Data centre

Being able to assess the quality and level of completeness of data has become indispensable in marine biodiversity research, especially when dealing with large databases that typically compile data from a variety of sources. Very few integrated databases offer quality flags on the level of the individual record, making it hard for users to easily extract the data that are fit for their specific purposes. This article describes the different steps that were developed to analyse the quality and completeness of the distribution records within the European and international Ocean Biogeographic Information Systems (EurOBIS and OBIS). Records are checked on data format, completeness and validity of information, quality and detail of the used taxonomy and geographic indications and whether or not the record is a putative outlier. The corresponding quality control (QC) flags will not only help users with their data selection, they will also help the data management team and the data custodi...

In this data paper, Bird tracking-GPS tracking of Lesser Black-backed Gulls and Herring Gulls breeding at the southern North Sea coast is described, a species occurrence dataset published by the Research Institute for Nature and Forest (INBO). The dataset (version 5.5) contains close to 2.5 million occurrences, recorded by 101 GPS trackers mounted on 75 Lesser Black-backed Gulls and 26 Herring Gulls breeding at the Belgian and Dutch coast. The trackers were developed by the University of Amsterdam Bird Tracking System (UvA-BiTS, http://www.uva-bits.nl). These automatically record and transmit bird movements, which allows us and others to study their habitat use and migration behaviour in great detail. Our bird tracking network is operational since 2013. It is funded for LifeWatch by the Hercules Foundation and maintained in collaboration with UvA-BiTS and the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ). The recorded data are periodically released in bulk as open data (http://dataset.inbo.be/bird-tracking-gull-occurrences), and are also accessible through CartoDB and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF).

An integrated database on meiofauna was developed with the funding of the European Union Network of Excellence on Marine Biodiversity and Ecosystem Functioning (MarBEF). The general aim of the project was to integrate the available information on the structure, dynamics and functional role of marine meiofauna, and in particular nematodes and harpacticoid copepods, into a single database to perform joint analyses. Data collection started in December 2005 and lasted for fifteen months. 83 datasets have been captured. The collected data ranged from the deep-sea to the coastal zone and from the Arctic to the Antarctic, with a focus on the NorthEast Atlantic region and the North Sea. Meiofaunal data were available for almost 1300 stations, representing some 140 000 distribution records. After a thorough quality control and standardisation, all the received data were uploaded into a value added database using relational database management technology. The integrated database has built-in functionalities, such as sub-selection of datasets based on spatial and/or temporal boundaries, exclusion of rare taxa and combination of data on user-defined taxonomic levels. The database also allows the calculation of a variety of diversity indices. Finally, data can be exported to a commonly used data format in statistical analysis software. The advantages of an integrated database include standardisation of species lists, data quality control and bringing together large amounts of information varying over space and time. This allows the users to test hypotheses using data that could never have been collected by the individual scientists involved, thereby greatly increasing the strength of the obtained results and interpretation. Crucial to the success of compiling an integrated database is the data sharing attitude of the contributing scientists and a firm, underpinning data policy.

The following contribution presents the complete Biological Valuation Map (BVM) of the 14 Basque continental shelf and estuaries, using the methodology developed for the Belgian 15 Continental Shelf. It includes all available biological data (zooplankton, macroalgae, 16 macrobenthos, demersal fish, seabirds and cetaceans), from 2003 to 2010. BVMs aim at the 17 compilation of all available biological and ecological information for a selected study area, 18 allocating an integrated intrinsic biological value, to the subzones within the study area. Here, 19 the results highlight specific areas (such as Jaizkibel or Cap Breton Canyon), as having high or 20 very high integrated BV, using all of the components. Furthermore, some biodiversity 21 "hotspots" have been identified, according to a specific ecosystem component (e.g. mid-parts of 22 the Oka estuary, for macroalgae; and the Cap Breton Canyon, for cetaceans). Comparison with 23 the results obtained from other European countries, and with previously high-importance 24 delimited zones within the study area, showed similar spatial trends and patterns. Marine 25 Biological Valuation (BV) has increased in importance in recent years, due to the need of 26 establish accurate maps of biodiversity value. However, there have not been too many 27 exercises undertaken in Southern Europe, in putting a value on marine biodiversity whilst 28 looking at several biological components, at the same time. Therefore, the objectives of this 29 contribution are: (i) to analyse and establish a spatial ecological value map of the continental 30 shelf of the Basque Country (southern Bay of Biscay), using present BV methods; (ii) to 31 compare the results obtained to other European countries; and (iii) to explore the application of 32 these results to the Marine Spatial Planning (MSP) and the Marine Strategy Framework 33 Directive (MSFD) requirements. This map can serve as a baseline for future MSP and can also 34 be used for the determination of the environmental status, within the European MSFD, for the 35 qualitative descriptor 1 (biodiversity).

The Belgian coastal zone hosts a complex of space-and resource-use activities with a myriad of pressures. Specifically at the beaches, predictions on sea-level rise, storms and flood risk from the North Sea have led to several big coastal defence projects. Management of sandy beaches is therefore a multifaceted and complex endeavour, where the interests of several stakeholders need to be combined and where biodiversity should be taken into account.

The Belgian part of the North Sea (BPNS) is one of the most exploited areas of the North Sea and this necessitates more sustainable use of its resources and space. Policy makers are becoming more and more aware of this fact but to be able to implement sustainable policy actions they need baseline maps showing the intrinsic biological value of the different subzones within the BPNS. Due to the lack of such maps in the past they based their policy actions (e.g. implementations of windmill farms, site selection for sand extraction,…) on the expert judgement of scientists and stakeholders. Having these maps which compile integrated biological knowledge will allow them to avoid the most valuable sites of the area during future spatial planning activities.