The dataset has been developped under the SPLASHCOS EU project, involving 20 EU Member States plus Norway, Russia, Ukraine and Switzerland. SPLASHCOS - Submerged Prehistoric Archaeology and Landscapes of the Continental Shelf - is a four-year research network (2009 to 2013) funded by the European Commission under its COST program (Cooperation in Science and Technology) as COST Action TD0902.

Its aim is to bring together archaeologists, marine geoscientists, heritage agencies, and commercial and industrial organizations interested in researching, managing and preserving the archives of archaeological and palaeoclimatic information locked up on the drowned prehistoric landscapes of the European continental shelf, and to disseminate that knowledge to a wider audience.