The European Commission announced, on 17 May, that it was putting on line a European Atlas of the Seas. The project, which has been set up as part of the aim to improve and connect up knowledge of the sea and oceans about the Integrated Maritime Policy , and is being launched in its test phase, is meant to offer professionals but also, if not especially, the broader public, information about the sea. The tool, needs to help users better understand the complexity of maritime space, the threats that it is faced with and also the countless opportunities that it offers in terms of economic development.
Presented in a dynamic format, the Atlas provides information on the marine environment in its strictest sense (sea depths, marine flora and fauna, undersea relief, tides, erosion, impact on climate change etc.) and on the various activities and their interaction, such as transport (volume of cargo and passengers, port statistics etc.), the development of offshore energies (wind, hydrocarbons, marine energy), fisheries and aquaculture (fishing areas, structure, volume and distribution of European fishing fleets, quotas). Information relating to tourism and to the specificities of coastal regions (demography and other economic data) are also available. The plan is for all this information to be updated every three months.
The Atlas is in English, French and German. The test phase underway will allow for the tool to be substantially improved, taking account of the interests and needs of users based on an open public survey from 17 May to 4 July 2010.
The maritime Atlas is at: http://ec.europa.eu/maritimeatlas
Source www.europolitics.info
