INSPIRE principles are indeed used by EMODnet. They are useful in disseminating data but, on their own, they are not enough. In order to understand what is happening and what could happen in one country's waters, it is necessary to know what is happening in its neighbours. The study found that:
- Not all authorities provide data that are needed (because they aren't obliged to)
- Authorities that do provide data, use different data models that are compliant with INSPIRE but that do not allow data from different authorities to be assembles into a coherent whole
- The INSPIRE data model does not give separate tags to data that users require - for instance the name of the operator of an offshore facility (see example below)
similar conclusions were reached in an analysis of data needs for sptial planning in the Celtic Sea