The 7th IODE International Coastal Atlas Network Project Workshop (ICAN 7) will be held at the Protea Hotel Breakwater Lodge in Cape Town, South Africa from 19-20 April 2015, in advance of CoastGIS 2015. The theme of this year’s workshop is Coastal Web Atlases -
Supporting Ecosystem Based Management. Since March 2013, ICAN is an official Project of the International Oceanographic Data &
Information Exchange (IODE) programme of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC). This workshop will provide an opportunity to discuss how coastal web atlases (CWA) can assist in implementing ecosystem based management approaches.
This is particularly pertinent as the African continent is surrounded by five Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs) (the Agulhas and Somali Current, The Benguela Current, the Canary Current, the Mediterranean Current, the Guinea Current) all requiring sustainable
management and protection. As this is the first time the workshop is being held in Africa, it is a great opportunity to hear about developments from the ODINAFRICA Coastal and Marine Atlas community. This workshop follows the successful ICAN6 workshop: Expanding Participation in Coastal Web Atlas Development and Use”, held at the University of Victoria, British Columbia, Canada, in
2013; as well as five previous workshops held in 2006, 2007, 2008, 2009 and 2011.