About the Author/Organisation

The Marine Institute is Ireland’s scientific agency responsible for supporting the sustainable development of the state’s maritime area and resources. We do this through conducting applied research and providing scientific knowledge, advice and services to government, industry, the marine research community and the general public.

About the Project

The Marine Institute has developed Ireland’s Marine Atlas to view and download marine environmental and socio-economic Open Data for researchers, policymakers, and other stakeholders to support the sustainable management of marine resources. Ireland’s Marine Atlas supports environmental directives including the INSPIRE Directive, the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive.

Why it's a Showcase

Open Data from Ireland’s Marine Atlas also supports broader visualisation and understanding of our marine environment. The Sustainable Energy Authority of Ireland (SEAI) has incorporated data from Ireland’s Marine Atlas in Ireland's Marine Renewable Energy Portal for potential developers in the marine renewable energy sector, with many private sector companies now using these datasets.

Data from Ireland’s Marine Atlas has also been used to support the National Marine Planning Framework (NMPF) which underpins Ireland’s programme for Marine Spatial Planning. This is a two-way relationship with data products generated as part of the NMPF process also being made available through Ireland’s Marine Atlas.

Impact of the Showcase

Ireland’s Marine Atlas is an authoritative source of marine-related Open Data. It makes marine data findable and available for many users and applications that underpin national and international programmes supporting the sustainable management and development of our marine including for environmental, fisheries, renewable energy and climate-related issues.