A WebGIS for Stray Dogs: Methodological and Practical Aspects

The stray dogs represent a complex issue and the management of this phenomenon requires the use of a geographical information system, i.e. GIS and WebGIS, to support the policy makers in the definition of suitable control and prevention actions. In particular, GIS and WebGIS are advanced information technologies for a) the implementation of spatial databases concerning different kind of data, b) the development of multi-scale and multi-thematic representations of available information and c) the analysis of spatial information. Moreover, the WebGIS guarantees the simplicity of use, homogeneity and speed in updating geographic and alphanumeric data, as well as flexibility in database queries. In this paper a WebGIS for stray dogs monitoring over the province of Lecce (Apulia Region) is proposed. This original WebGIS combines geographical information over the area under study, with the results obtained through a sample survey aimed at detecting roads and places where there are the main stray dogs sightings