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EMODnet Human Activities aims to facilitate access to existing marine data on activities carried out in EU waters, by building a single entry point for geographic information on 20 different themes.
Data on marine and maritime human activities are essential for effectively managing our seas and oceans in a sustainable way. This is becoming increasingly necessary due to growing population size and greater demand for resources, combined with advances in technology, resulting in a huge increase in the number and extent of marine and maritime human activities. These range from established activities such as fisheries and shipping to more recent activity such as construction of offshore energy facilities. Whilst there is considerable data available on these activities it is often only available on a per country, regional or sector-by-sector basis.
EMODnet Human Activities aims to facilitate access to existing marine data on activities carried out in EU waters, by building a single entry point for geographic information on 20 different themes.
Objectives
The main objective of EMODnet Human Activities is to make available information on the geographical position, spatial extent and attributes of a wide array of marine and maritime human activities throughout Europe. Particular attention is given to providing, when possible, historical time series to indicate the temporal variation of activities such as fishing, shipping density and port traffic. Time when data was provided together with attributes to indicate the intensity of each activity is also included.
The portal allows users to view, query and download data and metadata from public and private sources – from throughout Europe - via a single-entry portal. It will provide access to data that has been harmonised into interoperable formats and that includes agreed standards, common baselines or reference conditions and assessments of their accuracy and precision.
Data & Products
EMODnet Human Activities makes available information such as geographical position, spatial extent of a series of activities related to the sea, their temporal variation, time when data was provided, and attributes to indicate the intensity of each activity. The data are aggregated and presented so as to preserve personal privacy and commercially-sensitive information. The data also include a time interval so that historic as well as current activities can be included.
The information provided through the portal is collated from a variety of sources, harmonised and made interoperable. Data are free and free of any restrictions, in such a way as to ensure their use from a multitude of stakeholders, such as companies, policy makers, researchers, students, spatial planners, etc.
Products overview
| Theme | Activity | Geographical Type | Attributes |
|---|---|---|---|
| Aggregate Extraction | Aggregate Extraction | Points and polygons | Gravel extracted per year, area of activity |
| Algae Production | Macroalgae (seaweed) | Points | Species, owner name, production method, production details |
| Microalgae | Points | Species, owner name, production method, production details | |
| Spirulina | Points | Species, owner name, production method, production details | |
| Aquaculture | Finfish Production | Points | Species of fish and shellfish; production tonnage per year |
| Shellfish Production | Points | Species of fish and shellfish; production tonnage per year | |
| Freshwater Production | Points | Species of fish; production tonnage per year | |
| Cables | Telecommunication Cables (schematic routes) | Lines | Types of cable or pipeline, width |
| Landing Stations | Points | ||
| Telecommunication Cables (actual route locations) | Lines | ||
| Cultural Heritage | Ship Wrecks | Points | |
| Lighthouses | Points | ||
| Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology and Landscapes | Points | ||
| Desalination | Desalination plants | Points | Country, customer, feedwater, holding company, type, technology |
| Dredging | Dredging | Points | Status (years operational), purpose |
| Energy | Nuclear Power Plants | Points | Status, construction year, criticalities, fuel type, capacity, model type, water source |
| Ocean energy project Locations | Points | Type, status (planned, under construction, operational) | |
| Ocean energy test sites | Polygons | ||
| Wind Farms | Points and polygons | Number of turbines, generation capacity, status (planned, under construction, operational) | |
| Environment | Protected Areas | Polygons | Legal basis for protection |
| State of Bathing Waters | Points | ||
| Fisheries | Fisheries zones | Polygons | ICES and FAO nomenclature |
| Fish Catches | Polygons | Tonnes live weight | |
| Fishing Effort | Polygons | Country, Fishing days, Days at sea, GT fishing days, KW fishing days | |
| Fishing Intensity | Polygons | Average MW fishing hours, Average surface swept area ratio, Average subsurface swept area ratio | |
| Fish Sales | Points | Value, volume, price | |
| Oil and Gas | Active Licenses | Polygons | Status (exploration, exploitation) |
| Boreholes | Points | Status (exploration, exploitation) | |
| Offshore Installations | Points | Distance from coast, Name, Operator, Primary Productions, Production Start, Status, Operational, Water Depth | |
| Main Ports | Traffic | Points | Traffic |
| Maritime Spatial Planning | Spatial Plan Area | Polygons | |
| Zoning Areas | Polygons | ||
| Zoning Lines | Lines | ||
| Zoning Locations | Points | ||
| Military Areas | Military Areas | Polygons | Use |
| Other Forms of Area Management/ Designation | Other Forms of Area Management/ Designation | Polygons | National or international basis |
| Pipelines | Pipelines | Lines | |
| Shipping Density | Vessel Density | Raster | Number of routes per square km per month |
| Route Density | Raster | Number of routes per square km per month | |
| Waste Disposal | Dredge Spoil Dumping | Points and polygons | Status (years operational), distance from coast |
| Dumped Munitions | Points and polygons | Distance from coast, munition type | |
| Waste at ports | Points | ||
| Urban waste water treatment | Points | Discharge points, treatment plants |
Data sources
EMODnet Human Activities deals with a diverse set of marine and maritime human activities. As a result, data feeding into the portal comes from a multitude of public and private data sources at EU, international, national, and local level. Each partner of the consortium is in charge of surveying existing data sources for a given activity.
Approach and Product development
The Human Activities team are focusing on completing data collection, securing business continuity and streamlining data transmission through a Memorandum of Understanding with data sources.
The approach adopted is that as far as possible each activity should be covered by a single source that can provide data for all EU sea basins. This makes it possible to obtain complete and already harmonised datasets, thus reducing the risk of data gaps. When it is not possible to have a single source covering an entire activity, of course national and local sources will be surveyed. In addition, as a general rule, EU and other public sources are privileged in order not to duplicate existing initiatives, ensure data continuity and reliability, and provide data with as few restrictions as possible. All datasets available on the portal are complemented with INSPIRE-compliant metadata, so as to provide Human Activities users with complete information on the way data are processed.
Key services
Users can view, query, and download datasets or subsets of them, via web GIS. Metadata are also available for download. The portal (currently) offers access to the following products:
- Aggregate Extraction
- Algae Production
- Aquaculture
- Cables
- Cultural Heritage
- Desalination
- Dredging
- Energy
- Environment
- Fisheries
- Oil and Gas
- Main Ports
- Maritima Spatial Planning
- Military Areas
- Other Forms of Area Management/Designation
- Pipelines
- Shipping Density
- Waste Disposal
Background
The Human Activities portal development begun in September 2013.
Communication
In this section you will find thematic-specific communication material, and a direct link to the video gallery.