A WebGIS platform to monitor environmental conditions in ports and their surroundings in South Eastern Europe.

The scope of this work is to describe the design and development of a web-based Geographic Information System (GIS) application and highlight its usefulness regarding monitoring and evaluating environmental conditions in several ports and their surroundings in the greater South East Europe (SEE). The system receives inputs and handles two kinds of data that are processed and illustrated through maps and graphs at various temporal and spatial scales in this informational platform. The aforementioned data consists of point measurements from stations operating in the area of SEE ports as well as satellite date sets derived monthly for a period of 10 to 12 years, in terms of sea surface temperature, chlorophyll a, and colored dissolved organic matter (CDOM). The WebGIS platform is based on the client-server model and uses Google Maps API services for data plotting. Advanced designing and development tools and methodologies are used. The available valuable data render the application into a trustful and accurate provider of visual environmental interest information regarding the main ports of southeastern Europe and their surroundings that would operate as a guide for an environmentally sustainable future of ports and sea corridors in SEE.