Resource description:
Knowledge of marine and coastal datasets tends to be fragmented and/or difficult to access for the non-expert or ad hoc data user. To address this lack of information, this document provides an overview of global marine and coastal datasets of biodiversity importance, and also includes some datasets of regional interest. This non-exhaustive review has resulted in the identification of 128 datasets, databases, and data portals. Detailed standardised metadata are presented for 69 of these reviewed datasets. The various challenges, gaps and limitations that can be presented by coastal and marine data are also discussed. A set of four annexes provides a wealth of information, including background factsheets on topic areas.
Author/Contact:
Requirements:
- Publically available to be used by expert and non-expert users.
Advantages:
- This document provides an overview of global marine and coastal datasets of biodiversity importance, and also includes some datasets of regional interest.
- Standardised metadata sheets have been developed for each of the datasets available from UNEP-WCMC, as well as for other datasets internally curated by UNEP-WCMC that are not available through this online data portal.
Constraints:
- Datasets represented are limited in terms of spatial and temporal gaps and bias. Challenges of marine data collection, the different types of data gaps that exist and how these challenges are being overcome are discussed within the review.
DOI reference:
10.13140/RG.2.1.4785.5125
Licence:
- Free, no licence
Development stage:
- Full, working product