Our national role

UK National Marine Data Centre

As a national facility for looking after and distributing data concerning the marine environment we have a range of roles and responsibilities

• The National Oceanographic Database
  BODC maintains and develops the National Oceanographic Database (NODB). The NODB is a collection of marine data sets originating mainly from UK research establishments.
• UK Tide Gauge Network
  BODC manages the data for the UK Tide Gauge Network. The network records tidal elevations at 43 locations around the UK coast. It is part of the National Tide & Sea Level Facility (NTSLF).
• The designated marine data centre for the Natural Environment Research Council (NERC)
  BODC is one of six designated data centres that manage NERC's environmental data.
• An accredited Data Archive Centre (DAC) within the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN)
  BODC is one of seven accredited centres and has specific responsibility to archive water column oceanographic data.
• Project data management
  BODC performs data management for numerous UK marine projects.

Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN)

BODC hosts the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) core team. MEDIN is a UK group working together to improve access and stewardship of marine data. The group comprises over 30 partners representing the whole marine sector, from government departments to research institutions to private companies. MEDIN is an open partnership that welcomes new members. Its key areas of work are:

• establishing a network of marine data archive centres

• building a marine data portal

• providing a source of standards and guidance for data and metadata for the community

• delivering data to international databases

• facilitating workshops and forums

For more information about MEDIN visit its web site which has been set up to provide access to marine data and information. MEDIN also produce a quarterly newsletter 'Marine Data News', which provides regular updates on marine data activities across the marine community.

MEDIN reports to the Marine Science Coordination Committee (MSCC) (formerly the Inter-Agency Committee on Marine Science and Technology), a government committee with two primary purposes:

• develop and implement the UK Marine Science Strategy, which will help deliver the evidence needed to fulfill the UK's Marine Objectives and other policy drivers
• improve UK marine science co-ordination in order to achieve effective delivery of the UK Marine Science Strategy