Data and map services

All spatial datasets used and produced by HELCOM in its assessments can be accessed and downloaded from HELCOM Metadata catalogue and viewed in HELCOM Map and Data service.

HELCOM Map and Data service is a graphical user interface containing a table of contents of all spatial datasets made available by HELCOM and relevant to HELCOM work. The service contains many functionalities that could be used when viewing the datasets, e.g. identify and attribute table functionalities. The datasets are grouped to following services, which contain a number of map layers grouped in to categories (group layers):

Status assessments: Integrated assessment results, core indicator result maps and underlying datasets
Monitoring: Assessment units according to HELCOM Monitoring and Assessment Strategy and monitoring stations used in HELCOM Monitoring manual
Pressures and human activities: Land-based pollution as well as various human activities datasets and aggregated pressure layers used in Baltic Sea Impact and Pressure Index (BSPI and BSII).
Biodiversity: Biodiversity related datasets such as Ecosystem component maps used in Baltic Sea Impact and Pressure Index (BSPI and BSII), HELCOM RED LIST species/biotope distribution maps as well as other biota related datasets.
Shipping: Maritime activities related datasets, including data from HELCOM Maritime assessment such as AIS density maps by ship type.
Background: Background datasets such as rivers, lakes, EEZ as well as Maritime Spatial Plannig areas.

All HELCOM datasets are also listed in HELCOM Metadata catalogue, which contains INSPIRE compliant metadata record of the dataset, download functionality (zip package containing shapefile / TIFF) and URL to view the dataset in HELCOM Map and Data service.

DATA SERVICES

HELCOM provides direct access to all HELCOM geospatial datasets either by ArcGIS Rest interface or INSPIRE compliant OGC WMS Standard:

ArcGIS Rest interface address: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/rest/services/MADS

OGC WMS (1.3.0) interface addresses:

Status assessments: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/services/MADS/Sea_environmental_status/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

Sea Environmental monitoring: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/services/MADS/Sea_environmental_monitoring/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

Pressures and Human Activities: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/services/MADS/Pressures/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

Biodiversity: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/services/MADS/Biodiversity/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

Maritime & Response: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/services/MADS/Shipping/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

Background: https://maps.helcom.fi/arcgis/services/MADS/Background/MapServer/WMSServer?request=GetCapabilities&service=WMS

HELCOM WMS service is currently created with ArcGIS Server 10.6.1 and enabled for multiple spatial reference systems in order to provide data within national coordinate systems used by national web map portals. The coordinate systems currently provided are:

EPSG: 3035 (ETRS89LAEA, INSPIRE/EU recommended frame of reference for geodata for Europe.)
EPSG: 4386 (WGS84)
EPSG: 32633 (WGS 84 / UTM zone 33N)
EPSG: 3857 (WGS84 Web Mercator)
EPSG: 3006 (SWEREF99TM)
EPSG: 3067 (ETRS89 / ETRS-TM35FIN)

The following web map portals are currently displaying map data from HELCOM via WMS connection:

EMODnet biology

Swedish Water information system (VISS, available only in swedish)

The Swedish Agency for Marine and Water Management (Havsplanering, available only in swedish)

Finnish national geospatial portal (Paikkatietoikkuna, available only in finnish)

