Application of Geographical Information System on Natural Resource Management: A Case Study of Information System for Coastal Wetland Ecosystem in Kenya

Abstract

The success of information technology has resulted in the explosive growth in business and technological development. Unfortunately, management of natural resource in Kenya that is the raw material for business and technological advances has not benefited greatly from the use of this technology. It is on this basis that, this research was formulated to demonstrate the use 0t information technology for natural resource management in wetlands ecosystem. This research demonstrates the use of Information Technology by developing a prototype Geodatabase to support management decisions in wetlands ecosystem. The study also identifies some of the problems of data collection, and recommends how best data can be collected at low cost, while taking advantage of Information Technology. The research reviews the theoretical concepts on development of GIS based databases and the basic components required in design and development of such systems. The prototype Geodatabase demonstrates how the use of GIS in natural resource management can enhance decision support in Kenya. The Geodatabase achieve this through a number of functions that include overlay analysis, spatial analysis, buffer and vector analysis. The Geodatabase also provides traditional databasefunctions such as querying and report production. The product of this research is being used to improve mangrove management at Kenya Wildlife Service.