A Web-Based GIS Planning Framework For Urban Oil Spill Management

The thesis is comprised of five chapters. Chapter 1 presents an introduction and identifies the spill issues and strategy gaps at the municipal level. The objectives and scope of this study are indicated in this chapter. Chapter 2 is the literature review of oil spill research and the role of GIS and its distributed form, Web-based GIS. In this chapter, focus is directed at the review of land-based oil spills and their characteristics, spill prevention measures, control technology, and response and cleanup. It also elaborates on spill related law and enforcement within the Canadian legal system. The applications of GIS and Web-based GIS in spill-related fields are reviewed in this chapter. Chapter 3 focuses on the information needs for the establishment of an oil spill planning framework. How GIS and Web-based GIS could facilitate planning processes. Chapter 4 discusses Web-based GIS architecture as refined for municipal spill management. Chapter 5 presents the case study which examines the planning framework based on a Web-based GIS architecture, and Chapter 6 highlights the conclusions of the study, suggestions and recommendations for urban oil spill management based on the research findings--From the Introduction.