RECENT UPDATES

Update	Map service	Date
HELCOM Baltic Sea Reference grid (1x1 km) published	Background	2018-10-11
Beach litter dataset published	Pressures and Human Activities	2018-09-30
Datasets used for State of the Baltic Sea report 2018 version published (+100 datasets)	Sea Environmental Status, Pressures and Human Activities, Biodiversity	2018-07-05
Remaining sources and pathways publication datasets (PLC-6) published (inputs of hazardous substances).	Pressures and Human Activities	2018-05-14
Maritime Spatial Plan area map updated (DE)	Background	2018-04-10
Sources and pathways publication datasets (PLC-6) published. Older land based pollution related data removed.	Pressures and Human Activities	2018-03-28
HELCOM Map and Data service user interface updated: New features "Atrribute table" and "Add WMS"	All	2018-03-13
Maritime assessment datasets published, including AIS shipping density maps (+100 datasets)	Shipping	2018-03-09
HELCOM MPAs updated (attribute information)	Biodiversity	2018-02-19
Fisheries VMS datasets (intensity) updated with data for the years 2009-2016 and with new gear type groupings	Pressures and Human Activitie	2017-11-23
Maritime Spatial Plan area map updated (RU, SE)	Background	2017-11-23
Exclusive Economic Zone dataset updated	Background	2017-10-16
IMO Ship routeing guide dataset updated	Shipping	2017-10-16
Harbour porpoise distribution maps from SAMBAH project published	Biodiversity	2017-09-18
Maritime Spatial Plan area map published	Background	2017-09-11
HELCOM Assessment units updated with 2017 versions	Sea Environmental monitoring	2017-09-04
Datasets used for State of the Baltic Sea report 2017 version published (+100 datasets)	Sea Environmental Status, Pressures and Human Activities, Biodiversity	2017-07-04
HELCOM Metadata catalogue and new HELCOM Map and Data service published	All	2017-06-15
HELCOM MPAs updated	Biodiversity	2017-03-29
Map service interface addresses changed (server update)	All	2017-03-16
Harbour porpoise sighting updated	Biodiversity	2017-01-23
HELCOM hotspots layer updated according to HOD 51-2016 decision (hotspot 27 removed from the list)	Pressures and Human Activities	2017-01-18
Pharmaceutical datasets produced for BSEP149 published in Land-based-pollution --> Pharmaceuticals	Pressures and Human Activities	2016-09-27
Monitoring stations updated with new data on pointwise locations of hazardous substances sampling points	Sea Environmental monitoring	2016-09-16
Response vessels updated	Maritime & Response	2016-09-05
HELCOM MPAs attribute table updated	Biodiversity	2016-04-25
Illegal oil discharges and Other discharges updated with 2015 data	Maritime & Response	2016-04-12
Ramsar sites updated	Biodiversity	2016-02-17
Fisheries VMS datasets (intensity) for the years 2009-2013 corrected	Pressures and Human Activities	2016-01-26
HELCOM hotspots layer updated according to HOD 49-2015 decision (6 hotspot removed from the list)	Pressures and Human Activities	2015-12-14
Fisheries VMS data (effort and intensity) for the years 2009-2013 added	Pressures and Human Activities	2015-11-26
Dredging and depositing sites updated with 2014 data.	Pressures and Human Activities	2015-11-26
Land-based pollution map service renamed to Pressures and Human Activities	Pressures and Human Activities	2015-10-14
MORE monitoring stations updated with new station as provided countries (see metadata of each layer)	Sea Environmental monitoring	2015-09-11
Illegal Discharges data for the year 2014 added Added new data layer "Other Discharges"	Maritime & Response	2015-06-16
MORE monitoring stations updated with new station as provided by countries (see metadata of each layer)	Sea Environmental monitoring	2015-02-19
HELCOM MPAs layer updated (11 new areas)	Biodiversity	2015-02-13
HELCOM hotspots layer updated according to HOD 47-2014 decision (hotspot 18.1 removed from the list)	Pressures and Human Activities	2015-01-27
Eutrophication status, confidence and distance to target indicator maps added	Sea Environmental status	2014-12-05
Biodiversity map service launched with new Red list datasets (205 new datasets available)	Biodiversity	2014-12-01
Shipping accidents data for the year 2013 added	Maritime & Response	2014-11-07
Monitoring map service updated and download functionality completed	Sea Environmental monitoring	2014-10-06
Nitrogen and phosphorus inputs per subbasin and country (2010) added	Pressures and Human Activities	2014-08-26
All map service user interfaces updated with new dataset groupings	All	2014-07-31

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The development of the HELCOM map and data service has been supported by:

TAPAS Project - Development of HELCOM Tools and Approaches for the Second Holistic Assessment of the Ecosystem Healts of the Baltic Sea (Theme 4 - Workspaces for data and information)

	EU Strategy for the Baltic Sea Regions (EUSBSR)
	The Nordic Council of Ministers funded project: Development of HELCOM Data and Geographic Information System
	EU funded HELCOM SCALE project (Project 21.0401/2007/485831/SUB/D2). EU Framework contract "Development of a shared data and information system between the EU and the regional sea conventions"