FCRM Excellence: Coast
Sharing and Embedding Coastal Knowledge - Capturing Knowledge
Action: Discussion of and decision on suggested and alternative
approaches for the South East
Background: Successful FCERM makes full use of experience. However, this knowledge is not
always readily accessible to others. Often it rests in the heads of those involved. Even if it is written
down in reports, we cannot access the reports unless we know they exist and they are readily
available.
Many experienced coastal engineers in the Local Authorities (LAs), Environment Agency (EA) and
consultants are nearing retirement and there is an urgent need to capture their knowledge before it is
lost. The Environment Agency is therefore undertaking the initiative ‘Sharing and Embedding Coastal
Knowledge - Capturing Knowledge’, where we trail different approaches to capture this experiential
knowledge.
Five pilots will be held, one in each of the five coastal Environment Agency regions
Workshop (location based) approach:. Selected invitees will discuss and debate their current
understanding of defined geographical areas or specific protection activities. Already workshops have
been held in Anglian (the Lincolnshire coast) and the South West (the Isles of Scilly). The next one
will be in the North West looking at the southern coast of Morecambe Bay. They have followed the
attached agenda.
These focussed on defined area or project on :


discovering the existence of major data sets that were previously unknown to them (e.g.
beach profile data, investigations into opening project specific dredging sites)
understanding the rationale behind works undertaken more than twenty years ago, and the
whereabouts of design data and drawings.
The workshops to date have confirmed the benefits that arise when individuals are all together,
provoking discussion, feeding off each other’s knowledge and so providing the full (yet previously
undocumented) background to previous initiatives. Notes are taken at the workshop and a report
produced.
Interview (individual based) approach: Where knowledge is dominated by one person, the
workshop approach may not work and instead an interview approach may be best; for example
accompanying an engineer along his coast and recording / transcribing the discussion with one or two
other coastal practitioners.
Alternative approach: There might be other ways to ‘capture knowledge’ that come from the
discussion
Generic Agenda for workshop
Attendees:
Those invited are individuals who have a thorough, wide and deep knowledge of the issue/location,
those who are nearing retirement or who have retired, those who no longer work in the area, plus
those who are currently responsible. They would be selected to give a broad representation of
relevant interests such as coastal managers (EA and local authority), contractors, port authorities,
water plcs, Natural England, former Defra Regional Engineer, etc. The maximum number would be
around a dozen, but as few as four can provide an extremely valuable workshop.
Generic Programme for the day (for a workshop that focuses on a specific length of coast or
estuary):
Item
Item
Responsible
1
2
3
4
Approx
duration
(mins)
10
15
10
25
Introduction to the day and the FCRM Excellence Initiative
Introductions by those attending – their interests
Using continuous improvement techniques
Current situation in the area (existing defences, problem areas,
major issues)
5
6
30
60
7
45
40
9
60
10
20
11
15
Discussion of item 4
History of existing and previous works, including fieldwork,
studies, particular issues, contract strategies, designs.
Lunch
Recap of important data sources, availability, references,
sources of knowledge, key people, archives and sources of
expertise
Future actions in the area (problem areas, major issues,
initiatives, timing)
Future actions and persons responsible for tasks arising from
this workshop, i.e. workshop report, data collection, maintenance
of archive.
Other business
Close of workshop
Mark Johnson
All
Nick Ely
A coastal
manager who
knows the area
well
All
All
24th May 2013
RT
Local area
coastal engineer
RT + All
RT