Press release
McConalogue launches new public online Aquaculture Information Management System (AQUAMIS)
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
From Department of Agriculture, Food and the Marine
Published on
Last updated on
The Minister for Agriculture, Food and Marine, Charlie McConalogue, today announced the launch of Phase 1 of the new state of the art Aquaculture Information Management System (AQUAMIS). The online viewer was developed as part of Phase 1 of this project, which will develop an overall aquaculture management information system for aquaculture licences in Ireland.
Commenting on the launch the Minister said:
“I’m delighted to deliver on the government’s commitment to the further implementation of the recommendations of the Aquaculture License Review Group. This is the first step in digitising our aquaculture licensing application process. I’d like to acknowledge the excellent work of the department in digitally mapping this activity and integrating datasets from the Marine Institute and the National Parks and Wildlife Service. This innovative portal will for the first time provide a valuable online search facility for licensed aquaculture activity available to the general public and all our stakeholders.”
The online viewer will allow members of the public to freely access and view licensed aquaculture sites and mapping information through a public portal and was developed in collaboration with the Marine Institute.
Speaking at the announcement the CEO of the Marine Institute, Dr Paul Connolly said:
“The Aquaculture Licensing Sites Viewer provides an important digital tool to facilitate the management of aquaculture in Ireland’s marine and fresh waters. The system will assist with the licensing and management of aquaculture operations throughout the country. This new digital application enables high-quality marine data and information to be more readily available for all, and is part of the Marine Institute’s service delivery to government, industry and the public.”
The viewer can be accessed at https://dafm-maps.marine.ie/aquaculture-viewer/
The Independent Aquaculture Licensing Review recommended the development of a ‘Web-based Aquaculture Application and Monitoring System’ on a single portal which would be integrated with scientific and technical data sets from both the National Parks and Wildlife Service (NPWS) and the Marine Institute (MI) databases. This recommendation is progressing in the form of the department’s AQUAMIS (Aquaculture Management Information System) which is being progressed in 2 phases.
Phase 1 of the AQUAMIS project involves the launch of the public online aquaculture viewing portal, it will also allow for the digital processing of aquaculture licence applications by department staff via data entry screens within an internal web portal. This involved the department digitally mapping Ireland’s coastline and integrating data sets from both the NPWS and the MI.
Phase 2 of the project is currently being developed over a 24-month period to become a fully online system with all application and supporting data being submitted electronically by the applicant. AQUAMIS will also be integrated into other government systems such as the National Marine Planning Framework online portal and the wider marine spatial planning system.
The delivery of AQUAMIS will be a one stop shop for the aquaculture licence application process, enhance the sharing of information and reduce the administrative burden. For the first time the viewer will provide access to the location and coordinates for licensed aquaculture activity.