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The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is pleased to announce the launch of the EMODnet Vision 2035 public consultation! The public consultation is open to all EMODnet stakeholders and the wider community in Europe and worldwide. You can reply as an individual, organization, network, project or initiative. This survey remains open until 11 September Midnight CEST. The EMODnet Vision 2035 is a community output, focusing on service evolution. This builds on a EMODnet Call to Action (launched on 30 November 2023) and on EMODnet’s achievements to-date including the unification of EMODnet services in January 2023, and EMODnet’s ongoing partnership with Copernicus Marine Service to deliver the data infrastructure for the prototype European Digital Twin Ocean, launched in June 2024. The EMODnet Vision 2035 will deliver concrete and realistic goals for EMODnet’s digital services and service offer, to increasingly serve user needs, including directly supporting EU policy, the Blue Economy, Research and Innovation and wider stakeholders, and providing added value for the EU economic agenda and competitiveness, set in the global context. Results from the survey will be summarized and considered by the EMODnet Vision 2035 Drafting Group of experts that was set up in Spring 2024 to jointly deliver the EMODnet 2035 Vision, with members representing the EMOD-network (partners, associated partners, sea-basin checkpoints) and wider stakeholders. Thank you in advance for your feedback and please distribute this widely to your professional networks. Questions relating to the EMODnet Vision 2035 public consultation can be sent to: megan.tijssens[at]emodnet.eu.

EMODnet had a key role at the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) 2024 held on 12-13 June 2024, at the Palace of the Academies in Brussels. Organised within the Belgian presidency of the Council of the EU, this milestone event unveiled the prototype of the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO), namely the EDITO-Infra backbone infrastructure and data lake powered by EMODnet and the Copernicus Marine Service. The event was co-organised by Mercator Ocean International (MOi), Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Seascape Belgium and the European Commission, with coordination from DG MARE and DG RTD.

EMODnet made waves in May at a number of key European and International Conferences. EMODnet’s engagement with the industry-led Geospatial World Forum 2024 in Rotterdam, Netherlands in mid-May featured dialogues with Hydrographic offices and EMODnet Associated Partner Fugro. This was followed by a large delegation of EMODnet experts at the International Conference on Marine Data and Information Systems, held in Bergen, Norway. The same week EMODnet attended the European Maritime Days 2024 in Svendborg, Denmark, where EMODnet co-organised a workshop with the EU Blue Economy Observatory and European Environment Agency and celebrated with EC DG MARE and CINEA 10 years of the European Maritime, Fisheries and Aquaculture Fund (EMFAF, formerly EMFF). EMODnet also had an exhibition booth, in partnership with Seabed 2030 and the International Hydrographic Offices (IHO). EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service also co-organised a booth for the EU Digital Twin Ocean. June 2024 is also set to bring EMODnet’s key partnerships to the forefront with EMODnet speaking at the Copernicus Marine Service General Assembly and Digital Ocean Forum, providing expert mentors to the OceanHack2024 and running a joint webinar on EU marine data services for the UN Ocean Decade. See below and stay tuned for more information!

EMODnet’s vessel density maps have received their yearly update. The time series now covers the full period 2017-2023. Released for the first time in 2019, vessel density maps are one of the most popular EMODnet’s data product. The maps report vessel density per square kilometre per month and are broken down by ship type, available for viewing and download on the EMODnet Portal. The maps are created based on a bespoke method developed by the EMODnet team, which is made available on the Portal and has quickly become a de facto standard in the literature, being used by organisations and researchers from all over Europe and beyond. The vessel density maps are updated every year with data from the year before. With the latest update in 2024, the time series available on EMODnet covers the entire period from 2017 and 2023, thus making it possible to have historical comparisons of the evolution of ship traffic.

EMODnet is the in situ pillar of EDITO-Infra and the European Digital Twin Ocean , playing a key role at the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) 2024, held on 12-13 June 2024, at the Palace of the Academies in Brussels. The event celebrated the ongoing technical partnership between EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service that has delivered the prototype European Digital Twin Ocean, with the event being co-organised by Mercator Ocean International (MOi), Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), Seascape Belgium and the European Commission (see News Digest highlight for more information).  

Join us on 22 October 2024 for the EMODent for Business online workshop "Marine data for ports, marinas and boating". The workshop will demonstrate the EMODnet service for the ports, marinas and boating industry sectors including how these Blue Economy sectors can further use and benefit from EMODnet, together with opportunities for data sharing. The workshop is by invitation only. To express interest to attend, please contact: emodnet4business@emodnet.eu

We are pleased to announce the release of the OSL 3.0 Final Report and OSL 3.0 Highlights Video. These resources provide a summary of the event which took place in early Spring 2023, and the key results and outcomes. Thanks to all co-organisers, mentors, coaches and participants for an engaging and interactive event that pushed the boundaries of marine data innovation.

Meeting minutes and presentations are available for: 16th EMODnet (Spring 2022) Steering Committee Meeting 7th EC Marine Knowledge Expert Group (MKEG) Meeting Minutes 11th EMODnet (Spring 2022) Technical Working Group Meeting

EMODnet’s coastal and marine Litter data has been used in the REMEDIES Shoreline Marine Litter App co-designed by the Venice Lagoon Plastic Free (VLPF), together with Infordata Sistemi (Italy), developed within the Horizon Europe REMEDIES project. VLPF is a non-profit organization based in Venice (Italy), listed on the National Single Third Sector Registry (RUNTS), the EMODnet data providers list, supporter of the WWF Plastic Smart City Initiative and signatory of the EU Charter Restore our Ocean and Water mission. In the App, EMODnet’s extensive historical marine litter data were used for the pan European marine litter database.

