Around 15 System Administrators, Data Administrators and End Users who followed an Ocean Observatory Data training from 21 to 28 February 2018 received certificates yesterday at the headquarters of the Department of Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration in Belmont House, Port Louis.
The Senior Chief Executive of the Ministry of Defence and Rodrigues, Mr P. Jugroo, the Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, Dr Nomvuyo Nokwe, and the director of the Department of Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration, Dr Rezah Badal, were present.
The training is a joint initiative of the Department and the Commonwealth Scientific and Industrial Research Organisation (CSIRO) Oceans & Atmosphere, Australia. Participants were from the Department of Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration, the Government Online Centre, the Central Information Systems Division, the IT Security Unit of the ministry of Technology, Communication and Innovation. The resource persons were Mr Erin Tickell, Data Administrator, and Ms Sharon Tickell, System Administrator, from CSIRO.
The overall objective of the training was to provide participants with knowledge, skills and hands-on training to install and manage a deployment of the GeoNode software and effectively use the Ocean Observatory Database. The GeoNode software is a widely used platform which includes capabilities such as data storage and management, metadata management, web capabilities and the storage of related documents. GeoNode is an open source Geospatial Content Management System which allows data to be loaded into a geospatial database alongside connected metadata and document resources.
In his address, Mr Jugroo recalled that the blue economy is high on Government’s agenda as set out in Vision 2030. He emphasised that the ocean observatory is the backbone of marine spatial planning while adding that this tool is the first of its kind in Mauritius.
The Secretary General of the Indian Ocean Rim Association, Dr Nomvuyo Nokwe, emphasised the importance of marine data for the development of the blue economy and dwelt on the relevance and need for the implementation of the Ocean Observatory.
For his part, Dr Badal stated that by integrating various sources of information and providing access to relevant knowledge, the database will serve both as a guide to identify gaps in existing information and data and as a baseline for Marine Spatial Planning. The database will also ensure that data meeting the needs of industry and government authorities can be easily accessed and analysed. By providing relevant information, the database will also help to sustainably manage the maritime zones of Mauritius through informed policy decisions, he added.
The Ocean Observatory Database platform
The Department for Continental Shelf, Maritime Zones Administration and Exploration, with the expertise of CSIRO has developed an Ocean Observatory Database platform under the Indian Ocean Rim Association project Developing an Enhanced Ocean Observatory in support of Ocean Exploration and Development. The Ocean Observatory Database is designed to support the Marine Spatial Planning initiative of the Republic of Mauritius by providing a platform to collect, store, organise and provide access to spatio-temporal data relevant to ocean exploration and development.
Source: Government of Mauritius