MDE User Case Study: Marine Mammal Consultant/Royal HaskoningDHV
To celebrate the use of marine industry data, we have created “MDE User Case Studies”
In this series of articles, we will be showcasing the different ways that data hosted on the MDE is helping to shape the future of our seas. From academics, to GIS experts, marine industry consultants and more, learn how YOU can shape the future of our seas, through open and accessible data & evidence.
"I’ve been really surprised and amazed by the variety and abundance of information that is hosted on the MDE, available to any user without any restrictions. I can recommend browsing through the categories, as you will most-definitely find a dataset that will improve your evidence-base for report writing.
Leonie Lepple
Leonie Lepple, Royal HaskoningDHV
I am a Graduate Marine Mammal Consultant at Royal HaskoningDHV, with a solid background in international survey work. Throughout my time at university and in my current job I have worked on a range of marine projects, including Environmental Impact Assessments (EIA) for a fin fish project in Oman, Habitat Regulation Assessments and Preliminary Environmental Impact Reports for offshore wind farms in the North Sea.
1. What is your job title and role?
I am a Graduate Marine Mammal Consultant and as part of my role within the marine mammal team, I provide marine mammal advisory services across a range of projects and sectors, delivering Environmental Impact Assessments, Habitats Regulations Assessment, European Protected Species licences and the development of mitigation plans such as Marine Mammal Mitigation Plans (MMMP) and Site Integrity Plans.
2. What themes of data do you use on the Marine Data Exchange?
- Coastal processes
- Epifauna and fish
- Geophysical
- Intertidal ecology
- Marine mammals
- Noise
3. How do you use the data on the Marine Data Exchange?
I am relatively new to using the MDE, but I have started to use the site for writing scoping reports on marine mammals for proposed offshore windfarms developments. Instead of datamining the depths of Google Scholar and the likes, I can quickly access the MDE and it provides me with actual survey data. The data is easily accessible and I am also able to use the Spatial Search feature to search for data in my specific areas of interest.
Here are some of the surveys I have been using for my reports:
