©SNH

Mobilising Marine Benthic

Survey Datasets

Rona Sinclair

Policy and Advice Officer - Marine Data

rona.sinclair@nature.scot

Site Condition Monitoring (SCM)

in the Sound of Barra

Overview

Why do we collect data?

Data management principles

Data acquisition & flow

(Sound of Barra case study)

Data processing and mobilisation

Where can you find data?

Interactive Session

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Why do we need to collect data? Marine benthic data underpins SNH advice:

Casework

e.g. Aquaculture, renewables development

Protected Area Designation

e.g. MPAs, SACs

Management measures

e.g. Fishing gear restrictions

Monitoring of Annex I and Annex II features

Data Management Principles Ensuring data integrity

Accurate

Consistent

Reliable - QC & QA

Re-usable – Discovery Metadata

Accessible - Mobilised

©SNH

Data Management Principles The data pathway

Collection Processing (QA)

and storage

Archival/Discovery

Mobilisation

The Sound of Barra

The Sound of Barra

Annex I site protected features:

Sandbanks which are slightly

covered by sea water all the time

Reefs

Site condition monitoring

9 monitoring boxes

Maerl and Seagrass beds

Monitor features

Assess change over time

©SNH

©SNH

©SNH

From the field to data mobilisation SCM survey design

e.g. infaunal grab (left) and drop-down video (right)

The Sound of Barra SCM Survey design

SNH Commissioned Report No’s. 959 and 961 (2017)

Determination of:

Species abundance

Biotope occurrence

What do we do with this data? Mobilisation: Discovery Metadata

MEDIN Discovery Metadata Editor tool

Produces metadata compliant to UK Gemini

and European INSPIRE standards and MEDIN

Publishes searchable information about

datasets to the MEDIN portal and Data.gov

What do we do with this data?

Mobilisation: Discovery Metadata

What do we do with this data?

Mobilisation: Discovery Metadata

What do we do with this data? Mobilisation: MEDIN Data Guidelines

Monitoring

box

Survey Event

Sample Species

Sample Biotopes

Data Guidelines provide a list of information

that should be collected with data to ensure

that it can be re-used.

Tailored to different survey methods:

Video surveys of species and benthos

Grab/Core

Formats data to be compliant with MEDIN

(and INSPIRE) standards.

What do we do with this data? Mobilisation: MEDIN Data Guidelines

Monitoring

box

Survey Event

Sample Species

Sample Biotopes

What do we do with this data? Mobilisation: MEDIN Data Guidelines

Monitoring

box

Survey Event

Sample Species

Sample Biotopes

What do we do with this data? Mobilisation: MEDIN Data Guidelines

Monitoring

box

Survey Event

Sample Species

Sample Biotopes

What do we do with this data? Mobilisation: MEDIN Data Guidelines

Monitoring

box

Survey Event

Sample Species

Sample Biotopes

Where can you find marine data?

Publically available: a vision and a requirement

MEDIN – metadata http://portal.oceannet.org/portal/start.php

Data.gov https://data.gov.uk/

EMODnet http://www.emodnet.eu/

SNH’s Natural Spaces – downloadable shapefiles https://www.nature.scot/information-

library-data-and-research/snhi-data-services

NBN Atlas https://nbnatlas.org/

OBIS http://iobis.org/

Marine Scotland MAPS NMPi https://marinescotland.atkinsgeospatial.com/nmpi/

Marine Recorder Snapshot (JNCC) http://jncc.defra.gov.uk/page-1599

Thank You!

©SNH

Interactive Session Now it’s your turn!

Break into 8 groups?

Materials:

1 map of site location

Some background info on the survey

A spreadsheet of raw data

20 mins to work on the task (13:30 – 13:50)

Key outputs

1. Discovery metadata - summary table with essential survey details

required to understand:

What the dataset contains

Where the data were collected

How users can obtain the data

2. What is the key information that must be collected with each

sample to enable meaningful analysis and re-use of the dataset?

3. Draw up a survey design onto the site map based on the MEDIN

Guideline data spreadsheet provided and numerically summarise:

Location

Survey Event

Sample – showing biotope splits where necessary

How did you do? Discovery Metadata summary table

Discovery Metadata Field Description

Survey name 2016 SNH Sound of Barra underwater video SCM survey

Organisation Scottish Natural Heritage and Marine Scotland Science

Survey date 19/04/2016 to 22/04/2016

Vessel platform MRV Alba na Mara

Survey location Sound of Barra

Number of sites 9 boxes: 35 drop video drifts

Keywords Habitats and biotopes, species distribution,

Interest features Maerl (and seagrass) beds

Methods/equipment HD drop-down video camera

Dataset lineage/quality (processing

steps)

HD DDV equipment resolution 1920x1080 and lower res ‘nav’ camera 720x576;

time date position and depth overlay. Digital still photos at intervals. Depths

converted to below chart datum. Species identified using semi-quantitative

MNCR SACFOR scale. Transects split into segments at changes in biotope

using time/position data.

Contacts Scottish Natural Heritage data supply

Latitude/longitude, depth, time, date, event and sample ID

1.

2.

How did you do? MEDIN compliant survey map

Monitoring

box

Survey Event

Sample Species

Sample Biotopes

• DDV tows

• Analysis of video footage

• Biotope splits determined

• Video tows split by

biotope to give

convention e.g.

SoB_1_V1.1 on entry to

MR

• Flow into MEDIN Data

Guideline format

3.