New Technologies Promoting Public Involvement: An Interactive Tool to Assist SEA A. Gonzalez 1 , A. Gilmer 1 , R. Foley 2 , J. Sweeney 2 & J. Fry 3 1 Department of Environment & Planning, Dublin Institute of Technology, Ireland. 2 National Centre for Geo-computation, Department of Geography, National University of Ireland, Maynooth, Co. Kildare, Ireland. 3 School of Biological and Environmental Science, UCD Dublin, Ireland. Information technologies (IT) are advocated as a key tool to enhance public participation. Distribution of information through IT systems such as the internet is gaining popularity as a rapid and, in most cases, accessible way of informing and involving the public. Concerns associated with technology-aided public participation derive from the apparent division of computer-skilled and ‘traditional’ citizens. Moreover, while it is perceived that public participation and feedback is enhanced through IT systems, feasible methods for effective inclusion of public concerns and interests in environmental assessment have rarely been explored and defined. This research study is currently developing a holistic and interactive method applying Geographic Information Systems as a tool to assist different stages in the Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) process. Public involvement is a vital component of this approach. The software contains a user-friendly public consultation tool (that can be distributed through the internet or used at public displays) that systematically queries, gathers and processes submitted comments, proposals and complaints related to the proposed actions, plans and programmes. The software derives results from a statistical analysis of inputs. Consequently, the outcomes of public consultation are added as a value factor to the spatial (and temporal) analysis of environmental, social and economic features relevant to the SEA. This method will help to address inclusion of public perception which represents an important part of the social element in the SEA process. Introduction This paper presents the basic principles behind an ongoing research study on the application of a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based approach to Strategic Environmental Assessment (SEA) that facilitates the inclusion of public perceptions into the assessment process. The research is being carried out at Dublin Institute of Technology (DIT) in collaboration with UCD Dublin, the National University of Ireland, Maynooth (NUIM), and the National Centre for Geo-computation (NCG). It is anticipated that the proposed methodology will be tested in comparative case studies in relation to SEA of development plans in Ireland and Spain. The results of these pilot assessments will facilitate drawing conclusions on the effectiveness of the tools and will be used for fine-tuning the method by incorporating appropriate adjustments. The GIS-model for SEA is being developed and this paper discusses current public participation issues to establish the basis for an effective, user-friendly and integrated computerised method. It evaluates the potential benefits of using GIS as a participatory tool and presents the basic steps of the proposed assessment process. Gonzalez A.; Gilmer, A.; Foley, R.; Sweeney, J.; Fry, J. 1