Introduction

The UK Archive for Marine Species and Habitats Data (DASSH) is a data service and repository hosted by the Marine Biological Association (MBA) and run by the MBA Data Team.

Core funded by the UK Department for the Environment, Food and Rural Affairs (Defra), the Scottish Government and the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN), DASSH manages data regarding the presence and/or abundance of marine flora and fauna as well as habitat information and their geographical location within UK territorial waters (including UK overseas territories).

 

Mission

DASSH has a mission to provide tools and services for the long-term curation, management, active preservation, publication of and continued access to marine species and habitats digital objects within the UK and internationally, as well as to support creators and users of marine biodiversity data with guidance and expertise.

A Core Trust Seal and Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) partnership accredited data repository, we are committed to the FAIR Data Principles, to make marine biodiversity data Findable, Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable (FAIR), and the TRUST Principles which guide responsible stewardship by digital repositories through Transparency, Responsibility, User focus, Sustainability and Technology.

Partnerships

DASSH is an integral part of the MEDIN partnership, providing expertise, training and operating the Data Archive Centre (DAC) for marine species and habitats. MBA staff also deliver the UK Node of Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), a program component of the International Oceanographic Data Exchange (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC)-UNESCO), provide professional data services, and operate as the marine partner of iNaturalist UK. The Data Team run these alongside DASSH, working to ensure that UK marine biodiversity data flows nationally, regionally and internationally.

Through partnerships with other UK and European data centres, DASSH is connected into other data portals, including the NBN Atlas, EMODnet, EurOBIS and GBIF. 

Marine data repositories like DASSH provide an invaluable longitudinal record for research, conservation, policy and decision-making, public awareness and education, and monitoring global environmental change. By championing exceptional standards of long-term preservation, stewardship and collaboration, we provide a vital infrastructure for understanding and conserving the natural world.