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Starting the Analysis of Integrated Coastal Zone Management

In this example of a global approach, we explain the steps involved in the analysis of the user needs and requirements associated with Integrated Coastal Zone Management. This example illustrates a viable approach to populating the URR for a cross-cutting area, which is relevant to most SBAs of GEO.

In a global or top-down approach, we start at an application that is very comprehensive and as close a possible to an end use or user. We break this application down into a few sub-applications. In our example of ICZM, we can break down this application into the three sub-tasks of coastal zone administration, infrastructure management, and natural resource management. Each of these sub-tasks can then be broken into the three rather generic applications planning and development, monitoring, and protection.

Of course, we could have made choices here that are more specific. The more generic choices have the advantage to identify cross-links to other activities already at this high level. They also allow for comprehensiveness.

We continue to split each application into sub-applications, thus increasing the resolution for each layer until we have reached a high resolution that identifies all applications with significantly different requirements. It makes sense to focus the global analysis initially on applications and to add user types, requirements and the different needs at a later point in the analysis.

As we add layers, the sub-applications increasingly get more specific. At the same time, we are no longer comprehensive and there are gaps in the network. For example, 'Monitoring' under 'Coastal Zone Administration' only is broken down into 'Land-Use Monitoring.' Of course, there is also other monitoring needed in order to inform to other two applications under 'Coastal Zone Administration.'

Moreover, some of the applications are not yet developed into full detail. For example, 'Risk-Based Planning' is an application that appears under each sub-application as an approach to 'Protection.' It makes sense to develop this application, which is also relevant outside of ICZM, separately in further detail (see Risk-Based Planning).

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