Digital mapping will aid coast's planners (From Bournemouth Echo)

Digital mapping will aid coast's planners

THE UK's first digital map to combine both onshore and offshore data will help planners better manage the region's future, say surveyors.

ICZ Map, or Integrated Coastal Zone Mapping, brings together land mapping and sea charting to measure the UK's coastline more accurately.

It is being produced by Ordnance Survey, the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office (UKHO) and the British Geological Survey.

So far, the ICZ Map has been piloted in just three areas of the UK - The Solent, Firth of Forth and Milford Haven.But the Royal Institution of Chartered Surveyors (RICS) is encouraging government to fund the completion of the project to cover the whole UK.

RICS says the ICZ Map will enable planners to make better decisions on the development of coastal areas.

RICS Geomatics Faculty assistant director James Kavanagh said: "Until now, data for land maps and sea charts were gathered for very different reasons and therefore were compiled in different ways.

"Ordnance Survey stopped mapping at the low tide mark, while UKHO stopped mapping at the high tide mark, which meant that when combining the information, the shoreline data did not match.

"As a result geographers couldn't see the full impact of erosion because a significant part of the coastline wasn't accounted for.The new digital map was also "good news" for those affected by seasonal flooding.

"Using the ICZ Map, the local government can better manage the coastal region, so they will be able to more accurately assess where to place flood defences," he added.