Following two oral presentations (at University of Cape Town under the SANCOR seminar series) and at the recent South(ern) African Marine Sciences Symposium (held at Rhodes University, Grahamstown in April 2011) delivered in order to create awareness about the establishment and development of the South African National Coastal and Marine Atlas (SANCOMA), we have come to a stage where the real work has to start.
The objective of the SANCOMA is to develop the first electronic marine and coastal atlas for the whole South Africa whereby the general public and the marine community in general can be able to find a geographical site, feature, area and/or any other area of interest within the South African marine and coastal areas by just using the proposed SANCOMA. The aim is to make a ‘one-stop shop’ facility where people can get information and products about different aspects of or coast and marine environment by a ‘click of a mouse’.
It is in this light that we request that you show your interest as a potential user, contributor and/or interested person to be involved in developing the SANCOMA.
The Department of Environmental Affairs under the Branch: Oceans and Coasts will be taking a lead role in the initial formulation stages of the atlas to show its importance by demonstrating the basic use of the atlas by developing the basic products, which can be used by different users, with an intention of generating interest within the South African (marine) community and eventually to anyone who is a potential user.
