Using Twitter to define human uses for the MSP process

Many of the geospatial data sets used in the MSP process already exist or can be compiled with minimal effort and coordination, however the lack of data representing human use, or the socioeconomic dimension of coastal and marine resources, is well documented and accepted by MSP planners. Called the “missing layer”, the human dimension of the marine environment has been used only sparingly in the MSP process generally, and even less in the GIS-based decision support systems that the MSP process relies on. In its previously referenced MSP report, the IOC states that “The human dimensions of the marine environment are widely recognized as important to include and integrate into decision-making. However, there are few layers of socio-economic information that one might combine with the biophysical in, for example, spatial suitability analyses for the establishment of a marine protected area.” ¹ This paper will discuss a software application and methodology that uses social microblog (Twitter) feeds to define human uses of the coastal and marine environments and how this data can be used by MSP planners in their GIS-based decision support systems.