Aberdeen-based digital transformation consultancy Core29 has won a six-figure contract with an international marine protection organisation.
The OSPAR Commission, which represents 15 national governments and the EU, has awarded Core29 the contract to design a database to monitor and report on marine pollution into the North-east Atlantic.
Delivered in collaboration with Peterson Solutions’ aquaculture sustainability consultancy team, the 10-month project will deliver a new database for OSPAR’s Riverine Inputs and Direct Discharges (RID) programme.
The programme monitors discharges of contaminants from rivers into tidal waters or directly into the sea in the OSPAR Maritime Area and its regions. The 15 governments involved are Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Iceland, Ireland, Luxembourg, The Netherlands, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland and United Kingdom.
Core29 managing director Alan Dick said: “The combination of Core29’s database experience with Peterson Solutions’ extensive aquatic expertise means our partnership is uniquely positioned to develop and maintain a new database that will meet the evolving needs of OSPAR.
“We have put considerable effort into understanding OSPAR’s requirements to make sure we deliver a comprehensive, high-quality solution tailored to meet their very specific legislative and reporting needs.
“The new technology will allow OSPAR to better consolidate and understand its data and make it much easier to provide analytics and insights that are helpful to users, whether governing, environmental or regulatory.”
Dominic Pattinson, executive secretary at the OSPAR Commission, said: “We are looking forward to working with Core29 to update our previous system and improve the use of this important database to inform evidence-based policy decisions.
“The database performs an important function in assessing and monitoring levels of the metals cadmium, copper, lead, mercury and zinc, as well as other pollutants. The data supports scientific assessment of long-term trends in riverine inputs and direct discharges of hazardous pollutants.
“Core29 demonstrated they have the expertise and experience to design a system that will process data collected through regionally agreed reporting formats and quality assurance procedures and deliver the data in a format that suits the needs of our organisation.”