EMODnet Chemistry marine litter data has contributed to a marine litter assessment tool developed by the EUROqCHARM EU-funded H2020 project that lasted from 1 November 2020 – 31 October 2023. The project provided harmonised methodologies for the monitoring and assessment of marine plastics (macro-, micro- and nano-) in all environmental compartments: water, soil/sediment, air, and biota. Additionally, it released blueprints for standards of marine litter monitoring and data management and recommendations for policy and legislation.

The EU-funded H2020 project EOSC-Future ran from April 2021 to March 2024, implementing the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). It offered European researchers a virtual platform for sharing and accessing data across disciplines and borders. EOSC-Future developed key EOSC components. EMODnet Chemistry helped addresses the data integration challenges, enabling users to explore diverse environmental data.

This year, the EGI federation of computing and storage resource providers are holding their annual EGI conference in Lecce, Italy, in collaboration with the CMCC Foundation from 30th September until 4th October 2024. Different contribution types are accepted (short and long talks, posters, and demonstrations) across a variety of topics. Deadline: 24th April, 2024. 

The Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership has announced its second joint transnational call, offering support to research and innovation projects lasting 36 months. This call, co-branded as part of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, focuses on four priority areas: Digital Twins of the Ocean, Blue economy sectors and marine multi-use infrastructures, Planning and managing sea-uses at the regional level, and Blue Bioresources. Applicants have until April 10, 2024 (15H00 CEST) to submit their pre-proposals, with a deadline for full proposals expected in November 2024

The European Commission invites feedback on the 'GreenData4All' initiative, updating EU rules on environmental geospatial data and public access to environmental information. Aligning with Europe's green and digital transformation goals, this initiative aims to facilitate greater data sharing between the public, private sectors, and the general public. The Call for Evidence is open from February 26 to March 25, 2024 (midnight Brussels time). Your input will help fine-tune the proposed directive, fostering innovation and evidence-based decision-making. To contribute, register or log in using your social media account. Share your views and shape the future of environmental data access in Europe. Learn more and provide feedback using this link.

Your Feedback Matters! EMODnet continues to evolve to better serve your needs. Our survey is designed to gather your valuable feedback on our services. Whether you have spotted a technical bug, or you visited to search for the latest data products or use cases, we want to hear from you! Your input is crucial in enhancing our website's user-friendliness and usability. Share your thoughts and help us improve your EMODnet experience by filling out our survey. 

EMODnet works hard to be fit-for-purpose by taking into account user needs and requirements. Tell us how you have been experiencing your visit to the EMODnet Central Portal and how we could further improve the website’s user-friendliness and usability, by filling our feedback form. It will only take 5 minutes of your time.

The EMOD-PACE (EMODnet PArtnership for China and Europe) project is a collaborative pilot initiative between core implementors of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) and the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) of China. It aims to promote effective international ocean governance and support the conservation and sustainable use of the ocean and its resources.  EMOD-PACE is currently organising a survey to obtain feedback from users and stakeholders interested in marine data and information covering the study area on the usefulness and relevance of the project’s activities, its outputs and provided tools/services. This will help the project partners to (i) gain insight into the effectiveness of the project towards reaching its objectives; (ii) gauge the general appreciation of the outputs and activities by users and stakeholders; and (iii) to help identify areas of possible improvement and/or further action.

Join the Ocean Predict (OP) 2024 Conference from November 18-22 2024, to be held at the IOC-UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France. This event is specifically designed to strengthen cooperation and partnerships among diverse ocean science and service communities. The event will address sustainable development, the blue economy, and societal awareness. OP 24 will feature sessions on ocean predictions, covering global, basin-scale, coastal, regional, and polar ocean and sea ice predictions. Attendees will explore new developments in measurements, observations, modeling, data assimilation, machine learning/AI, and digital twins.

Join us on 22 October 2024 for the EMODent for Business online workshop "Marine data for ports, marinas and boating". The workshop will demonstrate the EMODnet service for the ports, marinas and boating industry sectors including how these Blue Economy sectors can further use and benefit from EMODnet, together with opportunities for data sharing. The workshop is by invitation only. To express interest to attend, please contact: emodnet4business@emodnet.eu

Registration has opened for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Science Conference 2024, to be held in Gateshead, UK on 9th-12th September 2024. This edition, EMODnet and ICES are co-organising a themed session (J) on Marine data, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and will co-host an early career scientist networking event. Register by 1st September 2024 and explore the event here.

From 27 June – 1 July 2022, ocean stakeholders gathered in Lisbon, Portugal for the second UN Ocean Conference. Experts from across the EMOD-network co-organised and participated in a number of activities, including a Ocean Literacy Dialogues co-organised by the EC DG MARE, the European Ocean Literacy Coalition EU4Ocean and IOC-UNESCO. In addition, EMODnet was highlighted as a key marine data service and infrastructure for the EU Green Deal, Digital Twin Ocean, UN 2030 Agenda and the UN Ocean Decade. The European Atlas of the Seas communication tool was also noted to be the mapping tool selected by the EC for reporting the evolution of Mission “Restore our Ocean, seas and inland waters by 2030”. And it was celebrated as a tool for education at the event