The Belgian Marine Data Center is a group of scientists whose expertise is oriented towards the management and the analysis of marine environmental data.Its major tasks are : to continuously assess and prognose the state of the North Sea, to evaluate and improve the monitoring programmes, to gather, validate, archive, manage marine and oceanographic data collected (mainly) by Belgian scientists in the frame of research projects and national and international monitoring programmes.The missions of the BMDC are structural and continuous.It is the BMDC's policy to encourage the public to explore and use its datasets. Therefore, the oceanographic data, including analysis tools, are put at the disposal of a wide range of users: scientists, policy makers, sea professionals and other stakeholders, at the national and international levels. For specific requests, the expertise of the BMDC staff can be requested.