Build and implementation of the OSPAR Data and Information Management System.

Descriptions

This tender is to carry out the build, implementation, maintenance and development of the OSPAR Data and Information Management System..Responses should consider the build phase, implementation and requirements for long-term maintenance and development of the system. Reponses to this tender should build on work undertaken to date and based on decisions taken by the OSPAR Commission..The monitoring and assessments that take place within the context of OSPAR generate considerable amounts of data and information on the state of the North-East Atlantic. Some datasets cover several decades and represent an important asset for informing on-going decision-making processes. A previous contract to develop options and specifications for an OSPAR Data and Information Management System to enable the management, flow, interaction, use and communication of data, information and knowledge that would be interoperable with other data and reporting initiatives recommended:.a. the decentralised way in which OSPAR data sets are managed is appropriate and should continue, the specifications build on this premise to (a) ensure that all data streams have the necessary infrastructure and metadata standards to allow interoperability and (b) that the data could then be drawn on by a centralised system.b. that critical preparatory work is required to improve data management.c. two scenarios for consideration using a modular approach, enabling development to be undertaken in phases, according to ambition and available resources.d. that there are significant costs for OSPAR to continue with business as usual;e. the development and implementation of an information and data strategy would reduce costs associated with assessments of data and increase the accessibility and potential use of OSPAR data by Contracting Parties for delivering other obligations, including but not limited to the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD)..The system will be critical for realising ambitions of integrated spatial analysis, or developing more innovative assessments likely to be required to deliver ecosystem-based assessments. It has been recommended that the OSPAR information system should enable the interrogation of various datasets (both within and outside OSPAR) and present the results of assessments in a highly visual manner to make them understandable for decision-makers and external audiences..A task group has been set up within the OSPAR Coordination Group to guide the development of the system. A strategy for data and information management was adopted in 2013..Additional context:.Assessment and monitoring are key activities of the OSPAR Commission. This section sets out how the data and information are generated, how they are used (a) within and (b) outside OSPAR as well as current challenges in data management and use.a. Data use within OSPAR:Monitoring and assessment data are collected by Contracting Parties to fulfill obligations under OSPAR to deliver joint assessment and monitoring and includes contribution to the OSPAR Quality Status Reports (QSR), decadal integrated assessments on the quality of the marine environment of the North-East Atlantic, interim-assessments and periodic evaluations. All OSPAR measures (Decisions and Recommendations) also require implementation reporting, generate data sets and compliance reports.The OSPAR Convention itself also specifies a range of data, monitoring, and reporting obligations. Annex VI to the OSPAR Convention provides for cooperation in monitoring programs across these thematic areas, joint quality assurance arrangements, the development of scientific assessment tools, and the preparation of assessments. The data release arrangement principles stated in Annex III of OSPAR's 2005 Rules of Procedure state that:i. OSPAR is committed to making as much information as possible publicly available;ii. data-handling arrangements should be properly documented;iii. quality-controlled and comparable data sets are available for use; andiv. data-handling arrangements should make efficient use of resources, be clear and transparent, while protecting the privacy and confidentiality of individuals and commercial interests.In 2010, a renewed Strategy for the Joint Assessment and Monitoring Programme (JAMP) was adopted to provide a framework for developing OSPAR's monitoring and assessment programmes, with an emphasis on supporting work to implement the MSFD. In July 2011, a Report on Data Handling and Assembling within OSPAR was prepared by the Secretariat to assess the current situation, particularly in relation to Annex VI and JAMP. Key findings of the report included that: data streams were established at different times and are at differing levels of maturity; data are handled by different data handlers (e.g. OSPAR Commission Secretariat, specialised data centres, Contracting Parties) using different handling process, formats and standards; data reporting formats are inconsistent and may not always be adequate to deliver the information OSPAR needs; coordinated QA/QC processes are not in place for many data streams; there is no metadata system nor transparent link with final products; and data are held in different formats in different locations, with varying levels of accessibility..b. Data use outside of OSPAR:Data reported to OSPAR is also used by Contracting Parties to report against, national, regional and international obligations. It is the aspiration that data collected under the auspices of OSPAR should, where appropriate, contribute to the data and information needs for implementation of the EU Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), in particular of Art.19.3 (With regard to access to environmental information, Directive 2003/4/EC of the European Parliament and of the Council of 28 January 2003 on public access to environmental information (1) shall apply.In accordance with Directive 2007/2/EC, Member States shall provide the Commission, for the performance of its tasks in relation to this Directive, in particular the review of the status of the marine environment in the Community under Article 20(3)(b), with access and use rights in respect of data and information resulting from the initial assessments made pursuant to Article 8 and from the monitoring programmes established pursuant to Article 11.No later than six months after the data and information resulting from the initial assessment made pursuant to Article 8 and from the monitoring programmes established pursuant to Article 11 have become available, such information and data shall also be made available to the European Environment Agency, for the performance of its tasks ).Since marine regions or subregions are shared both between EU Member States and also with non-EU countries, the MSFD states that ‘where practical and appropriate, existing institutional structures established in marine regions or subregions, in particular UNEP Regional Sea Conventions [including OSPAR] should be used to ensure such coordination'. With this emerging role for the OSPAR Convention, there is an urgent need to ensure that existing data streams are interoperable and fit for purpose, and to streamline monitoring and assessment processes, to avoid duplication of effort in assessment and reporting.At the European level, the INSPIRE Directive established data infrastructures for spatial information established and operated by EU Member States, to ensure that they are compatible and usable in a Community and transboundary context. To facilitate use of OSPAR data by a wider audience and to meet MSFD reporting requirements, OSPAR must strive to achieve INSPIRE compliance.The OSPAR Convention also provides a regional framework for Contracting Parties to work together towards fulfilling their obligations under other international conventions and processes. Examples include the Convention on Biological Biodiversity (CBD) and the UN Regular Process for Global Reporting and Assessment of the Marine Environment, including Socio-economic Aspects (the World Ocean Assessment). In this broader context, interoperability with similar systems, e.g. those implemented through other Regional Seas Conventions, would also be desirable.