Spain’s extensive marine jurisdiction—comprising a continental shelf of approximately 100,000 km² and an Exclusive Economic Zone approaching one million km²—requires robust geospatial frameworks to support ecosystem assessment and marine policy implementation. This study presents GIS-based methodologies developed by the Spanish Oceanographic Institute (IEO-CSIC) within national initiatives such as LIFE IP INTEMARES project and the implementation of Marine Strategy Framework Directive (European Directive 2008/56/EC). The geospatial workflows developed for these initiatives integrates heterogeneous spatial datasets—such as multibeam bathymetry, acoustic backscatter, Remote Operated Vehicle (ROV) and towed-camera transects, sediment samples, oceanographic profiles, and species-habitat occurrence records—into a unified spatial analysis environment. Applied methods include digital terrain modeling, derivation of geomorphometric indices (e.g., slope, rugosity, curvature), image classification, and spatial statistics to quantify habitat extent, condition, and anthropogenic pressures. An integrated spatial analysis framework combining environmental and anthropogenic data is used to support zoning and management decisions within Marine Protected Areas (MPAs). Additionally, the deployment of WebGIS platforms facilitates data dissemination, iterative review, and stakeholder engagement, thereby enhancing transparency and accessibility. The resulting high-resolution maps, harmonized datasets, and computed spatial indicators—aligned with Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) descriptors such as habitat distribution (D1C4–C5) and seafloor integrity (D6C2–C3)—demonstrate how GIScience methods provide reproducible, decision-ready information to support the monitoring and management of Spain’s diverse marine ecosystems.

Braided rivers constitute fluvial systems of high morphological complexity and significant geomorphologicaldynamism. This study analyses the morphological dynamics and braiding intensity of the San Carlo reachof the Fiumara Amendolea for the period 2022–2024. The Fiumara presents optimal characteristics for thedevelopment of the braiding model: it is a short, steep, ephemeral and torrential watercourse with scarce riparianvegetation. The analysis of braided systems, such as the one studied here, is key in the context of climatechange, where an increase in the frequency of extreme precipitation events is expected. For the analysed period,a simplification of the network is observed, a phenomenon that can be attributed to torrential precipitationepisodes recorded during the study period. The methodology integrates photogrammetric processing usingStructure from Motion (SfM) of multispectral UAV/RPAS surveys, GIS-based spatial analysis, and automatedchannel network extraction using RivGraph. To measure braiding intensity, four braiding indices (BI) —Brice,Germanoski-Schumm, Mosley, and the Entropic Braiding Index (eBI; Tejedor et al., 2022)— were computedfor each sub-reach of both the full channel and the most active reach. Additionally, a series of morphologicalindices and variables were calculated to establish correlation relationships with the BIs, in order to determinewhich of these is most representative of the spatial reality of the Fiumara Amendolea. The results reveal ageneralised reduction pattern in braiding intensity over the analysed period, with alternation of the dominantgeomorphological process; in the headward sector of the San Carlo reach, sedimentation prevails, whereasincision dominates downstream.Keywords: braided channels, BI, eBI, Amendolea Fiumara, fluvial geomorphology, SfM photogrammetry,multitemporal analysis.