The UK Marine Data and Information Partnership

<p>No abstracts are to be cited without prior reference to the author.</p>In the United Kingdom, marine data and information are collected by a variety of UK government, non- government, academic, private sector and other research organisations for many different reasons. An almost inevitable consequence of these many separate marine data gathering and management activities is a legacy of differing ways of storing and sharing data and information. As new questions are asked of marine science and more holistic assessments required, it is essential that a coordinated approach to the management and stewardship of marine data and information is adopted.