Local Government
SeaZone’s expertise and knowledge in marine science and GIS, combined with its data, software, training and associated services offer comprehensive solutions that are helping to meet marine related responsibilities of local government.
The UK coastline is under increasing threat from economic and environmental pressures and the protection of this valuable asset has never been more important. Local government has ever increasing responsibilities within the UK’s coastal zone and marine environment.
This includes:
- Strategic and town planning
- Engineering
- Emergency planning
- Flood and Coastal defence
- Archaeology
- Tourism
Authorities are responsible for producing statutory plans such as Shoreline Management Plans and Oil Spill Contingency Plans, whilst improving public and stakeholder consultation and complying with e-government initiatives.
There is a growing awareness that a key component to better informed decision making, planning and management is the availability of more sophisticated base reference information, especially in the marine environment and coastal zone.
The Right Tools for the Job
Public sector organisations have traditionally used paper charting, it being the only source of marine geographic information available. The Nautical Charts quickly become out-dated and are produced as a navigational aid, rather than a definitive marine map. They are infamous for irregular and missing contours, conservative depths and comprise selected subsets of information.
The groundbreaking geographic information base, SeaZone HydroSpatial, helps address these shortcomings. As the most significant innovation since the Admiralty began charting in 1800, SeaZone HydroSpatial provides local government operators with a complete and authoritative dataset of UK waters.
SeaZone is already working with a number of Local Authorities, including Devon County Council, where both SeaZone HydroSpatial and SeaZone Temporal Viewer software are helping to increase understanding of the marine environment and develop consistent techniques for emergency planning.
Devon County Council Case Study
At the Heart of Emergency Planning
Devon County Council is the second largest local authority in England and responsible for more than 650 kilometres of coastline. Famous for unspoilt beaches, Devon is one of the UK’s most popular tourist destinations but its coastline is increasingly under threat of pollution from shipping. Devon County Council recognises the value of delivering better-informed decisions and uses SeaZone HydroSpatial to prepare comprehensive coastal protection and emergency contingency plans.
SeaZone HydroSpatial – Saving Time and Money
Since introducing SeaZone HydroSpatial, Devon County Council’s emergency planning team has been able to model offshore environments in unsurpassed detail – achieving considerable time and cost benefits.
Simon Wilkins, Emergency Planner for Devon County Council, comments: “Clean up operations can cost as much as £5 million a mile, not to mention the danger that pollution poses to conservation areas, wildlife and tourism. SeaZone has opened our eyes to a new wave of marine geographic information and the data will become the centrepiece for all search and rescue, salvage and counter pollution strategies.”
“In particular, SeaZone HydroSpatial offers a complete wreck database, whereas previously Admiralty Charts only provided locational information for about 25 per cent of known wrecks in UK Waters. This is an invaluable tool to identify possible constraints on the seabed, the source of an oil leak or the best evacuation route in the event of an emergency.”
Delivering a Comprehensive Approach to Marine Management
In addition to strengthening Devon County Council’s emergency plans, SeaZone HydroSpatial is being used to plan thorough habitat mapping, marine archaeology and environmental measures. Devon County Council is currently pursuing offshore wind opportunities and will use SeaZone HydroSpatial to support the site selection, design and engineering process.
Simon added: “Offshore wind farms are set to play an increasing role in our sustainable energy supply. Using SeaZone HydroSpatial and SeaZone Temporal Viewer software presents the best medium to understand underlying wind, wave and tide conditions. This will make it easier and less time consuming to prepare and assess our plans as the renewable programme develops.”
Local Government Case Study
