Management and Development
Depositing User:	Unnamed user with email savae.latu@usp.ac.fj
Date Deposited:	25 May 2014 23:57
Last Modified:	25 May 2014 23:57
URI:	http://repository.usp.ac.fj/id/eprint/7483

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