UKCS Data Atlas open geospatial data map

Why It Exists

The UK Continental Shelf is a complex and changing marine environment. Useful information is spread across many sources, including bathymetry, offshore energy leases, petroleum licences, wells, pipelines, subsea infrastructure, cables, geology, wrecks, munitions, survey coverage, and metocean observations.

Keeping track of those sources can be difficult. Data often has to be found provider by provider, opened in separate portals, or brought into GIS before the wider context becomes clear. That makes it harder to see how marine activity, infrastructure, environmental designations, seabed conditions, and survey coverage relate to one another.

UKCS Data Atlas brings those sources into one map so they can be viewed, compared, searched, queried, and exported more easily. It combines more than 90 reference layers with specialist spatial tools and selected live offshore context.

What You Can Do

• Search and zoom to more than 100,000 named features across multiple open datasets.
• Draw or upload an area of interest, find relevant open datasets, and export matching data with its search context.
• Retrieve modelled waves, currents, and wind for a chosen location, alongside recent buoy observations where available.
• Explore selected high-resolution wreck bathymetry in 3D and review offshore wind generation by site.
• Follow live offshore crew-change helicopters and their recent trails using community ADS-B data.
• Follow live vessel positions in Norwegian waters from Kystverket via BarentsWatch.
• Use the public API for lightweight feature, catalogue, recency, metocean, helicopter, and vessel discovery.

Using the Map

• Live layers can be switched on and off independently. Use the chevron beside a layer to open its detailed tracker.
• Tools opens data search, metocean, wreck, wind, and measurement workflows without cluttering the map.
• Map layers controls the reference themes. Legend links show symbology and source currency where available.
• Use feature search to find named infrastructure, licences, cables, surveys, wells, wrecks, and other mapped records.
• Click a visible feature to open feature information, source links, and any available legend for that layer.

Data Currency and Live Coverage

Reference datasets are designed for periodic refresh, with weekly update checks and source currency shown where available. Original provider links remain the authoritative source.

Live helicopter coverage depends on volunteer ADS-B receivers and aircraft altitude, so positions can become intermittent offshore. Estimated or signal-lost positions are clearly distinguished from confirmed live reports.

Live Norwegian vessel coverage comes from Kystverket via BarentsWatch and follows the public feed’s geographic and vessel-size limits. AIS is contextual only and must not be used for navigation or operational decisions.

Accounts and Subscriptions

Signed-in users can save areas of interest, revisit previous searches, and subscribe to changes from selected data providers globally or around a saved area.

Anonymous Usage Analytics

The atlas records aggregate counts of selected interactions—such as opening a tool, changing a map layer, running a search, inspecting a feature, completing a download, or encountering a tool error—to understand which capabilities are useful and where improvements are needed. These product events do not include persistent visitor identifiers, map coordinates, search text, uploaded areas, vessel or aircraft identifiers, account details, or advertising profiles.

Who Made It

UKCS Data Atlas was created and is independently maintained by pyramid146. It is an independent project built to make UKCS open data easier to discover, compare, and understand together.

Important Limitations

The atlas provides marine spatial context and general awareness. It is not intended for navigation, operational safety, legal boundary determination, or statutory advice. Source data remains subject to the original provider licences and attribution requirements; KIS-ORCA layers should be checked against the official KIS-ORCA downloads and terms.

More Information

Suggestions are welcome, especially for open datasets that would add useful UKCS marine spatial context.