There are some very interesting and challenging times ahead resulting from increasing demand for offshore renewable development, mitigation of climate change and calls for better protection of the rich biodiversity of our seas.

Underpinning these changes is the increasing and overriding recognition of the importance of best available marine data and information, together with appropriate tools and expertise. GIS and SDIs are seen as vital to securing effective management, analysis and interpretation of data, essential to understand our marine environment and deliver better science and improved evidence-based decisions. Access to the highest resolution and most accurate data available, with the ability to use this information in a GIS environment, is hugely valuable: not only is it ef-ficient and crucial for business de-cisions but it also helps to protect the health and safety of workers, and the environment.
Most people think of the need for safe navigation of ships or other vessels as the primary requirement for marine geographic information, recognised as nautical charts produced by Hydrographic Offices. However, the information required for navigation is less demanding compared with that to support other marine activities, such as the site selection and development of an offshore oil and gas platform or wind farm, or for the assessment and identification of marine and coastal protected areas. Nowadays, the adoption of GIS for marine and coastal applications has likely been at a much slower pace; partly due to the historic proliferation and use of navigational charts outside of their designed application, and lack of appropriate data in GIS formats.

As a hydrographic profession, we should demand the need for greater collaboration between local and national agencies to ensure that marine and coastal data collection is co-ordinated and undertaken to appropriate standards. Creating an overarching policy would encourage agencies to be more open minded and promote wider uses of information. Only by working together can we address these challenges effectively and efficiently.