CoastGIS'99: geomatics and coastal environment
Review of current marine and coastal zone mapping projects in the UK
UKDMAP
The United Kingdom Digital Marine Atlas Project (UKDMAP) was
created in 1985 as a digital successor to the printed ‘Atlas of the Seas
around Britain’ (Lee & Ramster, 1981). It was developed and published
by the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC).
The aims of the project were twofold. Firstly, to provide wide-ranging
and easily updateable reference works on the marine environment
around the UK, of use to the scientific, educational and commercial
sectors. Secondly, to provide a ‘shop window’ through which users may
more readily determine the availability of data and/or expertise on a given
subject, and data suppliers can ensure that more effective use is made
of valuable data sets.
The third edition (for Windows 95/98/NT) was released in July 1998,
and is available on disk or CD-ROM. The display allows the user to pan,
zoom, overlay, print and query the data. The coverage is comprehensive
with over 1 600 thematic charts relating to the seas and coasts around
the British Isles, each with descriptive text attached that identifies the
source of the data.
The UKDMAP was not designed as a data analysis system, Geographic
Information System (GIS) or cartographic package, and consequently does
not allow data to be downloaded and integrated into the user’s software.
However, it does provide a useful overview of existing data, essentially
establishmg a ‘digital catalogue’ of coastal and marine dara sets.
Further information, including a content list, is available from
http://www.nhi.ac.uk/bodc/ukdmap3.html.
Marine Environmental Data Co-ordinator and Network
An Inter Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology (IACMST)
Working Group recommended that a mechanism be established to
facilitate regular communication between marine environmental data
managers and providers. This recognized the fact that marine environmental
data are widely distributed throughout the UK amongst government
departments, laboratories, universities and commercial organizations.
This led to the instigation of a Marine Environmental Data (MED) Coordinator who works with participating departments to provide an
enhanced system of networking amongst users and providers of marine
environmental data. The British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)
currently supplies this post. The responsibilities of the MED Co-ordinator
are to develop data management policies, establish mechanisms to
facilitate data exchange, raise the visibility of MED activities, and to
develop and maintain inventories of data.
This last objective includes the maintenance of the UK Marine Environmental Data Network (UKMED) which aims to establish an inventory ol all available UK sources of marine environmental data and their
holdings. Further details can be found at the MED homepage at
httpd / www.pol. ac. uk/ hodd.ukmed.html.
57
Review of current marine and coastal zone mapping projects in the UK
UKDMAP
The United Kingdom Digital Marine Atlas Project (UKDMAP) was
created in 1985 as a digital successor to the printed ‘Atlas of the Seas
around Britain’ (Lee & Ramster, 1981). It was developed and published
by the British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC).
The aims of the project were twofold. Firstly, to provide wide-ranging
and easily updateable reference works on the marine environment
around the UK, of use to the scientific, educational and commercial
sectors. Secondly, to provide a ‘shop window’ through which users may
more readily determine the availability of data and/or expertise on a given
subject, and data suppliers can ensure that more effective use is made
of valuable data sets.
The third edition (for Windows 95/98/NT) was released in July 1998,
and is available on disk or CD-ROM. The display allows the user to pan,
zoom, overlay, print and query the data. The coverage is comprehensive
with over 1 600 thematic charts relating to the seas and coasts around
the British Isles, each with descriptive text attached that identifies the
source of the data.
The UKDMAP was not designed as a data analysis system, Geographic
Information System (GIS) or cartographic package, and consequently does
not allow data to be downloaded and integrated into the user’s software.
However, it does provide a useful overview of existing data, essentially
establishmg a ‘digital catalogue’ of coastal and marine dara sets.
Further information, including a content list, is available from
http://www.nhi.ac.uk/bodc/ukdmap3.html.
Marine Environmental Data Co-ordinator and Network
An Inter Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology (IACMST)
Working Group recommended that a mechanism be established to
facilitate regular communication between marine environmental data
managers and providers. This recognized the fact that marine environmental
data are widely distributed throughout the UK amongst government
departments, laboratories, universities and commercial organizations.
This led to the instigation of a Marine Environmental Data (MED) Coordinator who works with participating departments to provide an
enhanced system of networking amongst users and providers of marine
environmental data. The British Oceanographic Data Centre (BODC)
currently supplies this post. The responsibilities of the MED Co-ordinator
are to develop data management policies, establish mechanisms to
facilitate data exchange, raise the visibility of MED activities, and to
develop and maintain inventories of data.
This last objective includes the maintenance of the UK Marine Environmental Data Network (UKMED) which aims to establish an inventory ol all available UK sources of marine environmental data and their
holdings. Further details can be found at the MED homepage at
httpd / www.pol. ac. uk/ hodd.ukmed.html.
57