Environmental impact assessment with multimedia spatial information systems

The environmental impact assessment (EIA) process involves the consideration of large amounts of data comprising several variables and phenomena, with complex interrelationships varying in space and time. The potential of spatial information systems (SIS) has been increasingly realized for use in EIA, although they are used only for the production and presentation of maps, without the exploration of their ability to analyze spatial data. The integration of multimedia with SIS may contribute to the development of more realistic and effective environmental decision support systems. The incorporation of images, video, and sound within SIS might increase their ability to deal with the multiple aspects of environmental problems. The concepts beyond the creation of an environmental multimedia SIS are presented and the associated capabilities and application issues are reviewed. An application of multimedia SIS to the EIA of the Expo'98 exhibition in Lisbon is presented for illustration and testing purposes.