An analysis of the impact of the internet on coastal management

The role of the Internet in coastal management practice is analyzed through the Internet's communication and information access capacity. Primary and secondary impacts of the Internet in coastal management are assessed. A bro ad research framework is employed, including background on the development and spread of the Internet worldwide; analysis of emerging literature on th e societal impact of the Internet; limited existing research on the use of the Internet by environmental management professionals generally and coasta l managers in particular; and personal experience of the authors in the dev elopment of coastal management Internet sites. This analytical framework is supplemented by the first survey of integrated coastal management (ICM) In ternet websites by www.coastalmanagement.com and a case study of the Intern et Center for Coastal Management (ICCM) Internet-based communication platfo rm based at the University of Washington. The survey of ICM websites found a total of 77 websites worldwide, with a dominance of sites in English loca ted in the developed world. Assessment of the first year of operation of th e ICCM project to facilitate discussion between coastal management practiti oners and students in the United States and the Philippines demonstrates th e enormous potential of the Internet as a communications tool in coastal ma nagement and also reveals the many practical technological and cultural con straints of using the Internet, especially in working on a project between the developed and developing world. Three groups of scenarios of the future use of the Internet in coastal management with decreasing levels of foreca st certainty, namely, "probable," and "possible," and "potential for" are p resented and discussed. Finally, the potential for the Internet to fundamen tally transform the practice of coastal management is analyzed. It is concl uded that while such a potential exists, there remain significant research questions requiring further analysis before the full transformative potenti al, and the possible impacts of such a transformation on coastal management , can be fully assessed. This article aims to provide a benchmark against w hich such future assessments can be made.