ASPRS 2010 Annual Conference San Diego, California ♦ April 26-30, 2010 COORDINATION OF PUBLIC POLICIES FOR FLOOD PROTECTION USING REMOTE SENSING AND GIS TECHNOLOGIES FOR COASTAL URBAN LANDSCAPES AT WATER TERRITORIES John N. Hatzopoulos Prof. of Topographic Mapping, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean University Hill, Mytilene 81100, Lesvos, Greece ihatz@aegean.gr Athina Santorinaiou, PhD Environmental Policy & Management, Department of Environment, University of the Aegean, Lesvos, Greece Prefecture of Cyclades-Naxos Environmental Office, Chora Naxos, 84300 Greece athinasanto@env.aegean.gr Dimitra Gitakou, M.Sc. Geography and Applied Geoinformatics, Department of Geography, University of the Aegean University Hill, Mytilene 81100, Lesvos, Greece ABSTRACT This work deals with the management of landscape at water territories and water areas. The work is focused on a case study in the prefecture of Corinthia, Greece. Algorithms and remote sensing / GIS technology are used to develop a model of comparative temporal approach to the landscapes of principal urban area which is located at coastal zone to provide information for flood protection. Algorithms using remote sensing / GIS technology of best practices are also developed for the coordination of public policies in the field of integrated interventions at modern urban water landscapes compatible to the methods for flood protection. INTRODUCTION The prefecture of Corinthia is characterized by non homogeneous distribution of rainfalls and water resources (Voudouris et al. 2007). The coastal part of the study area is an agriculturally streamlined and tourism-developed area that bounds a well structured and densely populated urban environment. Extreme climatic events, droughts and floods occurred in the prefecture of Corinthia during the last decades and specifically floods devastate the study area due to human interventions along the stream banks, deforestation and rapid urbanization of the area in the absence of urban planning. This study was undertaken in the framework of Netwet 3 Project, Interreg III B Archimed Programme to both form a model of comparative temporal approach to the landscapes of principal urban area located at coastal zone with regard to the damage caused to the urban landscape by urban floods and also to develop an integrated methodology -as demonstration example- for the coordination of public policies regarding the protection of the coastal, urban landscape of the Corinthian case study area. Geographic Information Systems constitute an essential part of the models, used for the creation of spatial and attribute databases, the analysis and management of relevant data, as well as for the production of land use/cover maps (Hatzopoulos 2008). Today, it is broadly accepted the “participatory shift” of public policies aimed at landscape protection, management and planning and the necessity for participative decision-making tools development is recognized. This requirement has been acknowledged after the expansion of the landscape concept, involving not only aesthetic or ecological issues, but also a social dimension of the landscape and more importantly, its nature as a public good. Among the specific measures of European Landscape Convention (Article 6), it is stated that each Party undertakes to assess the landscapes taking into account the particular values assigned to them by the interested parties and the population concerns. As the coastal landscape is a meeting ground between a wide range of interests (economic, environmental, social), the participatory processes need to be approached into a conflict management framework (Santorineou et.al. 2008, Davos et. al. 2007).