Marine Institute welcomes EU study on the economic value of improved ocean data

Study to support Impact Assessment of Marine Knowledge 2020The Marine Institute welcomes the release of an EU Consultancy Report (8th July 2013) that highlights how better access to marine data can support growth in the blue economy by stimulating innovation and reducing uncertainty regarding operations at sea. The study provides a number of examples/case studies of how marine/ocean observations can contribute to, for example, better design of aquaculture cages, management of coastal erosion, protection of subsea cables and navigational safety, etc.

The study supports the views expressed by Marine Institute CEO, Dr Peter Heffernan, in his keynote presentation to the EU-Canadian-USA Trans-Atlantic Conference “The Atlantic: A Shared Resource” in Galway on 23rd May of this year. There, he presented a vision and justification for a European Atlantic Ocean Observation and Predictive Capacity (see: (www.marine.ie/AtlanticASharedResource).

The improvement of marine knowledge is one of the main objectives of the European Integrated Maritime Policy. In 2010, the European Commission in its Communication on Marine Knowledge 2020 presented a strategy on improving marine knowledge as a "key element to achieve smart growth in the European Union in line with the 'Europe 2020' strategy". The objectives of the Marine Knowledge 2020 strategy are to reduce operational costs related to data use, increase competition and innovation from marine knowledge and to reduce uncertainty on the state of the oceans and seas.

The study was undertaken by COWI A/S in cooperation with Ernst & Young. Copies can be downloaded from:

http://ec.europa.eu/information_society/newsroom/cf/mare/itemdetail.cfm…

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