The MDE Newsletter - July 2023
July 2023
This Marine Data Exchange (MDE) newsletter showcases the breadth of offshore survey data, research and evidence being collected by our customers and partners on the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland.
Since our last newsletter in March 2023, the MDE Team have been involved in some exciting projects and events. From MDE upgrades, to the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping showcase and transatlantic travels to the United States, read some of the highlights below:
Industry Data Project: The Industry Data Discoverability & Accessibility Pilot Study
We are very proud of the MDE and its evolution over the last decade, however, there is always more work to be done. We want to enable our customers, stakeholders and colleagues to gain maximum value from the offshore industry data available on the MDE.
We are conducting a study to seek to understand how users, such as government bodies, NGOs, and industry specialists search for natural capital data. We want to understand how quickly and effectively they can find what they are looking for and how the MDE could be improved to increase industry data accessibility and discoverability.
THE MDE NEEDS YOU!
We will be asking for a range of stakeholders to take part in workshops and user research.
We are currently proposing 3 user research groups (research does not have to be conducted with those who already use the MDE, but by those that are regularly searching for natural capital data/marine data & evidence). These groups include:
•Those engaging in Marine Natural Capital Assessment projects – for example, those within the mNCEA programme at Defra.
•Environmental Impact Assessments/Habitat Regulation Assessments user research (interviews with individuals involved in analysis and data collection to support EIAs and HRAs.)
•Nature Recovery/Habitat Creation user research (interviews with those involved in projects aimed at increasing biodiversity, achieving Good Environmental Status in marine ecosystems and restoring marine habitats).
Join the MDE Discoverability & Accessibility Pilot Study:
If you are currently involved in any of the above scopes of work, would benefit from improved access to marine data and would like to take part in MDE user research, please contact:
New Features
Stories on the map:
We’ve added Stories to the Spatial Search Interface. By doing so, we increase the discoverability of Stories, encouraging more people to learn about offshore marine industries and the marine environment. This is just the first part in a plan of upcoming upgrades to the MDE. Watch this space as we add Data Highlights to our interactive map in upcoming weeks.
Multi-select Filters:
We’ve been exploring and experimenting with our Filters, to understand how we could enable our users to search for data in a more direct and efficient way. To enable greater search capabilities, we’ve made our Filters multi-select, allowing MDE users to pin-point available data by picking and choosing multiple data themes, phases, industries, timescales, areas, leasing rounds and development sites.
Mobile enhancements:
We've made significant improvements to the mobile version of our map, providing a more streamlined and user-friendly experience. The new mobile interface offers a focused view and quick access to filters, drawing inspiration from popular apps, resulting in a familiar and intuitive navigation.
By reducing cognitive load, we aim to make the map effortless to use for our users. Additionally, we have introduced a new series overview feature exclusively for the mobile version. This feature enables users to easily access key information from each data set, enhancing their understanding and interaction with the map.
Newsletter history:
We're excited to introduce the new archive feature that enhances the discoverability of our newsletters. Now, users have easy access to a comprehensive collection of all the newsletters we've sent up to the present date. With this convenient archive option, you can effortlessly explore and revisit past newsletters, ensuring you never miss any valuable information or updates. Stay informed and connected with our rich history of newsletters right at your fingertips.
New Series Card on Map:
Your feedback matters to us. We're excited to announce significant enhancements to the series card functionality on our map. We've listened closely and made improvements to not only provide more comprehensive information but also enhance the visual appeal of the series cards. The behaviour of the cards now aligns with common sites we're all accustomed to, making it effortless for users to interact with them.
Furthermore, this improvement allows seamless access to additional content that was previously available only on each series' detailed page. By eliminating unnecessary clicks, we bring the data upfront, enabling users to quickly explore and engage with related content directly from the map. We believe this improvement will enhance your overall experience and make discovering valuable information easier and more intuitive.
