To support planners in this sector, access to marine geospatial data is essential to find suitable sites for offshore wind and tidal wave energy generation. Accurate data also helps mitigate potential environmental issues, while ensuring the longevity and optimised performance of these installations.
Therefore, the challenge by UK Hydrographic Office (UKHO) in partnership with the Centre for Environment, Fisheries and Aquaculture Science (Cefas) invites participants to develop solutions that use marine geospatial data to help identify new areas for Offshore Renewable Energy and optimise the performance of existing infrastructure.
See also: UKHO launches updated seabed mapping service
Throughout the challenge applicants can access a wide range of geospatial and scientific data to help them develop key solutions. Selected applicants will then get to work alongside experts at both the UKHO and Cefas to develop a prototype product to test with users.
The winner will receive a chance to develop an alpha product to test in the Offshore Renewable Energy market, which is estimated to be worth £178 billion and employ more than 1.5 million people globally by 2030.
The offshore renewables sector is a vital pillar in the Blue Economy and has an important role to play in the fight against climate change. With significant potential, this sector must be supported with access to data to enable better decision making,
...Mark Casey, Head of Research, Design and Innovation at the UKHO, said.
We believe this project has the potential to accelerate high quality data synthesis relevant to offshore renewables and contribute to the de-risking of future developments, allowing the sector to contribute to meeting the UK government’s targets for renewable energy generation and net-zero emissions,
...Stuart Rogers, Chief Scientist at Cefas, added.
