The research project focuses on developing an economic model for the efficient use of Estonia’s maritime area using a 1 square kilometre vector grid. Estonia is a maritime country that does not use its sea-related economic potential enough. Since there is no uniform base for collecting information on the income and expenditure of maritime economic activities, both the central and local governments face difficulties in planning said activities. The developed model would make it possible to assess the income and expenditure of each square kilometre of the maritime area and determine potential economic benefits for the state, local companies and inhabitants. The model will cover three main maritime business sectors: maritime affairs, fisheries and energy.

The first part of the project sees the creation of conceptual models that look at how economic benefits and costs vary depending on the sea area. Based on the spatial data gathered, empiric models are then created that can be later adapted to feature real-time data.

The model, designed in ArcGIS Modelbuilder and Python, is prepared for the entire Estonian sea area, including the territorial sea and the EEZ.

The project will be completed in December 2016.