ABPmer to map UK shipping density and routes

ABP Marine Environmental Research Ltd has been contracted by the Marine Management Organisation to expand upon their recently published MMO1042 Shipping Activity Project. This latest commission will see the company provide mapping of UK shipping activity and data processing tools to produce UK spatial datasets from raw Automatic Information System (AIS) data.

The work will allow the Steering Group (MMO, the Department of the Environment Northern Ireland, the Welsh Government, Marine Scotland and the Crown Estate) to improve their shipping data capabilities, leading to a better understanding and management of marine socio-economic activities and resources.

Stephen Hull, Project Director said: "We are delighted to be given the opportunity to take forward our work on how AIS data can inform marine planning and management. As well as creating baseline maps of UK shipping use, we will also develop open source tools that will allow the MMO and other devolved administrations to create data to inform marine planning and marine licensing. The project represents a step change in the use and presentation of commercial shipping AIS data and will be of interest to the wider marine community."

ABPmer is a leading UK marine consultancy that has been developing methods to integrate socio-economic data with environmental planning for more than a decade.