Meet MDE

Monday, April 19, 2021

Who we are

The UK seabed holds some of the richest resources in the world, underpinning the UK’s position as a global leader in offshore wind and as one of the world's most developed marine aggregate industries. The Crown Estate is uniquely placed to look at the bigger picture across a breadth of offshore sectors. The Marine Data Exchange is one tool used to address key consenting and planning challenges through better data sharing and encouraging evidence-based decisions.

Developed in 2013 as the first of its kind, the Marine Data Exchange manages offshore survey data collected by our customers throughout the lifetime of a project.

Once the survey data is no longer commerially valuable, we work with our customers to make the data accessable via this website.

What we believe in

Since the creation of the Marine Data Exchange (MDE) in 2013, we have worked closely with our customers to ensure that all survey data is delivered and that that data becomes freely available within a reasonable timeframe. Over the last seven years, we have worked with the industry to ensure that the data requirements are reasonable and consistent; both in terms of how data is delivered to us but also in the expectations of how this data is then made available to the public. This is a constantly evolving picture, as technology improves, working practices change and expectations develop.

In line with greater expectations of how the MDE can unlock value, an increased focus upon the environment and rapid developments in technology and tools to unlock data; we are committed not only to making data available through the MDE, but to also increase the usability of these data.