A new data portal signposting page, set up by eight organizations dedicated to sharing offshore information, is a one-stop shop providing easy access to North Sea facts and figures.

The UKCS Data Portals site has been set up by the Offshore Energy Digital Strategy Group (DSG) and signposts to data from Admiralty Marine, BGS GeoIndex, The Crown Estate, The Crown Estate Scotland, European Marine Observation and Data Network, Marine Data Exchange, Marine Environmental & Data Network, and the North Sea Transition Authority.

Each organization has agreed to share the information available on its individual sites in one convenient place.

Users will be able to access and cross-reference information that will aid effective decision-making and help to ensure that the North Sea is used to its full potential and that environmental rules are followed.

The portal follows a workshop run by the Digital Strategy Group in February this year, which highlighted the growing need for access to reliable information. This need is becoming more acute as more industries look to share space in the North Sea.

The site, which went live on November 6, is the first iteration; it is expected that further improvements, including standardizing terms, will follow in later updates.

Nic Granger, North Sea Transition Authority Chief Information and Financial Officer and Chair of the Offshore Energy Digital Strategy Group, said: “The North Sea is a vital resource for a growing array of UK industries which need to share information in order to make the best use of it.

“Easy access to reliable information enables businesses to make better decisions and support the UK’s ambitions for a strong economy, energy security, and environmental protection.”

The DSG was set up following the publication of the Digitalizing Offshore Energy Systems report, which called on the oil and gas and renewables sectors to work together to use the North Sea to its full capacity and reduce emissions to meet net zero targets.