MDE Goes to the United States of America: International Partnership for Offshore Wind (IPF 2023)
We travelled to Baltimore to present at The International Offshore Wind Partnering Forum (IPF) in March this year. The IPF is the premier offshore wind energy conference in the Americas. Hosted by the Business Network for Offshore Wind, IPF connects global leaders and businesses in the supply chain, offers unparalleled networking opportunities, and delivers the most timely and relevant updates on the industry, from technology and policy to safety and siting.
“It was a fantastic experience getting to present on the MDE at the IPF 2023 and to share our ways of working. The ambition in the US for offshore wind is impressive – at the event the Governor of Maryland announced an offshore wind target of 8.5GW for Maryland alone. The MDE is a fantastic tool to demonstrate the value that could come from sharing the industry data collected as result of addressing these targets. I’m sure there will be lessons to be passed across the pond in both directions.” John Mitchell (Marine Data Advisor at The Crown Estate)
UK Centre for Seabed Mapping (UK CSM) Showcase (7th March 2023):
As managers of the seabed around England, Wales and Northern Ireland, we’re pleased to be a member of the UK Centre for Seabed Mapping, with representation on both the steering and management groups.
We’re actively involved in the working groups to endorse greater access to bathymetry data that can facilitate an increase in the coverage and quality of seabed mapping data, and to promote greater coordination of survey effort to realise efficiencies and prevent duplication.
The UK CSM (with a focus on bathymetry) seeks to address four recommendations set out in The future of UK marine geospatial data study: Data Collaboration, Data Standards, Data Accessibility and Data Collection.
As a UK CSM member, we will share our survey plans for collecting bathymetry data and will ensure that any bathymetry data collected by The Crown Estate is effectively delivered to the UKHO to feed into admiralty charts.
Colleagues from across The Crown Estate attended the member showcase on the 7th of March, which was a brilliant chance to meet colleagues from across the marine geospatial space, and to better understand UK CSM’s ambitions and purpose. As managers of the seabed, seabed data is used in The Crown Estate’s day to day decision making from driving the design of our seabed leasing processes, through to identifying data gaps to target our own survey campaigns, and even through to asset management and how we can promote life extension of offshore wind farms. Seabed data is the bread and butter of The Crown Estate. Whilst seabed data may mean different things to people across the marine community, here, in the context of the UK CSM, it is focussed on bathymetry data which is the glue that binds many of our sectors together.
Chelsea Bradbury (Senior Marine Data and Evidence Manager at The Crown Estate) gave a brief interview at the event for the short promotional UK CSM video, in which she talks about the role of The Crown Estate and why bathymetry data and collaboration is so important to us. https://youtu.be/Vn_rLsvNuEw
Marine Internship Programmes 2023/2024
On the 24th of March The Crown Estate were delighted to hold our annual Intern Alumni Event, where we invited back previous interns and those who are due to join us this year as part of the Marine Futures and Coast Explorer Programmes.
This year we are excited to announce a third internship programme – the Marine Futures Northeast Internship Programme, in partnership with the Lincolnshire Wildlife Trust, Orsted and Natural England.
We are pleased to announce the Marine Interns for 2023/2024 are:
Coast Explorer Programme:
Max Renton & Lucy Lee
Marine Futures North West Programme:
Florence Peyton Jones & Adam Rounce
Marine Futures Northeast Programme
Sian Peace & Jasmine Brown
Each year, the interns produce ground-breaking research and generate exciting new content that we share through the MDE. To celebrate the start of this year's internship programme, we look back at the brilliant work of Tom & Amber, our Marine Futures North West Interns from 2022.
Latest Series
Upcoming Events
10th Anniversary Event (September 27 September 2023)
The 10th anniversary provides an opportunity to celebrate the successes of the MDE and give thanks to the collaborative approach from offshore industries in the sharing of survey data. We look forward to open discussions with our customers and stakeholders and exploring the future and vision of the MDE.
You may have received an email from us inviting you to the event – please check your Inbox in case you’ve missed us!
Equally, if you would like to attend the event, but haven’t received an invite, please contact us at mde@thecrownestate.co.uk. Please note that spaces are limited, but we would love to see you there, so reach out to us as soon as possible and we will try to accommodate people where we can.