Further development to the integrated coastal map for the Maltese Islands

Abstract

Coastal regions are some of the most important zones, for wellbeing and economic reasons. Maps are an ideal means of representing numerous coastal amenities, hence displaying their importance. The Integrated Maltese Coastal Map is an already existing interface for this purpose, which can be accessed through this link: http://ioi.research.um.edu.mt/coastaldatachristine/#. The aim of this project is to continue the development of this online map, by collecting data from existing online sources and from in-situ field sessions. The southeastern coast of Malta, precisely from Birżebbuġa to Marsaskala, was the area chosen for this project. The purpose of the Integrated Maltese Coastal Map is to create a user-friendly interface, which information relating to coastal navigation and recreation can be extracted from. Users are able to interact with the interface through multiple functions provided. This can be done by manipulating zoom levels to view available infrastructures from the most important to the least. Users are also able to filter data by the user group or by specific infrastructures. Additionally, the beach information card within the interface provides further information about each location within the map. The numerous infrastructures found along the coast, signify the high level of activity of the region and how dynamic it is.