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
Countries Management Governance Adapted from http://www.naturalearthdata.com (for whole region). 2017/01
Country Info Management Governance Wikipedia, other layers & common knowledge 2019/02
Cities Management Governance Adapted from http://www.marineregions.org/downloads.php#iceser 2016/10
Topography Management Governance https://land.copernicus.eu/pan-european/satellite-derived-products/eu-dem/eu-dem-v1.1 2018/04
Rivers Management Governance http://www.naturalearthdata.com 2018/05
EEZ Management Governance Adapted from http://www.marineregions.org/downloads.php#iceser 2016/10
Territorial Waters Lines Management Governance Adapted from http://www.marineregions.org/downloads.php#iceser 2016/10
Military Areas Management Governance Provided by Rijkswaterstaat, data from February 2014 2020/02
ICES Rectangles Management Governance http://gis.ices.dk/sf/index.html?widget=StatRec 2018/04
Wind Speed Management Environmental conditions http://marine.copernicus.eu/services-portfolio/access-to-products/?option=com_csw&view=details&product_id=WIND_GLO_WIND_L4_REP_OBSERVATIONS_012_003 - mean speed in 2016 at 10m height 2017/10
Currents speed Management Environmental conditions http://marine.copernicus.eu/services-portfolio/access-to-products/?option=com_csw&view=details&product_id=NORTHWESTSHELF_REANALYSIS_PHY_004_009 - mean speed in 2016 at 0m height 2017/10
Wave Height Management Environmental conditions http://marine.copernicus.eu/services-portfolio/access-to-products/?option=com_csw&view=details&product_id=SEALEVEL_EUR_PHY_L4_NRT_OBSERVATIONS_008_060) - significant height of the sea 2018/09
Eutrophication Status Management Environmental conditions Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Bathymetry Management Environmental conditions http://portal.emodnet-bathymetry.eu 2019/11
Sediments Management Environmental conditions Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Sand & Gravel Availability Management Natural resources Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Fossil Fuel Availability Management Natural resources Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Aquaculture Activities Aquaculture Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Ports Activities Shipping Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Anchorages Activities Shipping Old version of game* + shipping data from NorthSEE partner World Maritime University (BE and NL EEZ only) 2018/05
Wreckages Activities Shipping Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Sand & Gravel Extraction Activities Shipping Old version of game*, updated from https://www.noordzeeloket.nl/en/management/noordzeeatlas/ (2004) for the Netherlands (hand-drawn) 2018/04
Dumping areas Activities Shipping EMODnet + Update from https://www.noordzeeloket.nl/en/management/noordzeeatlas/ 2018/03
IMO Routes Activities Shipping Adapted from shapefiles received from NorthSEE partner World Maritime University 2018/05
National Shipping Lanes Activities Shipping http://www.naturalearthdata.com/ne_10m_roads/ne_10m_roads 2017/10
Shipping Intensity cargo (static layer) Activities Shipping https://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu/ 2019/11
Shipping intensity tanker (static layer) Activities Shipping https://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu/ 2019/11
Shipping intensity passenger (static layer) Activities Shipping https://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu/ 2019/11
Shipping intensity (dynamic layer) Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - all ship types together NA (simulated)
Ferry shipping intensity (dynamic layer) Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - ferry ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Passenger shipping intensity (dynamic layer) Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - passenger ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Tanker shipping intensity (dynamic layer) Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - tanker ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Maintenance shipping intensity (dynamic layer) Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - maintenance ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Cargo shipping intensity Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - cargo ship traffic only NA (simulated)
Shipping risk Activities Shipping activity Shipping simulation (SEL) - all ship types together NA (simulated)
No shipping zones Activities Shipping Adapted from shapefiles received from NorthSEE partner World Maritime University 2018/05
Precautionary Areas Activities Shipping None (empty by default) NA
Oil & Gas Installations Activities Energy http://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu 2018/04
Oil & Gas Licensed Areas Activities Energy http://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu 2018/02
Tidal Farms Activities Energy Old version of game* 2018/02
Wave Farms Activities Energy Old version of game* 2018/02
Wind Farms Activities Energy Adapted from https://odims.ospar.org/odims_data_files/ and merged with existing wind parks from NL: https://www.noordzeeloket.nl/en/up-date-atlas/ 2017/10
Electricity Cables (non-editable) Activities Cables and pipelines Adapted from http://www.kis-orca.eu/map 2018/02
Energy Cables Activities Cables and pipelines Data from Electricity Cables (non-editable) layer, rough estimations, and energy model requirements NA (estimated)
Pipelines Activities Cables and pipelines https://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu/search-results.php?dataname=Pipelines 2018/04
Cable Corridors Activities Cables and pipelines None (empty by default) NA
Landing Stations Activities Energy No source - Stations/Sockets are drawn in based on rough estimations or energy model requirements NA (estimated)
Converter Stations Activities Energy No source - Converters/Transformers are drawn in based on rough estimations or energy model requirements NA (estimated)
Telecom cables Activities Cables and pipelines Data provided by NorthSEE partner Rijkswaterstaat, the Netherlands 2017/05
Unused cables Activities Cables and pipelines Data provided by NorthSEE partner Rijkswaterstaat, the Netherlands 2017/05
Wind Farms - Areas of Search Activities Energy NorthSEE partners (Energy working group led by Marine Scotland - the Scottish Government) 2018/09
Wave Farms - Areas of Search Activities Energy NorthSEE partners (Energy working group led by Marine Scotland - the Scottish Government) 2018/09
Tidal Farms - Areas of Search Activities Energy NorthSEE partners (Energy working group led by Marine Scotland - the Scottish Government) 2018/09
Recreational Interest Activities Recreational Old version of game* NA, pre 2016
Lighthouses Activities Recreational https://www.emodnet-humanactivities.eu/search-results.php?dataname=Lighthouses 2018/04
Bottom Trawl Catch Activities Fishing Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Drift and Fixed Nets Catch Activities Fishing Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Industrial and Pelagic Trawl Catch Activities Fishing Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Marine Protected Areas Ecology Protected Areas https://www.protectedplanet.net/c/official-mpa-map/official-mpa-map-ver-3 2016/12
Natura 2000 Ecology Protected Areas https://www.protectedplanet.net/c/official-mpa-map/official-mpa-map-ver-3 2016/12
Protection against fishing Ecology Protected Areas (Several fleets) Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Artificial substrate Ecology Pressure Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Bottom disturbance Ecology Pressure Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Surface disturbance Ecology Pressure Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Noise Ecology Pressure Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Birds and mammals Ecology Several species, according to regional relevance Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Fish Ecology Several species, according to regional relevance Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Macrobenthos Ecology Several species, according to regional relevance Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Shannon Diversity Indicator Ecology Biodiversity Indicator Ecosystem simulation (MEL & EwE) NA (simulated)
Large Fish Indicator Ecology Biodiversity 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 February 2020, at 20:17. Content is available under GPLv3 unless otherwise noted.