Mapping & Modelling

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Submarine mapping

Shetland UHI has an established mapping background which is underpinned by the expertise of our staff. Our staff are trained in multiple GIS techniques including spatial analyst, tracking analyst, geostatistical analyst, advanced editing, and 3D analyst to name a few.

Our trained Geographic Information Systems (GIS) professionals can process, analyse, and map information for your project. GIS expertise at Shetland UHI is wide ranging across all our Services ranging from locational mapping (e.g. Marine Spatial Planning) to more complex mapping utilising interpolations and 3D visualisations (for example, bathymetry, vessel tracking, sediment depth, LiDAR information, and DEMs).

We have carried out several pieces of work using predictive habitat mapping and species distribution modelling: tools that provide useful information on possible locations of sensitive species and habitats when survey data is lacking.  Such models can provide a more cost effective approach enabling a more directed targeting of survey effort for your project.

Fisheries is an important industry for the economy, livelihoods, and food security. Understanding where fishers fish and how important those fishing areas are is a challenge for any project needing to carry out fisheries mapping. Available fishing ground data, at an appropriate scale, is limited in most cases and sometimes does not exist. We have carried out multiple projects analysing available data to produce suitable outputs for fishing grounds. In areas where fishing ground information is absent, our close and on-going working relationship with the fishing industry has enabled our staff to engage with fishers directly to produce meaningful, high resolution, fisheries maps.

We process, analyse, and store vessel tracking data (AIS) for the waters around Shetland and are able to apply these techniques to vessel tracking data from other regions. We also process, analyse, and interpret inshore VMS (iVMS) data, which provides information on fishing activity to local fisheries managers.

  • Biotope Mapping and Coding
  • Constraint Mapping
  • Fisheries Mapping
  • Habitat Mapping
  • Predictive Habitat Mapping
  • Recreation Mapping and Valuing
  • Species Distribution Modelling
  • Vessel Distribution Mapping and Analysis