Seabed mapping data to deliver added-value across marine tourism and business sectors
Tommy Furvey and Archie Donovan, joint INFOMAR managers
In 2013 INFOMAR (INtergrated Mapping For the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s MArine Resource) undertook a review to establish progress since 2008 across the three primary programme areas of activity; surveying, data provision, and encouraging associated research and development, or adding-value to the survey, infrastructure and data.
Unsurprisingly, performance was very strong in survey and data handling; however it was acknowledged that the reduced resources available to the programme (funding and staffing), impacted most on the latter area of value-added exploitation. To address this, INFOMAR is now working with the Dublin Business Innovation Centre to develop public awareness of the programme, and encourage new sectors to access and utilise the data for business development purposes.The long-term objective is to generate jobs and economic growth and leverage the maximum return on State investment in the seabed mapping initiatives.
INFOMAR continues to play a key role in supporting strategic and research-related, national and EU, marine survey and data related initiatives. In addition to operational activity, INFOMAR acts as a researcher, research coordinator, and research funder, and strongly encourages industry research partnerships. In parallel however, specific focus not centres on a number of key targeted areas that will have significant long-term impact on a broad array of marine sectors.
INFOMAR is now beginning to engage in a development role to accelerate take-up on business and technology opportunities associated with the programme outputs, including:
• developing a light tiled version of the data portal to support data use in mobile device Apps. This will enable a user to bring relevant tiled seabed data with them at sea, and out of gsm coverage
• developing a suite of INFOMAR Apps in partnership with key marine sectors to improve information services for on and in water activities, and decision processes. The first App proposed is a Diving App, promoting marine leisure and tourism
• educational outreach development incorporating production of a computer coding toolbox for marine field-based projects. This will encourage a new generation of computer literate marine science enthusiasts to familiarise themselves with the project outputs, and data applications, and develop technology solutions to utilise them
• building data architecture that will streamline third-party geo-referenced reporting, data, and image upload for the coastal and marine environment.
Use of geospatial mobile technology will encourage citizen science participation in monitoring and protecting our coastal and marine environment
Background
For the past 14 years, Ireland’s offshore waters and coastal seas have been subject to one of the largest seabed surveys in the world. The INSS 1999 – 2005 was responsible for mapping 81% of Ireland’s seabed territory from the exclusive economic zone delineation to the 200 m contour. The INSS was succeeded by the INFOMAR programme, tasked with mapping the remaining coastal waters.
Phase I (2006 -2016) focusses on 26 inshore priority bays and three priority coastal areas, while Phase II (2016 – 2026) will map the remaining un-surveyed Irish territory.
INFOMAR is a joint venture between the Geological Survey of Ireland (GSI) and the Marine Institute (MI). The programme is a successor to the Irish National Seabed Survey (INSS) and concentrates on creating integrated mapping products of the physical, chemical and biological features of the seabed in the near-shore area. It is funded by the Irish Government through the Department of Communications, Energy and Natural Resources.
Research
INFOMAR is the flagship mational scale programme to map all of the Irish valuable marine territory, which is almost ten times our landmass, and is being undertaken in conjunction with the Marine Institute. External economic studies have shown that the return on investment is over four times the cost of data acquisition, and importantly this return is spread across multiple sectors, public and private, including SMEs and Research organisations.
In 2013 the programme mapped over 3,000 km2 and was again reviewed externally, adjudged successful and on track. In December 2013, government committed a further €15m to 2018 to support continuation of the project. The data and knowledge being gathered under the INFOMAR programme is not being collected as an end in itself ; areas utilising the data include: marine safety/charting; offshore energy; aquaculture, coastal protection; environmental protection; shipwreck heritage and research.
Data acquisition methods and data types
• Single-Beam Echo-Sounding (SBES) • Multibeam Echo-Sounding (MBES)
• Shallow Seismic Reflection – Pinger/ Chirp
• Magnetometer
• Grab sampling/ drop camera
• Water column profiles (CTD/SVP) Site-specific data acquired include:
• Vibrocorer • Shallow Seismic Reflection – Sparker
• Side Scan Sonar
