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Transforming Maritime Risk & Insurance

Transforming Maritime Risk & Insurance Challenge

Ship at sea
ADMIRALTY Marine Innovation Programme

The ADMIRALTY Marine Innovation Programme helps innovators and start-ups to develop new solutions that support safe, secure and thriving oceans.

For this challenge, we are looking for participants to identify, trial and prove how marine geospatial data can be used to enhance maritime insurance products. Each entrant will have access to world-leading ADMIRALTY data, with winners receiving prizes worth £75,000 and the opportunity to launch their product in a sector estimated to be worth £18.5bn by 2030.


Why should I participate?

  • As a participant, you'll be given the opportunity to work closely with the UK Hydrographic Office to develop a new solution for a sector that is estimated to be worth £18.5bn by 2030

  • To develop your product concept, you will be given access to a world-leading ADMIRALTY navigation products and data that is used to support international shipping

  • The winner will receive around £75,000 worth of prizes, including hands-on support and marine geospatial data from the UKHO to develop an alpha product to test in the market


How do I enter?


To enter, we are asking participants to register and then develop a presentation outlining their proposed solution. This will be reviewed by a judging panel at the UKHO who will choose a number of finalists to develop a beta product.


Enter the challenge >

Your challenge: How can marine geospatial data mitigate insurance risk?

Every day, ships trading internationally face a range of threats and risks, stretching from cyber-crime and piracy to groundings and damage to assets. 

For the maritime insurance sector,  access to accurate and reliable data is essential to help quantify these risks and create the best insurance products to support their customers. This starts with understanding the route a ship will take and the many factors that could affect that route, including quality of hydrographic data, tides, sea conditions, offshore infrastructure and construction, shipwrecks, weather conditions and piracy risks. 

At the UK Hydrographic Office, we hold this information and a wealth of additional data for the world’s international trading routes. When this data is blended, assessed and displayed correctly, it can provide valuable insight into risk and asset management not yet available over a large geographic area and historic period. 

Your challenge is to identify, trial and prove how official marine geospatial data can be used to help build more accurate risk models that can lead to even better underwriting decisions and improved maritime insurance products.


Read our full Blue Economy report on the Maritime Insurance sector >


 Entrants will get access to world-leading ADMIRALTY data, with winners recieving support from UKHO to develop their solution


What you'll receive


As providers of world-leading, official and compliant navigation products, the UKHO will offer entrants a range of marine geospatial data to develop new solutions.


Find out more about the data sets we'll provide >


The prize


The winner will receive 12 weeks of hands-on support and ADMIRALTY data from the UKHO, valued at around £75,000, to develop an alpha product to test in the maritime risk and insurance market.


Find out more and enter >

Throughout the innovation programme, participants will receive access to wide range of ADMIRALTY data when developing their own solutions. Below you will find more information on the resources available for the maritime insurance challenge.


ADMIRALTY data


We hold a wealth of marine geospatial data from the seabed, to the coast, offshore and beyond. To support this challenge, we will provide the data outlined below for a range of selected geographical locations.


Access sample data >

Coastal data

Satellite Derived Coastline data sets containing coastline vectors at various states of the tide. 

Coastline and other associated features (e.g. shoreline construction).

Bathymetry data

Extensive UK bathymetry holdings (over 4,000 bathymetry surfaces from 1970 to present day) ranging from high resolution data to processed individual data sets.

Deconflicted data sets that provides a seamless view of the shape of the seafloor in given areas, and could also include contours, soundings and depth areas.

Marine Protected Areas

Marine protected areas for around the UK

Maritime limits and boundaries

​Data sets and illustrations for the UK, UK Crown Dependencies and UK Overseas Territories.

Offshore infrastructure data sets

Over 7,500 surface and subsurface offshore energy installations and infrastructure in UK waters, including oil and gas platforms, wind turbines, well heads, pipelines and respective safety zones.

​Shipwrecks

Extensive UK data set (over 8,000 live and charts wrecks) of current and historic wrecks and obstructions for around the UK

Aquaculture sites

​Extensive UK data set for aquaculture site locations around the UK

AIS heatmaps

Processed Automatic Identification Systems (AIS) heatmaps at 1km resolution

​CATZOC

​Internationally agreed standard for defining the quality of hydrographic surveys in a given area

​Traffic separation schemes

​Approved International Maritime Organization (IMO) and Maritime and Coastguard Agency (MCA) ships' routeing measures around the UK

​Piracy hotspots

​Best management practices to deter piracy and enhance maritime security in the Red Sea, Gulf of Aden, Indian Ocean and Arabian – Shipping industry go-to publication for piracy specific planning of voyages and to detect, avoid, deter and report attacks 

Gulf of Aden Anti-Piracy reporting scheme

Maritime shipping industry association initiative covering Piracy, Cyber, Migration, Stowaways, Smuggling and Armed Conflict and War

Tidal height and tidal stream data

Tidal predictions around the UK from the country's largest network of tidal stations. A rich tidal prediction beta API offering full prediction capabilities. 

​Contextual backdrop

​The UK EEZ ENC dataset API (Beta) provides access to a Web Map Service of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENC) that cover the United Kingdom Exclusive Economic Zone (UK EEZ)

​Icebergs / Flows data

​Provides aids to ongoing safety, security and compliance by helping bridge crews to manage communications and meet reporting regulations

​Earthquake data

​Indicative units of magnitude

​Tropical cyclones data

​The most complete global set of historical tropical cyclones available, including positions, pressures, and wind speeds

​Volcanoes data

​A global listing of over 500 significant eruptions which includes information on the latitude, longitude, elevation, type of volcano, and last known eruption

​Tsunami events

​The Historical Tsunami Database covering the Atlantic, Indian, and Pacific Oceans; and the Mediterranean and Caribbean Seas

​Maritime Practice and Exercise Area (PEXA) Limits 

​PEXA limits for the UK's Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ)

​Seabed composition

​Almost 50,000 grab samples in UK waters

​GB ENC Web Map Service API

​Access to a Web Map Service of Electronic Navigational Charts (ENCs) covering GB primary charting authority areas.

View a map of areas we will supply data for >

A timeline of key dates for this challenge are outlined below, including the deadline to submit your solution, the selection of finalists and announcement of the winning solution.


 

Challenge opens


Complete the registration below to get access to cutting edge data.

Complete application form >

 

​Challenge submission 


Applicants can work on their solutions and submit their ideas during this time period.

 

Submission review


A panel of UKHO experts will review all submissions and provide feedback.  Up to 10 submissions will be chosen for the final iteration phase and will be provided with tailored feedback.

​

Final iteration


Finalists will have 1 week to iterate their submission and prepare their presentation for the Finals.  Final submissions are required by close of play Friday 30th Nov.

 

Winner announcement


The successful team will be announced, after which the UKHO will provide support to take the winning solution to market.


Applications for this challenge are now closed and the winners will be announced on 2 November.

Throughout 2020 and 2021, we will launch a number of additional challenges that give innovators a chance to develop solutions for tidal and wave energy generation, blue carbon sequestration and sea-level rise modelling. 


Find out about our current innovation challenges >

​Judging criteria


The UKHO panel will select 10 submissions to progress further. This panel will be looking for the following in your submission:

  • Number of data sets used in the final solution (e.g. use 9 out of10) 

  • Number of potential clients they have to use the solution and revenue opportunity 

  • Feasibility of the solution and ability to deliver, including team makeup, skills and size 

  • How the team will utilise UKHO subject matter expertise and support

  • Attractiveness of commercialisation plan (including speed to market) 

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