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SoMaP Information Requirements

The project has a defined work package to understand the information requirements for a Solent Marine Planning system. The work package requires the project to:

1. Scope GIS mapping with local and national data experts. Set-up a local web-based GIS visualisation to spatially represent data collected.
2. Agree sectors to be covered. Look at Solent Forum Strategic Guidance to inform this.
3. Agree the data and information requirements to describe the physical and biological environment and sectoral uses, and their spatial distribution. To include policies, plans, strategies and activities. Agree matrix framework which can be searched by a/sector b/location c/ Governance level d/ Terrestrial, coastal or marine.
4. Assess degree to which policies are operationalised into specific targets/breakdowns which are SMART, so planners can work with them.
5. Agree what data and information will be collected within the project with tiers of importance 1/ Collect all policy data 2/begin to collect all other data such as a/plans b/activities for agreed case studies.
6. Link with Stakeholder Engagement Plan to communicate back findings to stakeholder.

In order to understand the information requirement for the project a specific data group has been established. The group met in May 2009 (download the minutes from the SoMaP resources page) and as well as defining its role, agreed the approach to take in collecting and presenting information. The group agreed that the project needed to take a Top-down approach rather than Bottom-up approach. In other words there is a need to frame the type of information to be collected first, rather than employ a scattergun approach of collecting all possible data. Despite this, the project still can list or collate any data on activity that it is provided/comes across. The Eastern Channel MCZ Project will be much more concerned with actually collection national, regional and local datasets and therefore the SoMaP Project can much more usefully target the information it requires to aide planning. The Solent Forum web-site is an obvious first source of information and it already has DISC a metadatabase of Solent coastal and marine studies. Solentpedia is also a good source of plans and strategies in the Solent, listed under the managing our coast section. 

In December 2009, the Forum published an Information Requirements report that sets out in more detail what information is required for SoMaP and how it will be collated.

The information to be targeted is Statutory and non-statutory plans and policies for a whole range of sectors operating in the Solent. Each plan or policy will be assigned a geographic boundary/polygon. The outputs will be a Solent Map showing each of these sectors and policy constraints to development/usage - it will include textual information showing policy. Maps may show boundary information, textual policy, jurisdictions, orders and bye-laws, codes of conduct for less organised sectors.   Policy information may include metadata on it such as: How policy agreed, how frequently reviewed. In the case of development policies, information may be sought on what plans are made by sectors and to what degree plans are assessed.