Aims and objectives

The Marine Biological Association (MBA) is developing the Data Archive for Seabed Species and Habitats (DASSH) with funding from Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra).

DASSH is built on the existing extensive data and dissemination skills of the Marine Life Information Network (MarLIN) alongside the library skills experience of the National Marine Biological Library (NMBL) and the MBA's historical role in marine science. DASSH will safeguard marine benthic survey data (past and future) and make that data available as a national information resource to support marine science and better stewardship of the marine environment.

DASSH has two main aims:

to provide an electronic archive or digital repository of marine survey datasets and associated images, and
to develop a physical archive within the NMBL.

DASSH has the following objectives:

provide a digital archive for marine benthic survey datasets of both species and habitats;
provide a digital repository for marine benthic images and video, ROV image data and side-scan sonar image data;
provide facilities to transfer benthic survey data from a variety of sources and formats into a standard format, and progress the data to the DASSH archive and the National Biodiversity Network (NBN);
provide access to datasets via an on-line catalogue of both metadata and data via the DASSH Web site and the NBN;
work in collaboration with the Marine Data and Information Partnership (MDIP) and existing marine Data Archive Centres (mDACs) to develop and comply with national metadata and data standards;
collaborate with international biological data portals including the Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS) and the Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), and
provide a 'National' data archive or repository for marine benthic datasets.

In due course DASSH will also:

develop an archive for the long-term storage of physical datasets, e.g. scientist or expedition note-books, slides, video or film footage, and other 'at-risk' legacy materials,
and promote common data standards for the collation of marine environmental data and the network of UK marine data archive centres.

For further information please contact:

Dan Lear (DASSH Project Co-ordinator),
Marine Biological Association of the UK,
The Laboratory, Citadel Hill, Plymouth, PL1 2PB.
Tel: 01752 633291 / Fax: 01752 633102 / Email: dble@mba.ac.uk

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