Official URL: http://ncg.nuim.ie/gisruk/materials/proceedings/PD...

The strong spatial and temporal dimensions of development plans necessitate certain requirements in relation to the analytical tools applied to support Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) processes. The nature of plans and, subsequently, spatial data requires presenting them in graphic format. Similarly, temporal variation can often be represented in visual form by spatially illustrating changes over-time. Furthermore, it is estimated that up to 85% of all data have a spatial component and, therefore, can be mapped using Geographic Information Systems (GIS) (Chan and Easa, 2000). In this context, the graphic display and analytical potential of GIS can significantly contribute to SEA of development plans by facilitating and enhancing the various stages of the process.