THE COLLABORATIVE DESIGN OF A WEB GIS PLATFORM FOR URBAN WETLANDS IN THE CONCEPCION METROPOLITAN AREA (URBANCOST)

In the Concepcion Metropolitan Area, there is a great variety of wetlands that are under significant pressure due to urbanization. Therefore, it is important to possess and make public spatial indicators capable of generating data that reveal the degree of naturalness, biodiversity and effect of urban wetlands. Thus, a web GIS platform was designed collaboratively with an interface and content according to the requirements of potential users. Through surveys of the population, the need for information on indicators, species diversity and ecosystem services associated with these areas was observed; consequently, a bibliographic review was carried out to integrate these suggestions into the platform, which was constructed in the Geographic Information Systems environment (ArcGIS online) and then published as a map viewer on a web page. Finally, this tool facilitates interaction with spatial data and contributes to the dissemination of scientific research in areas of socio-environmental conflict, in language that is familiar to the entire community. It is hoped that the information is useful for decision-makers, as well as certain local actors and the community in favor of urban wetland conservation.