Geographical Information System International Group

ABSTRACT Hydrogeological mapping is a key tool for groundwater resource management. Generally, hydrogeological maps focus mainly on porous or karst aquifer at large scale. In a fractured-rock aquifer, the groundwater flow path is not immediately deductible due to the intrinsic complexity of fracture systems. Then, it is of crucial importance collecting a complete dataset describing the site of interest: fault and strata patterns, geomorphological features, occurrence of springs. Here we present the hydrogeological map at 1:10,000 scale of the fractured rock aquifer of Conglomerate of Portofino (Italy). The graphical information contained in this map is based on the authors’ field survey and the revision of papers written for academic purposes and technical reports. The aim of the research is to achieve a useful tool for land planning, conservation of groundwater resource and geo-hydrological risk reduction in the unique area of the Natural Park of Portofino.

Nature-based solutions (NBS) are usually defined as complementary or alternative solutions to “grey infrastructures” (traditionally made with cement) aimed at conserving and regenerating the functionality of natural and semi-natural ecosystems. The research to date shows a considerable potential of NBS to address the current challenges related to climate change and geo-hydrological risks. Despite significant interest in NBS by researchers and practitioners, knowledge concerning their practical implementation, monitoring, and evaluation is still lacking. This is particularly true for large-scale NBS. The present paper discusses how such solutions can be implemented in the context of hydro-meteorological risk reduction in small Mediterranean catchments with a strong tourist vocation. The work presented here is situated within the RECONECT Project (Regenerating ECOsystems with Nature-based solutions for hydro-meteorological risk rEduCTion), which aims to contribute to a European reference framework on NBS by demonstrating, upscaling, and replicating large-scale NBS in rural and natural areas. The Italian case study of RECONECT is the Portofino Natural Regional Park, which represents a unique natural landscape element with high ecologic, social, and economic (touristic) value, which is threatened by a range of geo-hydrological hazards, such as flash floods, hyper-concentrated floods, shallow landslides, rockfalls, and storm surges. This paper also presents details of NBS interventions in two pilot catchments (San Fruttuoso and Paraggi) visited by thousands of tourists throughout the year. It addresses some of the key aspects related to monitoring meteorological and hydrological processes, as well as remote sensing activities (i.e., LiDAR surveys), which are necessary for the identification of critical-instability areas along waterways and the reconstruction of dry stone walls. Lastly, a discussion of relevant mitigation and adaptation strategies that are potentially replicable at national and international levels is also provided.

Harmonised geo-information is a basic need for fulfilling the task of creating a Spatial Data Infrastructure which is reliable and efficient, handling different data sources and different services for discovery, portrayal and retrieval of geo-data as a crucial asset. At the European level, the road to an ESDI follows the guidelines contained in the ISPIRE Directive of the EC. With the aim of implementing a framework for harmonisation of data and services in geo-information domain, the European Community has supported the development of HUMBOLDT project, under the INSPIRE Directive and in the context of GMES Initiative. The two-pronged approach to geo-data harmonisation of HUMBOLDT comprises a technical side of framework development and an application side of scenario testing and validation. This paper presents an overview of the harmonisation framework implemented by HUMBOLDT project complemented by two short application cases based on thematic Scenarios of the project, one on the topic of protected areas and the other on maritime use cases. Protected Areas Scenario aims to transform geo-information, managed by park authorities, into a seamless flow that combines multiple information sources from different governance levels (European, national, regional), and exploits this newly combined information for the purposes of planning, management and tourism promotion. Ocean Scenario, on the other side, is essentially constituted by a centrally running geoportal that allows users to view oil spill information in 3 regions over European Seas, making use of the HUMBOLDT Framework components and providing an overall portrayal interface. Both Scenarios demonstrate the usefulness and capabilities enabled by geodata harmonisation following the HUMBOLDT approach.