Offshore developments data on Marine Data Exchange
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The Marine Data Exchange has been up and running for two and a half years, providing free access to survey data and reports collected throughout the lifetime of an offshore project.
Offshore industries such as the renewable energy sector carry out extensive surveys well before any infrastructure is even ready to be installed. These data collection campaigns continue throughout all phases of a project. Millions of pounds can be spent even before a project is awarded planning consent
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Recognising the benefits of capturing and sharing the data collected by the offshore renewables industry, The Crown Estate inserted a data clause into all new offshore leases in 2002. This requires us to work closely with our offshore tenants to collate the valuable survey data coming out of these industries, and to advocate the benefits of sharing data.
The Marine Data Exchange now holds over 100TB of data from over 70 offshore developments, covering the UK continental shelf and beyond. This vast array of data covers themes including marine mammals, archaeology, bathymetry, benthic ecology, wind speeds, birds, geophysics, geotechnics and more.
You can download the data for free at www.marinedataexchange.co.uk. To help you to discover and keep up to date with data more easily, you can now register which allows you to save searches and receive notifications of any new data that is published which may be of interest to you.
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UKHO is pleased to announce that some of the most recently acquired UK bathymetry is now available on the Data Archiving Centre (DAC) web portal, and fresh information is regularly made available.
The portal is now updated on a quarterly basis, ensuring that new data are made available to the public with the minimum delay. The latest update, which was completed at the end of June, brought an additional 84 datasets into the public domain, and updated the supporting information on over 300 existing files. Newer surveys available from the Maritime & Coastguard Agency's Civil Hydrographic Programme include HI1455 - Eddystone Rocks to Lizard Point, and HI1450 - Approaches to Cardigan Bay, which provide high resolution multi-beam coverage in areas previously served only by analogue outputs.
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Bathymetry data displayed on the UKHO INSPIRE Portal and Bathymetry DAC geospatial viewer
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UKHO is particularly pleased that we are now able to upload samples of data provided by the Port of London Authority, who have created outputs from their archive specifically for the DAC, giving data coverage in the Thames Estuary where there has previously been no free access to bathymetry.
The next update will take place at the end of September, and will include the release of HI1453, Lyme Bay - another area where a lack of high density bathymetry has been a long-standing issue.
All data are released under the terms of the Open Government License, and in accordance with the UKHO's responsibilities as the MEDIN UK Bathymetry Data Archiving Centre.
The DAC portal can be accessed through the UKHO pages on the UK Government website
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This article was
prepared by UKHO, for further information please email.
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MEDIN linked wrecks pilot study
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OceanWise has delivered to the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) a pilot study showcasing the ability to link shipwrecks across multiple datasets from different sources and publish the resultant information via the internet. The study used data from MEDIN Data Archive Centres (DACs) which were ingested to a relational database or data-mart before publishing both the original datasets and the linked datasets via Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) compliant web services. Datasets were linked where identifiers were present to match duplicate features and represent the links spatially.
A focus was placed on delivering the functionality using easily accessible OpenSource software and tools and ensuring that good data management practices were upheld throughout. This meant that data would be stored once using an OpenSource relational database and utilised within the project through various "views" or virtualised layers. Not only does this minimise the data storage overhead but also results in the process to update the entire project consisting of loading one update file per dataset (two in total).
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MEDIN Linked Wrecks Web Application
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The web service layers were tested independently against a typical Environmental Impact Assessment (EIA) use case scenario by MarineSpace. For this, OceanWise produced a web map application that allowed basic analysis and view functionalities. For detailed analysis, Web Map Services (WMS) and Web Feature Services (WFS) were supplied that could be consumed by a standard desktop GIS. The benefit of visualising the join between matched features in different datasets through a spatial context can be seen immediately and is even more powerful when the user is able to combine the layers with their own thematic and base mapping information.
A detailed report was produced that explained objectives and methodologies in full and made recommendations to DAC's regarding the way datasets are structured and supplied and to OceanWise regarding the provision of the web services and web application offerings. Although there has been significant progress already made to create linked identifiers to be able to join like features, there is still work to be done to address issues in the uncertainty of the spatial location of wreck features across different datasets. This is something that the linked map display helps to quantify and display.
The report will be published by MEDIN in the near future and points towards a future where spatial data provided by MEDIN DACs can be accessed conveniently by specialists and non-specialists and used within a variety of platforms with ease. .
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This article was
prepared by OceanWise, for further information please email.
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Environment Secretary announces release of Defra data
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Unveiling her vision for the future of British food, farming and the natural environment, Environment Secretary Elizabeth Truss announced that virtually all data, some 8,000 data sets; held by the Department for Environemnt, Food & Rural Affairs (Defra) are to be made freely available to the public.
The release of such vast data reserves in the single biggest government data giveaway the UK has ever seen, are set to transform the world of food and farming.
Press release
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New publication on tools and data use in decision making
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A recently published book chapter reviews the ecosystem services tools and data that can be used by decision makers.
'A Review of Marine and Coastal Ecosystem Services Data and Tools to Incorporate This into Decision-Making' builds on reviews of marine social and economic data ('A review of marine social and economic data (MMO 1012)), and the associated tools and methods' (Marine social and economic data: A critical review of tools and methods to apply marine social and economic data to decision making (MMO 1012)).
The book, Coastal Zones Ecosystem Services, presents a wide-ranging look at ecosystem services, valuation methodologies, data availability, use and limitations, alongside case-studies looking at ecosystem services in relation to marine protected areas, valuation of blue carbon and the commercial and recreational impact of jellyfish blooms.
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The next MEDIN workshop is on the
24th September 2015 (subject to change) at the National Oceanography Centre in Liverpool.
The workshop is free to attend, with lunch provided.There is still time to register either by contacting Sean Gaffney, or signing up here.
For more information on this and future workshops
please visit the MEDIN website using the button below.
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This one day, free-to-attend open forum is an opportunity to learn about how MEDIN can
help you collect, archive and access marine data, review MEDIN activities and
discuss issues of relevance and interest.
To be kept up to date with the latest Open Meeting news join the email distribution list.
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Marine Science Events Calander
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Visit the on-line UK Marine Science
Events Calendar for information on national and international events relevant
to the UK marine science community.
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