As explained on the Configurations page, any MSP Challenge edition is configurable to fit your own requirements. The best way to do this is by editing the basic configuration file of a particular edition.

The North Sea edition has a basic configuration with the following main parameters:

  • Start date January 2018, end date January 2050
  • So each of the standard four eras covers eight years:
    • Era 1: Jan 2018 - Jan 2026
    • Era 2: Jan 2026 - Jan 2034
    • Era 3: Jan 2034 - Jan 2042
    • Era 4: Jan 2042 - Jan 2050
  • Eight countries with each two or three objectives:
    • Orange (the Netherlands)
    • Yellow (Germany)
    • Blue (Denmark)
    • Purple (Norway)
    • Green (Scotland)
    • Red (England)
    • Pink (Belgium)
    • (France)
  • Dataset as stipulated on the Data sources page. See the North sea edition table.
  • Three background simulations:
    • Ecopath-with-Ecosim ecosystem simulation, and predefined ecosystem pressures (noise, artificial substrate, surface disturbance, bottom disturbance, fishing efforts and protection from fishing activities) generated from different human activities.
    • Shipping simulation, monthly ship traffic entering, leaving or within the Norht Sea region.
    • Energy simulation, existing offshore renewable energy areas, electricity cables and landing stations (landfall points) in the different countries. These simulate the curent energy flow of the existing infrastructure.
  • Restrictions and errors:
    • Errors when planning different physically-obstructing human activities on the same area, e.g. a wind farm on a shipping lane, or vice versa.
    • Warnings when planning human activities with defined ecosystem pressures in an MPA or Natura2000 site, or vice versa.

Data sources

Layer name Main category Sub category Source Last update
Topography NA (Background layer) NA Adapted from land.copernicus.eu 2018/04
Management Governance Cities Adapted from marineregions.org 2016/10
Country Info Wikipedia, other layers & common knowledge 2019/02
Rivers Adapted from naturalearthdata.com 2018/05
Territorial Waters Lines Adapted from marineregions.org/ 2016/10
EEZ Adapted from marineregions.org 2016/10
ICES Rectangles ICES ( International Council for the Exploration of the Seas) 2018/04
Military Areas Adapted from data provided by NorthSEE partner Rijkswaterstaat, the Netherlands, data from February 2014 2020/02
Environmental conditions Wind Speed Adapted from marine.copernicus.eu (mean speed at 10m height in 2016) 2017/10
Wave Height Adapted from marine.copernicus.eu (significant height of the sea) 2018/09
Currents speed Adapted from marine.copernicus.eu - mean speed in 2016 at 0m height 2017/10
Bathymetry Adapted from emodnet-bathymetry.eu 2019/11
Eutrophication Status Old version of game* NA
Sediments Old version of game* NA
Natural resources Fossil Fuel Availability Old version of game* NA
Sand & Gravel Availability Old version of game* NA
Activities Cables and pipelines Telecom cables Adapted from data provided by NorthSEE partner Rijkswaterstaat, the Netherlands 2017/05
Unused cables Adapted from data provided by NorthSEE partner Rijkswaterstaat, the Netherlands 2017/05
Energy Cables Data from Electricity Cables (non-editable) layer, rough estimations, and energy model requirements NA (estimated)
Cable Corridors None (empty by default) NA
Energy Cables (non-editable) Old version of game* with update for the Netherlands with data provided by NorthSEE partner Rijkswaterstaat, the Netherlands 2018/02
Pipelines Adapted from emodnet-humanactivities.eu 2018/04
Energy Wind Farms Adapted from ospar.org and merged with existing wind parks from NL obtained from the noordzeeloket.nl 2017/10
Wave Farms Old version of game* 2018/02
Tidal Farms Old version of game* 2018/02
Wind Farms - Areas of Search NorthSEE partners (Energy working group led by Marine Scotland - the Scottish Government) 2018/09
Wave Farms - Areas of Search NorthSEE partners (Energy working group led by Marine Scotland - the Scottish Government) 2018/09
Tidal Farms - Areas of Search NorthSEE partners (Energy working group led by Marine Scotland - the Scottish Government) 2018/09
Landing Stations No source - Stations/Sockets are drawn in based on rough estimations or energy model requirements NA (estimated)
Converter Stations No source - Converters/Transformers are drawn in based on rough estimations or energy model requirements NA (estimated)
Oil & Gas Installations emodnet-humanactivities.eu 2018/04
Oil & Gas Licensed Areas emodnet-humanactivities.eu 2018/02
Shipping Dumping areas EMODnet in combination with data from the noordzeeatlas.nl 2018/03
Sand & Gravel Extraction Old version of game* in combination with data from noordzeeatlas.nl 2018/04
IMO Routes Adapted from shapefiles received from NorthSEE partner World Maritime University 2018/05
National Shipping Lanes Adapted from naturalearthdata.com 2017/10
Ports Old version of game* NA
No shipping zones Adapted from shapefiles received from NorthSEE partner World Maritime University 2018/05
Wreckages Old version of game* NA
Anchorages Old version of game* + shipping data from NorthSEE partner World Maritime University (BE and NL EEZ only) 2018/05
Precautionary Areas None (empty by default) NA
Shipping intensity passenger (static layer) Adapted from emodnet-humanactivities.eu/ 2019/11
Shipping intensity tanker (static layer) Adapted from emodnet-humanactivities.eu/ 2019/11
Shipping Intensity cargo (static layer) Adapted from emodnet-humanactivities.eu/ 2019/11
Shipping activity Shipping intensity (dynamic layer) In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - all ship types together NA (simulated)
Ferry shipping intensity (dynamic layer) In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - ferry ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Passenger shipping intensity (dynamic layer) In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - passenger ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Tanker shipping intensity (dynamic layer) In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - tanker ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Maintenance shipping intensity (dynamic layer) In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - maintenance ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Cargo shipping intensity In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - cargo ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Shipping risk In-game data comes from Shipping simulation (SEL) - all ship types together NA (simulated)
Recreational Recreational Interest Old version of game* NA
Lighthouses Adapted from emodnet-humanactivities.eu 2018/04
Aquaculture Aquaculture Old version of game* NA
Fishing Bottom Trawl Catch Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA
Drift and Fixed Nets Catch Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA
Industrial and Pelagic Trawl Catch Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA
Ecology Protected Areas Natura 2000 protectedplanet.net 2016/12
Marine Protected Areas protectedplanet.net 2016/12
No Industrial trawl fishing Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
No borrom trawl fishing Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
No nets fishing Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
Pressure Noise Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
Artificial substrate Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
Bottom disturbance Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
Surface disturbance Pressure calculation (MEL) NA (simulated)
Macrobenthos Benthic invertebrates Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Fish Cod Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Demersal fish Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Flatfish Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Mackerel Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Herring Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Sandeel Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Birds and mammals Windfarm indifferent seabirds Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Windfarm avoiding seabirds Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Cetaceans Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Seals Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Biodiversity Indicator Shannon Diversity Indicator Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Large Fish Indicator Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)

* data used in the previous version of the game, unknown source.

This page was last edited on 12 March 2020, at 11:05. Content is available under GPLv3 unless otherwise noted.