Sunhild Wilhelms
Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency
Germany

Extended abstract

The German Oceanographic Data Centre (DOD), founded in 1967, started handling marine environmental data early in the late 1970s with the implementations of the Conventions of Helsinki (HELCOM – Baltic Sea) and Oslo-Paris (OSPARCOM – North Sea and Northeast Atlantic) which were both signed by Germany. Within their Monitoring Programmes various types of data had to be obtained: besides the “classical” physical and hydrographical data. Hydrochemical and biological information became very important at that time. The Conventions asked for regular assessments of the state of the seas for which data evaluations are a prerequisite. Already at that stage DOD was aware of the need of a tool for an integrated management of those different types of information. After a period of brainstorming and negotiations the “Marine Environmental Data Base (MUDAB)” of Germany was born. It was baptized in 1987 by virtue of a contract between the Federal Maritime and Hyrdrographic Agency (BSH) and the Federal Environmental Agency (UBA) which defined “MUDAB” as a joint project.

MUDAB is an in-house product of BSH and started as a hierarchical system. The “heart” of the database was built by the so-called “ROSCOPs” (Reports of Observations/Samples collected by Oceanographic Programmes – nowadays called “CSRs” – Cruise Summary Reports). They provide meta information on monitoring and research cruises such as vessel/platform used, scientists involved, geographical area, types of investigations made on board, methods used etc. The forms have to be submitted to DOD no later than two weeks after a cruise – they form the basis for linking the relevant data with the meta information. Some years later MUDAB was changed to a relational system, those days migrating from the Data Base Management System “OPEN INGRES” to “ORACLE”.
To date MUDAB stores information on 6388 cruises of 283 vessels/platforms with data on 700 different variables. Information is grouped either related to disciplines: physics, chemistry, biology and geography (with sub-groupings, see Table 1) or related to the medium in which the data were sampled: atmosphere, biosphere, hydrosphere, lithosphere, pore water, suspended solids.

Table 1: Groups of variables in “MUDAB”, related to disciplines (alphabetical order)

All data are stored together with their relevant information on methods and quality assurance. Before loaded to the database detailed checks are performed on the original data - intensive communications with data originators form an essential part of our work. National taxonomic species lists were developed for proper management of biological data.

MUDAB is subject to continuous development in order to meet current requirements for the up-to-date management of marine data. Besides the integration of new types of information, the optimisation of functionality of the database and retrieval and export tools plays an important role in data management (e.g. integration of a GIS). In parallel the amount of data is growing steadily. The data base stores actual as well as historical data. (The oldest data date back to 1873.)

Retrieval of data is performed on a network PC - either guided by a menu or by using SQL. As starting point for your data request you can choose the database or the GIS-interface.
There are several levels of retrieval:

1. Meta information via internet: www.bsh.de - Marine data - Observations - DOD data centre
2. Meta information in MUDAB: Cruise inventories, data submissions, core information (descriptions e.g. for platforms, stations, institutions, methods etc.)
3. Data/values

A variety of export forms is offered:

Alphanumeric: Tables, statistics, text information, formatted data (e.g. for submission to ICES)
Graphical: Cruise plots, charts, graphs
Users of MUDAB recruit from different groups: National and foreign scientists, German Ministries and Federal Agencies, national and international bodies as well as environmentally interested citizens and groups.
For the future on-line access to released data is planned. By implementation of improved technologies a 50% reduction of personnel will be achieved.