BarentsWatch will collect, develop and share information about Norwegian coastal and marine areas.
Our work consists of an open information system with services for end users, presented in the portal www.barentswatch.no. In addition, a shielded monitoring system is being developed that contributes to the efficiency of operational efforts. These services together constitute the BarentsWatch programme.
Since 2012, the BarentsWatch program has aimed to make public data available through user-friendly services. Governments, businesses and individuals have easy access to compiled, relevant, up-to-date and reliable data. A contribution to coastal and marine areas being used and managed in an efficient, sustainable and well-coordinated manner.
The services provide access to more information, better functionality, efficiency and increased quality of the operational services and other agencies. The users state that the service contributes to easier information sharing and communication internally and externally.
Information is compiled from several data sources and makes ready-processed data available in one solution. The BarentsWatch program helps to realize the government's digitalisation strategy for data reuse. Through data sharing in BarentsWatch, data can be used in new contexts both in the services of the BarentsWatch program, but also for business, researchers and civil society through data sharing. A driving force for public agencies to share data to a greater extent with various users through BarentsWatch's services, and also via their own channels.
BarentsWatch simplifies the work of processing and compiling information from multiple sources. Since the processing and compilation of the data is done by one contributor, potential duplication of work is also avoided. This also puts more pressure on standardizing the format of the various data sources across agencies and institutions, as the benefits of such standardization become more visible.
Ten ministries and 29 administrative agencies and research institutes are our partners. The office is situated in Tromsø, and the actual development work is carried out by commercial suppliers through public procurement.