Preliminary study on classification and scale calculation of the marine information industry

The marine information industry is a core component of the digital marine economy, characterized by its wide coverage and strong economic driving force. To accurately reflect its development status, this study first clarifies the definition of the marine information industry (taking marine information as the core resource, covering equipment manufacturing, software development, and information services related to marine information production, collection, transmission, processing, and application) and constructs a “perception-transmission-processing-application” industrial chain system. Based on the National Economic Industry Classification (GB/T 4754-2017), the industry is divided into a core layer (4 categories: marine information collection, communication and transmission, storage and analysis, application and sharing services) and a support layer (1 category: marine information supporting industry), totaling 11 sub-industries. Subsequently, a marine information enterprise identification method based on big data mining is established, integrating enterprise names, core businesses, patent information, and other multi-source data, and using text feature matching and machine learning algorithms for accurate identification. Finally, three value-added calculation methods (industry stripping method, value-added rate method, and input-output method) are proposed for different types of sub-industries. The trial calculation of T city’s 2022 marine information industry reveals that marine information communication and transmission account for 49% of the total value-added, storage and analysis for 24%, application and sharing services for 13%, and supporting industries for 12%. This method is suitable for value-added calculation when basic data is detailed, providing a standardized calculation framework for marine information industry statistics and filling the gap in current research on marine-derived industry accounting. It also offers a reference for the accounting of other marine-derived industries. Beyond its contribution to marine industrial statistics, this framework is directly relevant to aquaculture and fisheries management by enabling standardized accounting of marine information infrastructures that support stock assessment, environmental monitoring, biosecurity surveillance, and evidence-based decision-making for sustainable aquatic food systems.