Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

 

Baltic Marine Environment
Protection Commission

    Data policy

    HELCOM Data and Information Strategy
    The updated HELCOM Data and Information Strategy was adopted by HELCOM 40-2019 and full version can be accessed from HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment Strategy (Attachment 2, page 16)

    Access to data and data products
    4.1 All HELCOM monitoring data should be openly accessible online via web services or downloading
    functionality using common standards and ensuring that relevant quality control and validation procedures have been implemented to published datasets.

    4.2 Access to data and data products is done using following tools/services:

    • Thematic databases (observations/measurements) made available by data host or HELCOM
      Secretariat
    • HELCOM Map and Data service for viewing spatial datasets and data products resulting from
      HELCOM assessments
    • HELCOM Metadata catalogue for searching and downloading spatial datasets and data
      products resulting from HELCOM assessments

    4.3 Thematic datasets will be made publicly available according to the format and data model as described
    by relevant HELCOM Group

    4.4 Pointwise observation data or data containing sensitive information may need to be aggregated (e.g. by
    gridding to a standard grid) for publication.

    4.5 Spatial datasets and data products made available in HELCOM Map and Data service and HELCOM
    Metadata catalogue will be made available according to following standards:

    • Metadata records: INSPIRE (ISO 19115) compliant metadata record for each dataset and data
      service, enabling persistent URL reference to a metadata record
    • Accessibility of metadata: Metadata records are served via INSPIRE compliant platform (CSW), which can be connected national, European or International metadata harvesting systems.
    • View service: INSPIRE (OGC WMS) compliant view service as well as ArcGIS REST interface
    • Download service: Direct download for each dataset / data product as zipped file package in respective metadata record enabling persistent URL reference to downloadable dataset

    Data use policy

    5.1 All monitoring data reported to a HELCOM database will be made publicly available as open data after
    quality assurance have been performed.

    5.2 All monitoring data reported to a HELCOM database should be referred to as a HELCOM dataset. The
    metadata of each record should contain information on data originating institute/organization.

    5.3 For each spatial dataset or data product originating from HELCOM monitoring and assessment activities,
    the data use conditions should be according to CC-BY license in order to allow copying, distributing, displaying
    and performing work on the data, given that the original HELCOM dataset is referenced as source.

    5.4 For each spatial dataset and data product, data use conditions/restrictions are spelled out in the
    metadata record of the dataset