INFOMAR (Integrated Mapping for the Sustainable Development of Ireland’s Marine Resource) is a twenty year programme to map the physical, chemical and biological features of Ireland’s seabed. INFOMAR is funded by the Department of the Environment, Climate and Communications (DECC), and delivered by joint management partners Geological Survey Ireland and the Marine Institute. The programme has placed Ireland centre-stage as global leaders in marine stewardship, seabed mapping and development of mPrincipal Geologist at the Geological Survey Ireland and joint programme manager of the INFOMAR seabed mapping of Irish waters. Sean qualified as a hydrographer from Plymouth Uni along with David Parker back in 1996. Sean then worked for Fugro in the Middle East before joining the Irish Govt in 2001. As a life long blue water sailor he has always enjoyed the opportunities to make his passion his job as well.arine resource and is a key action in the national integrated marine plan, Harnessing Our Ocean Wealth.
It comprises a multi-platform approach to delivering marine integrated mapping in 2 phases, over the programme lifespan (2006-2026). The programme has three work strands; Data Acquisition, Data Exchange and Integration, and Value Added Exploitation.
INFOMAR aims to provide comprehensive and accessible marine datasets for Irish waters that underpin and add value to marine research, SOLAS Convention obligations and government policy. These products will foster growth within the national blue economy, maintain the health and integrity of our natural marine environment while facilitating international collaboration and best practice in the sustainable development of Ireland’s marine resource.
Seán Cullen
Principal Geologist at the Geological Survey Ireland and joint programme manager of the INFOMAR seabed mapping of Irish waters. Sean qualified as a hydrographer from Plymouth Uni along with David Parker back in 1996. Sean then worked for Fugro in the Middle East before joining the Irish Govt in 2001. As a life long blue water sailor he has always enjoyed the opportunities to make his passion his job as well.
Thomas Furey
Tommy Furey is the Marine Institute’s Joint Programme Manager for INFOMAR, the Irish national seabed mapping programme, funded by the Department of Environment, Climate & Communications, and delivered in partnership with Geological Survey Ireland.
A geophysicist by background, having originally worked in 3D seismic, he now manages the Advanced Mapping Services team and has a key role in supporting the technology, innovation and product development associated with INFOMAR and its vast data resources, as well as increasing the downstream use and application of the data. He is currently the EU Co-Chair of the Atlantic Seabed Mapping International Working Group setup in 2014 to contribute to implementation of the Galway Statement on Atlantic Ocean Cooperation. He is co-leading the seabed & benthic habitat mapping work package of the H2020 Mission Atlantic project, and also supporting a variety of local and regional research initiatives.