Seabed geology data: results from stakeholder consultation
BGS project seeks to improve understanding of national-scale seabed geology requirements
THE British Geological Survey (BGS) has collected valuable stakeholder feedback as part of a new Crown Estate-led initiative to improve understanding of national-scale seabed geology requirements.
The Crown Estate uses cutting-edge data to create safe, sustainable, and cost-effective new opportunities for future developments, in line with commitments to net zero and nature recovery.
BGS was approached by The Crown Estate to undertake a project aimed at better understanding the current and future requirements for national-scale seabed geology and shallow subsurface information across multiple marine sectors, focusing on offshore renewables, linear assets, and nature.
The project built on previous collaboration between BGS and The Crown Estate in 2014, which developed a series of geological factor maps relevant to offshore seabed activities, with the availability of new data and techniques providing a timely opportunity to review evolving needs.
Part of the project involved an online survey, which included more than 80 participants from at least 60 different organizations. Participants provided feedback about access and use, seabed geology information, thematic data needs, and where improvements to existing datasets or addition of new datasets could be made.
Alongside the survey, BGS undertook a review of existing seabed geology datasets and used this in conjunction with the survey results to inform recommendations for a potential new data compilation.
