The EU commission proposes the creation of a digital map of the European seabeds



The EU commission has adopted today the green Book "oceanographic Acquaintances" launch the proposal to create within a 2020 digital map of the European seabeds reuniting all the existing data, currently stopped from hundred of European agencies, in a coherent and accessible data bank to all. To such fine it has decided to start a consultation, that it will remain opened until next 15 December, in order to establish as this can be realized. One of the head physicians objectives of the initiative is to realize new opportunities of increase and occupation offered from the seas and the oceans in order to achieve the objectives of the strategy Europe 2020.

The EU commission has explained that the new digital map continuous multiresolution of the European seabeds will have to introduce the maximum resolution possible and to include aspects which the topography, geology, the habitats and the ecosystems. Moreover it will have to offer to an access to observations and information updated on the physical, chemical and biological state of the water column, accompanied from relative data to the impact of the human activities and from oceanographic forecasts. All these information will have to be easy accessible, interoperative and without use limitations. The system will have to be fed from a sustainable process that of better progressively the suitability to the scope persecuted and that aids the Member States to maximize the potentialities of the respective programs of observation, sampling and study of the marine atmosphere.

"The European economy - it has found Maria Damanaki, responsible European commissioner for the marine Transactions and the peach - can more benefit from an approach structured the acquaintance of the marine atmosphere. Such approach can improve the competitiveness of how many they operate per year in our seas and on our coasts in the measure of 300 million euros and create new per year opportunity for a value of other 200 million euros. The advantages deriving from a reduction of the uncertainty are more difficult to calculate, but esteem that, if it were possible to reduce of annual 25% the relative uncertainty to the future increase of the sea level, this would allow every year with the responsibles of the protection of the European coasts a saving of other 100 million euros. A first series of projects pilot has demonstrated the feasibility of such approach. We will be based on the instructions drawn from these experiences".