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DEVELOPING A GLOBAL DATABASE FOR COASTAL VULNERABILITY ANALYSIS:
DESIGN ISSUES AND CHALLENGES
A.T. Vafeidis^', R.J. Nicholls?, L. McFadder*?, J. Hinkel*, P.S. Grashoff?
“Flood Hazard Research Centre, Middlesex University, Queensway, EN3 4SA, Enfield, UK — n.vafeidis@mdx.ac.uk,
l.mcfadden@madx.ac.uk
"School of Civil Engineering and the Environment, University of Southampton, Southampton, S017 1BJ, UK —
R.J.Nicholls@soton.ac.uk
‘Data & Computation Department, Potsdam Institute for Climate Impact Research (PIK), P.O. Box 601203, 14412
Potsdam, Germany - hinkel(gpik-potsdam.de
‘Demis bv, Kluyverweg 2a, 2629 HT Delft, The Netherlands - poulg@demis.nl
Commission IV, WG IV/8
KEYWORDS: Coast, Global, Databases, GIS, Hazards, Segmentation, Modelling
ABSTRACT:
A global coastal database has been developed within the context of the DINAS-COAST project (Dynamic and Interactive
Assessment of National, regional and Global Vulnerability of Coastal Zones to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise). The database,
which has been specifically designed to address the needs of researchers in the arca of vulnerability assessment of coastal zones,
integrates information on physical, ecological and socio-economic characteristics of the coast at various resolutions and covers the
world’s coastline, excluding Antarctica. Initially developed within a Geographic Information System, this global database forms an
integral part of the DINAS-COAST system and one of the principal components of DIVA, the modelling and assessment tool that
the project has produced. In order to comply with the physical and functional requirements of this tool, the database design has been
based on a linear data model for the representation of the world’s coast. According to this model, all the data in DIVA are expressed
to linear coastal segments of variable length, thus giving the DIVA database a fundamentally different data structure to the more
common raster datasets used in global studies. The decomposition of the world’s coastline into segments has been based on a series
of physical, administrative and socio-economic criteria and has resulted in 12,148 segments which represent homogeneous units in
terms of impacts and vulnerability to sea-level rise and constitute the reference units on which all subsequent modelling and analysis
are based. The selection of the data model and the representation of coastal space within DIVA have constituted two of the main
challenges of the database design and have formed the basis for the compilation of a reliable, coherent and easy-to-use database that
allows for consistent evaluations of coastal-zone vulnerability to sea-level rise at regional and global scales. It is expected that the
DINAS-COAST database will provide researchers and modellers from various disciplines with an efficient and consistent basis for
studying coastal systems, assessing coastal vulnerability and formulating broad policy responses to climate change.
1. INTRODUCTION analyse a range of mitigation and adaptation policies (Hinkel
and Klein, 2003). One of the main components of DIVA is a
Human-induced global climate change and associated sea-level global database which contains information on various
rise can have major implications for coastal populations and physical, ecological and socio-economic parameters of the
ecosystems. The results of global vulnerability assessments world's coast. This component is accompanied by an integrated
(GVAs) have been the main sources of quantitative information model and a graphical user interface (GUI). The development
on the potential impacts of sea-level rise at regional and global of a reliable and upgradeable database of relevant physical and
scales and have been used extensively for further analysis socio-economic coastal parameters has been one of the
(Hinkel and Klein, 2003). However, the consistency and principal objectives/innovations of the DINAS- COAST project
reliability of GVAs have been compromised by several and aims to provide coastal modellers and analysts with a
limitations, a principal one being the lack of appropriate data coherent and consistent source of input for their models and
sources. analyses.
The EU project DINAS-COAST (Dynamic and Interactive — This paper discusses some of the issues and challenges faced
Assessment of National, Regional and Global Vulnerability of during the design and compilation of the database. These issues
Coastal Zones to Climate Change and Sea-Level Rise; include the selection of the data model, the representation of
http:// www.dinas-coast.net) has developed an innovative coastal space within DIVA and the functional requirements of
interdisciplinary methodology in the form of a flexible ^ the final product and the associated limitations of the database
assessment tool, DIVA (Dynamic Interactive Vulnerability design within the context of the project.
Assessment), which will enable its users to produce quantitative
information on a range of coastal vulnerability indicators and to
* À .
Corresponding author
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