Human activities, climate change, and transitions in energy, food, and nature are leading to changes in the North Sea ecosystem. A healthy and resilient North Sea is important for all of us. To monitor the ecological capacity of the North Sea, understanding the ecosystem and its changes is essential. Monitoring is a crucial tool for this purpose. With the Digital transformation of Ecological Monitoring (DEM) project, we aim to make ecological monitoring by the government better, more sustainable, and easier to perform.
Digital transformation boost for Ecological Monitoring
Ecological monitoring looks at all aspects of the North Sea ecosystem: plants, animals, and microorganisms (the biotic aspects) as well as the environment and conditions in which they live (the abiotic aspects). This can include the movement behavior of bats, the distribution pattern of phyto- and zooplankton, fluctuations in water temperature, or current speeds in the water column. Digitalization offers opportunities to better capture these aspects.
Measurements are often taken at a limited number of moments and locations. There is a need for more regular, detailed, and efficient monitoring, spread over a wider area of the North Sea. The DEM project supports the development and implementation of the digital tools, methodologies, and techniques needed for this. Think of buoys that can simultaneously collect biotic and abiotic data, or artificial intelligence for automated bird and marine mammal recognition.
What do we aim for?
- More data
- More sustainable data collection
- More cross-pollination (combining measurements)
- Utilizing technological possibilities, integrating new methods
- More knowledge, a better-informed government, scientific added value
- Continuous and automated measurements
- Aligned with and serving ongoing initiatives
Affiliated with and serving current initiatives
The DEM project runs from 2024 to 2028 and is carried out on behalf of the Ministries of Economic Affairs and Climate Policy (EZK) and Agriculture, Nature, and Food Quality (LNV). DEM is housed at the Maritime Information Provision Service Point (MIVSP) of Rijkswaterstaat.
In executing our mandate, we closely collaborate with MONS (research on the effects of energy, food, and nature transitions commissioned by the North Sea Consultation), Wozep (research on the ecological effects of offshore wind energy commissioned by EZK), MWTL (measurements of the chemical and biological composition of national waters commissioned by the Ministry of Infrastructure and Water Management), and WOT-NM (nature and environment-related research commissioned by LNV). We also leverage the expertise within Rijkswaterstaat in measurements, data access, and the deployment of ships.
