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International Archives of the Photogrammetry, Remote Sensing and Spatial Information Sciences, Vol XXXV, Part B7. Istanbul 2004 
interpretation and manipulation from an ecoregional scale down 
to local scales. 
To cope up with the rapid increase of information entry at 
various levels and formats, the hardware infrastructure has been 
assessed and upgraded to provide for a central storage facility 
with easy management and access. 
With the current set-up, there is a need to standardize GIS 
mapping and data formats within the ecoregion, as well as the 
parameters supporting an ecoregional-wide GIS 
implementation. 
3.2 Future Configuration 
With the availability of future financial support, it is envisioned 
that CMARIS will expand to create country nodes or hubs to 
directly support countrywide data gathering initiatives. This 
will reflect an enterprise-wide system of implementation 
catering to the mapping standards and formats set by each 
country, yet directly supporting the agreed ecoregional 
standards, when it comes to spatial information. 
The existing system will be restructured to allow country nodes 
to access and integrate spatial data and information across the 
three countries. The new CMARIS will be able to 
simultaneously support multiple operating systems, with the 
capability of capturing and storing information from the 
different countries and external sources, unify it and leverage 
for the benefit of a wide range of users. 
The new set-up would facilitate consistent updating of 
information, standardization of formats and parameters, wider 
data-sharing and accessibility, country ownership and full 
support, as well as a wider-cast information net that will allow 
for better decision making and planning at various scales of 
management. Duplication of effort will also be avoided. 
Finally, in support to the new system implementation, future 
infrastructure and database enhancements will be in placed to 
meet the growing user requirements, with additional 
manipulation and analytical spatial tools regularly integrated 
into the SDSS. Hardware and software upgrades will be 
sustained to attain higher efficiency in implementing an 
extensive yet centralized system configuration. 
4. CONCLUSION 
The availability of vital coastal and marine information is the 
key . towards establishing effective conservation and 
management plans for the ecoregion. Information is seen not 
only as an important dimension of capacity building and 
communication, but also as an important tool for decision- 
making processes. 
WWF has recognized the importance of maintaining 
information on a structured and integrated database system, 
capable of making information accessible to a wide variety of 
stakeholders in the ecoregion. 
With sustained efforts, CMARIS can become a powerful 
conservation tool for the SSME, for it is designed to be aligned 
With the long-term strategic direction of ecoregional 
management, and directly supports the future implementation 
of the conservation plan at the national and local scales. 
1005 
ACKNOWLEDGEMENTS 
In behalf of WWF-Philippines, the author acknowledges all 
those who contributed to the development of the system. 
Special thanks to WWF-US for providing funding support for 
the development and implementation of CMARIS. 
REFERENCES 
KKP (WWF-Philippines). 1997. Marine Information System 
for the Sulu-Celebes Large Marine Ecosystems (Proposal). 
KKP (WWF-Philippines). 2003. Coastal and Marine Resource 
Information System: Final Technical Report to WWF-US. 
Tomlinson, R., 2003. Thinking About GIS: Geographic 
Information System Planning for Managers. ESRI Press, 
Redlands, California. 
WWF-SSME. 2004. Conservation Plan for the Sulu-Sulawesi 
Marine Ecoregion. Manila.