EPIC WebGIS-A partilha de conhecimento como ferramenta de integração da paisagem nas políticas de ordenamento do território

Abstract

The EPIC WebGIS is a spatial data infrastructure, which provides georeferenced cartography at a national scale. It can be seen as a tool to integrate landscape into planning policies, offering immediate access to several available themes concerning ecosystems, ecological network, and ecological land suitability. The information on this platform covers landscape sub-systems such as geology/lithology, soil, water, vegetation, climate and land morphology, considered essential to the ecosystem and natural resources management. It also integrates several themes regarding a Potential Land Use Plan for Portugal, taking into account the ecological land suitability for the establishment of different activities, such as nature conservation, agriculture and horticulture, forestry, leisure and recreational facilities and urban areas. The available data constitutes the outcome of the work carried out by a large team with different scientific backgrounds under two projects: project PTDC/AURURB/ 102578/2008 “National Ecological Network - a proposal of delimitation and regulation” and project PTDC/AUR-URB/119340/2010 “Potential Land-Use Ecological Plan. Application to Portugal”, both financed by the Foundation for Science and Technology (FCT). Currently, the EPIC WebGIS is organized in 16 major themes and has 111 maps available for download. The EPIC WebGIS gives a significant contribution to spatial planning through the identification and quantification of strategic topics and in the implementation of development policies and strategies, from a sustainable development perspective. The EPIC WebGIS was created to work as a technical and scientific reference at all levels of Planning and related political decision-making. This platform is free of charge and open to new data, contributing to the implementation of Open Access policies.