Activities in this project component entail:

• Standardization of data collection and reporting; development of data storage routines and analytical tools such as statistical modules, modules for spatial analysis (GIS approach) and time series analysis;


• Organization of resources and ecosystem surveys in close collaboration with partners using the R/V Dr. Fridtjof Nansen;


• Capacity building including on board training and organization of workshops on survey data analysis;


• Establishment and/or strengthening of regional and international scientific working groups (in order to include ecosystem considerations in business of the working groups);


• Development of scientific indicators for ecosystem monitoring based on both fisheries dependent and independent data; and


• Consideration and identification of socio-economic indicators.

A number of surveys have already been undertaken in the East Central and Southeastern Atlantic ocean areas (in the Guinea Current and Benguela current Large Marine Ecosystems respectively) and in the South West Indian ocean area, These include the historic 118 days survey undertaken by the project in partnership with the Agulhas and Somali Current Large Marine Ecosystems (ASCLME) project. It is believed that this is the longest and possibly the most ambitious research cruise to take place in the South Western Indian Ocean region. The survey with R/V Dr Fridtjof Nansen began on 18th August and ended on 17th December 2008. It included a full survey of the marine and coastal environment of Madagascar, Mauritius, the Mozambique Channel and a remote ocean region known as the Mascarene Plateau and covered some of the least studied ocean regions in the world.

A presentation of the main results of each survey to stakeholders, including fisheries administrators, scientists and fishers, is central to this activity. In one such presentation in Mozambique, senior officials at the Ministry of Fisheries lead by the Minister,  representatives from the Norwegian Embassy in Maputo, representatives from the fishing industry, members of the press, national TV and newspapers, and scientists from the fisheries and oceanographic institute and universities attended in their numbers.

The project is also working on the development of a new version of the Nansis software which is a tool for storing and analysis of ecosystem survey data and for reporting. The new version has already been introduced at a workshop on survey data analysis organised in Accra, Ghana in December 2008.

Under this component, an expert meeting for the development of GIS for EAF was held in Rome late last year (2008).
The meeting concluded that the data collected by the EAF-Nansen project activities will represent a great opportunity as the basis for good case studies to explore the potential use of GIS and spatial analysis in support to EAF. In order to advance the EAF-Nansen project with respect to GIS and based on agreed set of criteria, Northwest Africa and Angola were selected as the areas for conducting two pilot projects that would comprise of demonstration projects showing, initially how the Nansis data could form the basis for the GIS work in support of EAF.

NANSIS is a Survey Information System for logging, editing and analysis of biological and environmental data from marine research surveys.
The first NANSIS version, designed for the DOS environment, was developed by Dr Tore Strømme of the Institute of Marine Research (IMR) of Bergen, Norway for use in connection with fisheries surveys conducted with the Norwegian research vessel Dr Fridtjof Nansen.  The software has been used by many fisheries scientists in developing countries for well over 20 years. With the rapid technological advances that has occurred since this system was developed, it became necessary to develop a windows version, also expanded to meet modern scientific data storage and retrieval needs.

NANSIS for WINDOWS

The new WINDOWS version of NANSIS is now available. The development of this new version has been an activity under the EAF-Nansen project (Strengthening the Knowledge base for and Implementing an Ecosystem Approach to Marine Fisheries in Developing Countries)- a partnership between Norad, FAO and IMR.

NANSIS for WINDOWS Key features

• Main database: Postgres SQL for safe storage of data and linking with other databases;
• Track log module: for logging and visualization of continuously recorded data, weather stations, GPS and echosounder data;
• Bridge log module: vessel activity diary
• Nansis main window for work with survey data including

o Initialization of new surveys 
o Data punching modules for data collected during research surveys
o Reporting system of collected data
o Scripting module and Nansis Post Processing

• Nansis Map tool: data visualization and biomass estimation
• Nansis briefcase: transfer of data between two databases
• Spread sheet like export facilities to link up with other analytical and map software.
• Nansis help menu for installation and use of all modules in the system

System Requirements:
Operating System: Windows XP, 9x
Free Space for Nansis Installation: 500MB
Free Space for Postgres Installation: 600MB
RAM: 512MB and Above

Future developments
The NANSIS software is being developed in modular way. The first and present module includes data from acoustic and trawl surveys. A second module will include oceanographic data (CTD casts, Surface Water Log and ADCP) which at present are stored in auxiliary databases. A priority list of features to be included in future versions of the software includes a web based metadata download page open access to, information on past surveys, the type of data available from these, and a visual display of the ship course track and stations.

Training
To help users get conversant with the software and to discover its power, a one-week training course has been developed for training of scientists and cruise participants from developing countries. The EAF-Nansen project is offering the training with the collaboration of GEF-assisted Large Marine Ecosystem and other regional fisheries projects in Africa.

The NANSIS for WINDOWS software is available for free and can be downloaded through the EAF-Nansen website FTP and/or  from the IMR NANSIS page (http://www.imr.no/forskning/bistandsarbeid/data/nansis/en)