Introducing GIS to TransNav and its Extensive Maritime Application: An Innovative Tool for Intelligent Decision Making?

This paper aims to introduce GIS, its definition, principle, application in any discipline particularly maritime, its process, data sets and features and its benefits to maritime and universities. Specifically, the paper intends to provide an overview of its wide applications in maritime including but not limited to marine transportation, marine environment, port management and operation, maritime education and training (MET) and maritime research. GIS simplest task is in mapping and visualization. But its most important function is in spatial analysis. Spatial analysis takes into account the location, geometry, topology, and relationships of geographic data, which lend itself to intelligent decision making. GIS is not just for researchers and students. GIS is especially useful for decision makers such as: managers, administrators, and directors of large and small projects. Scenarios are “seen” and analyzed even before events happen. To planners and decision makers, this is very important because they can assess the impact of events or scenario and may save a lot of time, effort, and money before implementing the actual project. An additional skill on GIS when learned or thought would certainly result to a technically competent maritime global workforce. The paper would provide ideas on possible areas for collaborations among TransNav member institutions for data sharing which may be processed and analyzed by a GIS specialist.