Bringing Land and Sea Together (BLAST)

Description:

The overall aim of the project is to improve Integrated Coastal Zone Management and Planning (ICZM&P) and maritime safety in a broad sense, by improving and contributing to harmonising terrestrial and sea geographical data, by developing planning and visualisation tools as well as improvement of navigation, in the context of climate change. The project will provide a prototype for land/sea interoperable database for testing by practitioners in a study area. The project will develop a conceptual model for integrated spatial planning utilising GIS, tools for spatial planning in respect to renewable energy plants, and a web based decision support system for ICZM in a transnational context. An important aspect of the aim is to structure and supplement geographical data and provide planning/management tools that are consistent between sea and land. From 2009 till 2012, four of the BLAST project groups will focus on the following tasks: (1) Address the needs of marine spatial planning, environmental protection, socio-economic development, risk management and mitigation, by delivering harmonised land and sea geographic datasets. (2) Explore practical tools, processes, and applications that the North Sea maritime community might use to implement the coming new generation of standards for marine information systems. (3) Improve vessel safety and efficiency, and enhance management of the environment through the design and development of a regional maritime traffic monitoring platform for the North Sea region. (4) Develop new common policies and instruments that will support coastal zone planning and management (ICZM) under the emerging climate change.

Project information

Lead

Norwegian Hydrographic Service (NO) Mr. Tore Haye

Partners

Norwegian Coastal Adminstration (NO); Aalborg University, (DK); lead for the WP "Climate Change in the Coastal Zone"); National Survey and Cadastre (DK); Danish Coastal Authority, DTU Space (National Space Institute) (DK); Local Government Denmark (DK); Federal Maritime & Hydrographic Agency (DE); Jeppesen GmbH (DE); T-Kartor AB (SE); Malardalen University (SE); Natural Environment Research Council (UK); Seazone Solutions Ltd. (UK); UK Hydrographic Office (UK); Agency for Maritime and Coastal Services (BE); Delft University of Technology, Faculty of Aerospace Engineering (NL)

Source of funding

Interreg IV B North sea