One of the key developments of the marine energy industry in the UK is the demonstration of near commercial scale devices in real sea conditions and the collection of performance and environmental data to inform permitting and licensing processes.The ETI’s ReDAPT (Reliable Data Acquisition Platform for Tidal) project saw an innovative 1MW buoyant tidal generator installed at the European Marine Energy Centre (EMEC) in Orkney in January 2013.The project demonstrated the performance of the tidal generator in different operational conditions, aiming to increase public and industry confidence in tidal turbine technologies by providing a wide range of environmental impact and performance information, as well as demonstrating a new, reliable turbine designThis report provides an introduction to the field of site characterisation for tidal energy sites and presents the analysis conducted from site measurements for the EMEC Fall of Warness test site specifically. It also discusses the integration and operation of sensor systems and outlines various lessons-learned.