Marine Intertidal Habitat Survey Maps and Data for Wales

Spatially-referenced survey data from intertidal communities in Wales, compiled by the Government Digital Service. Maps include biotope locations, species composition, access points, and photographs, with additional site information held in an accompanying database. The data has been validated and is used for coastal planning, environmental assessments, and conservation site evaluations.

Use Cases

• Producing Environmental Impact Assessments based on habitat and biotope distribution maps.
• Evaluating sites for designation as Sites of Special Scientific Interest (SSSI) based on species composition and habitat information.
• Developing sensitivity mapping for coastal areas using biotope location and geomorphology data.
• Establishing a monitoring baseline for intertidal features in marine Special Areas of Conservation (SAC).

Strengths

• Data has been subject to a validation process.
• Provides an integrated information resource linking maps to a database with site descriptions, geomorphology, and impacts.
• Includes spatially-referenced maps with biotope location, species composition, and photographs.

Limitations

• Sites are mapped once, representing a 'snapshot' in time with no clear update frequency.
• The public version has some information redacted; an un-redacted version requires a separate license request.
• Column-level documentation and sample data are unavailable, making field semantics unclear before download.

Provenance

Source

Government Digital Service

Collection Method

Compiled from spatially-referenced survey data obtained from different intertidal communities (biotopes).

Time Range

null

Freshness

Last updated date is unknown; freshness unverified.

Geography

Wales