Van Koningsveld et al. (2005) describe the development of the UCIT concept and an experimental application of this concept to Dutch coastal managment. UCIT is developed with the "frame of reference"-approach as a basis. The "frame of reference"-approach, developed by Van Koningsveld (2003) aims to facilitate the communication between researchers and end users of research, in a practice oriented research context. To facilitate the step from conceptual to actual quantitative information the conceptual frame of reference was expanded to a more concrete instrument, viz. UCIT (see Figure 2).
A fundamental notion behind UCIT is that for stretches of coast that are regularly monitored and constantly subject to management activities, the same data, models and Coastal State Indicators (CSIs) are used time and again! Once CSIs are selected they are commonly to be extracted from the field data and to be analysed on a routine basis. Data helps to monitor a CSIs past values and trends. Models may be used to predict their future state and evolution. GIS is used for visualisation and (at least at the moment)less for a direct analysis.
The interaction between specialists and end users would greatly benefit from a system where these three elements are combined in a structured and efficient manner. To test this notion the UCIT philosophy was put to the test in an application for the Dutch coast. The Dutch coast fits the previously mentioned criteria in the sense that there is an extensive database containing bathymetric and topographic profiles. Dutch coastal management focuses on a number of topics using well defined coastal state indicators. In the Dutch example case coastline preservation and dune strength preservation are the main CSIs, JARKUS data is the main data source (transect based) and coastal area, coastal profile and coastline models are the main modelling instruments included.