Prof. Roberto Mayerle, director ofResearch and Technology Centre Westcoast (FTZ), Kiel University, visited Yantai Institute of Coastal Zone Research, Chinese Academy of Sciences (YIC) on Nov. 13-14, 2011 to push for the launch of a joint research project between China and German.

The project is designed to develop a decision support system for the sustainable coastal environmental planning of Shandong Peninsula, China. It aims to bring about a sustainable management system for developing coastal zones and help decision-makers make a scientific plan for the development.

The decision support system combines modern remote sensing technology, geo-information system, and numerical modeling support system. It can not only acquire data to establish and test numerical modeling through remote sensing and field observation, but also conduct prediction on elements of costal environment, including flow, wave, sediment transport, landform evolution, and water quality.

The program has been incorporated into Sino-German governmental marine technology cooperation agreement. It will be co-accomplished by the two sides represented by FTZ and YIC respectively.

Both sides took the occasion to discuss the launching date of the program and confirm the ensuing work schedule.