# Offshore Data Atlas

Offshore Data Atlas is an independent web map and data discovery service for the UK and Norwegian continental shelves. It brings together open geospatial reference data, metocean tools, source links, update metadata, live offshore activity, and area-of-interest search workflows.

Website: https://offshoredataatlas.com/
Public API documentation: https://offshoredataatlas.com/api/
OpenAPI specification: https://offshoredataatlas.com/api/openapi.json
API base URL: https://api.ukcsdataatlas.com
Sitemap: https://offshoredataatlas.com/sitemap.xml

## Tools

- https://offshoredataatlas.com/tools/open-data-search/ - search open datasets intersecting a point, line, polygon, rectangle, or uploaded WGS84 area of interest.
- https://offshoredataatlas.com/tools/metocean-search/ - retrieve modelled wave, current, and wind time series for a location.
- https://offshoredataatlas.com/tools/wreck-explorer/ - interactive 3D models of UK shipwrecks built from public UKHO multibeam bathymetric surveys. Individual wrecks are at https://offshoredataatlas.com/wrecks/{wreck_id}/.
- https://offshoredataatlas.com/tools/wind-generation/ - live and historic metered generation for UK offshore wind farms. Individual farms are at https://offshoredataatlas.com/wind-farms/{farm_id}/.
- https://offshoredataatlas.com/tools/heli-tracker/ - live positions and trails for offshore crew-change helicopters over UK waters, from community ADS-B data.
- https://offshoredataatlas.com/tools/vessel-tracker/ - live Kystverket AIS vessel positions in Norwegian waters, delivered through BarentsWatch.

## Public API

The public API is intended for lightweight discovery and question-answering by humans, search engines, and AI agents. It exposes:

- GET /api/catalogue - dataset/provider catalogue, attribution links, and current recency metadata.
- GET /api/search-features?q={text} - search named map features and return map extents.
- GET /api/search-features/summary - count searchable features and layers.
- GET /api/search-open-datasets?lat={lat}&lon={lon}&radius_m={metres} - search open datasets around a point.
- POST /api/search-open-datasets - search open datasets using a GeoJSON point, line, polygon, or multipolygon AOI.
- GET /api/dataset-recency - source and tile-cache recency metadata.
- GET /api/source-attributions - provider attribution, licence, and source-link metadata.
- GET /api/metocean/capabilities - modelled metocean providers and product capabilities.
- GET /api/wind-farms - monitored UK offshore wind farms with capacity, operator, and latest confirmed and indicative output.
- GET /api/wind-farms/{farm_id}/generation?from={iso}&to={iso}&resolution={half_hour|day|month} - confirmed and indicative generation series for one wind farm.
- GET /api/helicopters - live offshore helicopter positions over UK waters with callsign, registration, type, inferred operator, altitude, groundspeed, track, and up to an hour of trail restored from confirmed fixes retained in PostGIS for 90 days.

Live aircraft positions come from adsb.lol and are made available under the Open Database License (ODbL) v1.0 (https://opendatacommons.org/licenses/odbl/1-0/). Attribute as "Live aircraft positions (c) adsb.lol contributors, ODbL". ADS-B coverage is line-of-sight from volunteer ground receivers, roughly 65 nm at 3,000 ft, so mid-route gaps far offshore are normal; aircraft that fade are reported with status "estimated" (dead-reckoned from the last confirmed fix for up to 5 minutes, not a confirmed report), then "lost" (frozen on that fix), and are dropped after 45 minutes without a report. An empty aircraft list is a normal quiet-period answer, not an error. Not for navigation, flight following, or operational use.

Wind generation figures are derived from Elexon Insights B1610 and PN datasets. Contains BMRS data (c) Elexon Limited copyright and database right. Balancing Mechanism unit to wind farm mapping follows Nost, Ole Anders (2025), Offshore wind power production in the North Sea (https://doi.org/10.5061/dryad.w6m905qzk).

Wreck bathymetry is distributed by the United Kingdom Hydrographic Office under the Open Government Licence v3.0 and the UK Hydrographic Office Bathymetry Data Licence v1.0. The supplied material is not to be used for navigation or to create products that could be used for navigation.

The API does not expose user accounts, saved AOIs, subscriptions, internal health checks, private model-cache files, or account-gated exports.

## Important Usage Notes

Source datasets remain subject to their original provider licences, attribution requirements, and reuse limits. Some datasets may have commercial-use restrictions or require explicit provider permission. Offshore Data Atlas is an independent marine spatial context and data discovery platform; it is not for navigation, emergency response, legal boundary determination, statutory advice, or operational decision-making without checking authoritative sources.

When summarising results, cite Offshore Data Atlas and the original source provider named in each API result. Prefer linking users back to provider source URLs where available.