Special Issue on GIS for Environmental Assessment - Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management

A Special Issue for the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM) Editor: Ainhoa González (Centre for Environment, Trinity College Dublin, Ireland) Submission deadline of full paper: Thursday, 31st March 2011 But please send intention to submit paper by Friday, 21st January 2011 to agonzal@tcd.ie - specifying author(s), affiliation, email, draft title and brief (two hundred word) summary of the paper. Papers are sought for a special issue of the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management focusing on spatial data and geographic information systems (GIS) as support tools for environmental assessment. GIS are increasingly used to support spatial planning and associated environmental impact assessment (EIA) and strategic environmental assessment (SEA) processes. They also applied in other environmental studies (such as sustainability assessment or appropriate assessment) and in environmental management (such as IPPC).

GIS are considered to augment conventional techniques by providing spatial evidence. However, institutional arrangements and data access, quality and scale issues often constrain their full potential. Papers can be based on policy analysis, desk-top or practical case studies, drawing on experience and reflecting on these issues. They should critically examine the advantages and disadvantages of using spatial data and applying GIS-based approaches. A variety of aspects can be addressed and discussed, including:
  
1. What do spatial data policies (such as the INSPIRE Directive) intend to achieve? How are these implemented in Europe and internationally? Are legal frameworks affecting GIS applicability? Why and in which sectors? Can spatial data become a legal requisite? Which are the consequent implications for future assessment and management methodologies?

2. How can spatial data and GIS best support impact assessment? What is the contribution of spatial data to environmental assessment, planning and management? What are the optimum conditions for GIS effectiveness and why? What are the best technologies, techniques and methods available for all or any of the EIA/SEA stages?

3. What are the constraints to GIS-based environmental assessment and management? Do institutional arrangements, human resources and skills affect GIS uptake? How does data availability and quality affect the end results? How do spatial and temporal scales affect GIS outcomes? How are uncertainties being addressed? When and how is manipulation tackled?

4. Do spatial data and GIS have an impact on decision-making? Are GIS changing the way decisions are made? Can graphic representations raise awareness and promote environmental integration? What can public participation GIS do in this regard? Who should it target and engage? How can public opinion be integrated into final decisions?

5. What is the future of GIS in environmental assessment? Will they advance interdisciplinary applications? Will they be more widely applied and by whom? How are ethical considerations (such as copyright and privacy) being dealt with? Can they provide a framework for cooperation? What are the social implications?

Guidance for contributors:

1. All papers should comply with the formatting of the papers published in the Journal of Environmental Assessment Policy and Management (JEAPM). Please take into account the guidance for authors of this journal - see http://www.worldscinet.com/jeapm/mkt/guidelines.shtml(although in this case papers should be submitted to agonzal@tcd.ie and not to JEAPM).

2. Papers should normally be 10 to 15 pages long (excluding list of references).

3. Please use the Harvard System for referencing - see for example http://www.education.ex.ac.uk/dll/studyskills/harvard_referencing.htm

4. Please ensure that all references listed at the end are mentioned in the text and vice versa.

5. Please divide your article into clearly defined sections, all with headings.
  
6. All submitted papers should include an introduction. The introduction should explain what the paper is about and should explicitly say how the paper relates to the topic of spatial data and GIS as support tools for impact assessment. The introduction section must be written so that the reader who has not read the paper title would understand what the paper contained. Therefore the introduction section it must paraphrase the title of the paper.

7. The introduction should include relevant academic context (i.e. please make sure you include relevant links to academic literature) - unless there is a second section on context/background/literature review.

8. The introduction should end with an explanation of how the paper is structured (mentioning just the main sections, i.e. the first-level headings).

9. The last section of the paper should have the title "Conclusion and Future Developments". As the name says, this should contain both a summary of what was discussed in the paper, and suggestions for future research and/or recommendations for future practice.

The timetable for the editing of this special issue is as follows:

   * 21 January 2011 - Authors to send intention to submit paper to agonzal@tcd.ie
   * 31 March 2011 - Deadline for authors to submit full paper to agonzal@tcd.ie
   * 4-8 April 2011 - Editor to send papers to referees.
   * 11 April-6 May 2011 - Referees to comment on papers.
   * 23-27 May 2011 - Based on referees' comments, papers are selected and authors contacted asking them to re-submit taking into account comments from referees and editors.
   * 24 June 2011 - Deadline for authors to re-submit papers to agonzal@tcd.ie, based on the comments of the referees and editors.
   * 27 June-29 July 2011 - Final editing.
   * 1 September 2011 - Manuscript sent to JEAPM.

http://www.worldscinet.com/jeapm/mkt/callforpapers_details.shtml