MGDI: Information Infrastructure for the Marine Community Ice in ECDIS Workshop St. John’s, Newfoundland June 5, 2000

What is MGDI? Marine Geospatial Data Infrastructure (a really bad acronym!) Marine and freshwater component of Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) A national initiative to facilitate access to maritime data and information.

MGDI Vision “Simple access by all stakeholders to data and information that support management and sustainable development of Canada’s coastal and marine areas”

What is MGDI? “A collection of people, processes and technologies that enable access to spatio- temporal data and information as the basis for a multi-source, dynamic understanding of the world” (McKellar, pers comm, 1998) Many core technology elements of MGDI already exist. For example …

GPS...

…electronic charts...

...Electronic Chart Systems...

…multibeam bathymetry...

…real time monitoring...

...position reporting (AIS)...

…weather/sea state reports...

…integrated systems...

…spatial information systems.

MGDI - CCMC Perspective An initiative to - –support strategic technology development –build industry capacity and partnerships –capitalize on business opportunities

MGDI Partners GeoConnections –$60M national initiative to put Canada’s geographic information on the Internet –CCMC seat on Management Board –Marine Advisory Committee part of advisory network Department of Fisheries and Oceans –co-chair Marine Advisory Committee –responsible for national Oceans Strategy –$150K support to kick start the initiative

MGDI Strategy Link to GeoConnections Program –seat on Management Board (CCMC) –establish Marine Advisory Committee –establish Project Integration Office –establish links with other advisory nodes

Marine Advisory Committee Mandate: “Ensure that the full functionality of the Canadian Geospatial Data Infrastructure (CGDI) extends to, and serves the interests of, all marine stakeholders”

Project Integration Office Coordinate and manage implementation of MGDI –project development –linkages to other network nodes reports to Marine Advisory Committee

MGDI Strategy Build on existing technology and expertise Consult with stakeholders (workshops) Web site as meeting place/forum (to be up and running June ’00)

Building Consensus Enabling Components Marine User Communities

MGDI Strategy Establish ‘sector teams’ Develop strategic project plans based on workshop results Focus on ‘early adopters’ Link to other initiatives Develop international business opportunities (market the expertise)

“What we have here is an insurmountable opportunity.” Yogi Bera

7 workshops –Fisheries Habitat (February, Ottawa, ON) –Freshwater resource management (March 29, Toronto, ON) –Renewable resource management (April 4, Clarenville, NF) –Non-renewable resource management (April 6, Dartmouth, NS) –Coastal Zone Management (April 7, Halifax, NS) –Coastal Zone Management (April 10, Victoria, BC) –Marine Transportation (April 13, Montreal, QC) Others planned –Ocean Science (May 30, Vancouver, BC) –Offshore Oil and Gas (May, Calgary, AB) –Ocean Science (June, Halifax, NS) MGDI Workshops Summary

Total participation: 150 Participants asked to consider following questions: –What would you like MGDI to achieve? –Is there data or information that you need to have easier access to? –What are the barriers to information access in your area? –What opportunities do you see to leverage the GeoConnections Program?

MGDI Workshops Summary Key issues (all sectors): –simple access to information, not data, in real time or near real time ‘one stop shop’ (portal) intuitive search engine (‘use a map to find a map’) –increased awareness and user training –seamless ‘foundation’ DEM for all Canada lands (‘shoreline is merely an accident of history’)

MGDI Workshops Summary Key issues (all sectors) cont’d. –horizontal integration of vertically integrated information systems and government agencies (a policy problem)

MGDI Next Steps Refine ‘strategic vision’ and priorities (Marine Advisory Committee) Coordinate and facilitate project development (partners, leverage) (Project Integration Office) Continue stakeholder consultations

MGDI Sample Project List MGDI ‘prototype’ –benchmark technology –demonstrate and promote the concept DFO Habitat Management –manage referrals process Fisheries Information Management Information Project –improved fisheries management, coordination between regions/licensing systems

MGDI Sample Project List FISHnet –enable participation of fishers in management process (collectors of information as well as fish) Marine Electronic Highway –improved safety and efficiency of marine transportation Shared Data Repository –sharing of information by offshore O&G industry MGDI Portal –‘one stop shop’ access