Disputes in the maritime domain are almost as old as the history of the civilizations. Ever since the Hittites used their navy to defeat the kingdom of Alashiya in 1275 BC, the history of the maritime domain has added conflicts in its realm. Added to this inheritance of conflicts, the higher consumption rate of the world due to an increased population, its dwindling natural resources, slow economic growth, environmental challenges, and several associated reasons are all hastening the approach towards the ocean’s resources for sustenance. This sustenance would require replenishment of its economic and consumable resources. Here, the maritime contribution constitutes around 5 percent GDP of the total world economy. The global trade shipment estimates have reached 80 to 90 percent by volume and 70 percent by value. The maritime industry is worth trillions of dollars and supports more than 30 million active employments and more than 350 million lives. These figures will increase in the upcoming decades. Under the above-mentioned conditions, the pursuit to secure interests and resources from the maritime source would become paramount. It would lead to competition and conflicts. Such competitive pursuits for resources would add to the legacy of disputes from historical to concurrent sources to become the primary raison d'être for (maritime) conflicts soon. Geography and geopolitics play a decisive role in the protraction and settlement of such disputes. The use of GIS to map all earthly activities acquires multiple dimensions’ maritime activities. The integration of geospatial technology in the realm of Maritime Studies provides a scope for understanding, analyzing and presenting the fast-changing dimensions of modern-day maritime environment. This course gives fundamental knowledge and orientation for integrating Maritime (Security) Studies and GIS.
Course Objectives and Outcomes:
The class would focus on applying principles of GIS and remote sensing techniques to the maritime domain with an academic perspective. It will enable scholars to learn and understand the basics of maritime concepts and the applications of Geographic Information System in this domain. Knowledge and understanding of GIS, spatial data, raster, and vector data models for maritime domains will be delivered.
Course Pre-Requisites:
Interest in maritime studies and some elementary ideas about world history would be beneficial. Online reference material and other notes shall be provided by the Course Instructor, as per requirement. Familiarity with GIS would be beneficial, though not compulsory. Dexterity in the use of computers is essential. For GIS, free and open-source software and data will be used. Access to personal PC / laptop for practical exercises is essential.
Course Structure:
Module I. Maritime (Security) Studies Concepts: An Introduction
Module II. Practical GIS Lessons, using Open-Source GIS Tools
Course Evaluation:
In class participation: 50%
Project work: 40%
Class assignments: 10%
Reference Materials / General Readings:
1. Dwain D Wright, Under Sea with GIS, ESRI Publications, 2002
2. Joe Breman, Marine Geography: GIS for the Oceans and Seas, ESRI Publications, 2002
3. Jacek Zaucha, Jacek and Kira Gee (eds.), Maritime Spatial Planning: Past, Present, Future, Springer Nature, Cham, 2019
4. James Kraska, Contemporary Maritime Piracy: International Law, Strategy, and Diplomacy at Sea, Praeger Publications, 2011
5. Min Gyo Koo, Island Disputes and Maritime Regime Building in East Asia: Between a Rock and a Hard Place, Springer-Verlag, New York, 2010
6. Maximo Q. Mejia Jr., Chie Kojima, Mark Sawyer (eds.), Piracy at Sea, Springer-Verlag, Berlin and Heidelberg, 2013
7. Geoffrey Till, Sea power: A Guide for the Twenty-First Century, Routledge, Oxfordshire, UK, 2009
8. K Sridharan, A Maritime History of India, Ministry of Information and Broadcasting, Government of India, 1965
9. Christian Le Mière, Maritime Diplomacy in the 21st Century: Drivers and Challenges, Routledge, Oxfordshire, UK, 2014
10. Committee on Environmental Information For Naval Use, Environmental Information for Naval Warfare, National Research Council, Ocean Studies Board, Division on Earth and Life Studies, National Research Council of the National Academies, National Academies Press, Washington, D.C., 2003
11. Carolin Liss, Oceans of Crime: Maritime Piracy and Transnational Security in Southeast Asia and Bangladesh, Institute of Southeast Asian Studies, Singapore, 2010
12. Palanisamy Shanmugam A., Theenathayalan Varunan, S. N. Nagendra Jaiganesh, Arvind Sahay, Prakash Chauhan, Optical Assessment of Colored Dissolved Organic Matter and its Related Parameters in Dynamic Coastal Water Systems, Estuarine, Coastal and Shelf Science, 175, 126–145, 2016
13. Steve Chan, China's Troubled Waters: Maritime Disputes in Theoretical Perspective, Cambridge University Press, Cambridge, 201