Belgian LifeWatch observatory data and networks embedded in ‘Kustportaal’
Last Friday, the third edition of Compendium for Coast and Sea was launched. In this document the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) assembles the marine expertise in Belgium. A new feature of this edition is the ‘Kustportaal’, a coastal portal that generates map visualizations of a diverse range of marine themes. The sensor network and different data products of the Belgian LifeWatch observatory are included in this portal.
The initiative ‘Kustportaal’ is a portal for coastal and marine research in the Belgian Part of the North Sea (BPNS). Users varying from seasoned researchers to interested citizens can discover existing sensor deployments and data services. The portal therefore enhances accessibility of data and facilitates collaboration. Topics range from sensor networks to biodiversity measurements, as well as human use of the sea (eg. Areas for offshore wind farms or dredging). ‘Kustportaal’ offers concise information on all these topics, interactive maps to explore the data and transparent references to the sources of the data and services.
The Belgian LifeWatch observatory is featured in various aspects of the portal. Different sensor networks and their data are covered: the fish acoustic receiver network, the bird GPS tracking network and the cetacean passive acoustic network. The monthly LifeWatch sampling campaigns are represented in both biotic and abiotic sections of the website. For plankton, the densities of particularly interesting zooplankton taxa are displayed, whereas the concentration of chlorophyll a serves as a proxy for the amount of phytoplankton. For each of these stations, temperature and salinity measurements were displayed, as well as suspended particulate matter and nutrient concentrations. These layers give a glimpse of the data available from the Belgian LifeWatch observatory and invite users to access the exhaustive data sets on the LifeWatch data explorer.
Find out more on www.kustportaal.be!
Map visualization of Belgian LifeWatch
plankton data series on www.kustportaal.be.
The Belgian LifeWatch observatory is featured in various aspects of the portal. Different sensor networks and their data are covered: the fish acoustic receiver network, the bird GPS tracking network and the cetacean passive acoustic network. The monthly LifeWatch sampling campaigns are represented in both biotic and abiotic sections of the website. For plankton, the densities of particularly interesting zooplankton taxa are displayed, whereas the concentration of chlorophyll a serves as a proxy for the amount of phytoplankton. For each of these stations, temperature and salinity measurements were displayed, as well as suspended particulate matter and nutrient concentrations. These layers give a glimpse of the data available from the Belgian LifeWatch observatory and invite users to access the exhaustive data sets on the LifeWatch data explorer.
Find out more on www.kustportaal.be!
Map visualization of Belgian LifeWatch
plankton data series on www.kustportaal.be.
