NetCoast Knowledge Network in Integrated Coastal Zone Management

Development of a digital platform where professionals in integrated coastal zone engineering and management can share their knowledge and experience.

One of the main aims of the NETCOAST web-based platform is to become a digital "meeting point" where professionals in integrated coastal zone engineering and management would come for the latest relevant information/knowledge, documents, publications, modelling tools, fresh links to other sites and for professional collaboration and dissemination of information.

In order to achieve this goal, there was a necessity for development of a web-based platform including different components and functionalities supporting building Communities of Practices (CoPs).

Communities of practice are groups of people who are informally bound to one another by sharing a common class of problem. As Integrated Coastal Zone Management is key to the sustainable planning and development of densely populated delta areas worldwide, there is an increasing demand on sharing of information, experience and knowledge in solving different coastal engineering problems.

In order to facilitate the exchange and sharing of knowledge within the coastal community both nationally and internationally, the structure, design and functionalities of the NetCoast site were design to meet these needs.

Activities:

1. Set up and customization of the NetCoast collaborative environment for building and supporting project teams and communities of practice in the are of ICZM.
2. Set up and facilitation of the CoastLearn project team and community of practice; and
3. Improvement of the layout and customization of the communication components of the NetCoast web-based platform.

Objectives:

1. To setup and facilitate environment supporting collaborative work and building communities of practice in the area of Integrated Coastal Zone Management (ICZM).
2. To setup and facilitate the CoastLearn community of practice emerging from the Leonardo EC project.
3. To develop a database of simulation tools and systems used in ICZM including case studies and best practices.
4. To further develop and improve the components and functionalities of the NetCoast platform
5. Record the lessons learned for building and facilitating ICZM - related communities of practice and further transfer of experience to the Delft Cluster community.

Outputs:

1. Specification, design and implementation of the NetCoast collaborative platform.
2. Dynamic components for content management, including database of tools and modelling systems;
3. Improved functionalities and communication components of the NetCoast platform.
4. CD containing the NetCoast site and the developed components.
5. Progress and final report.