On 26-27 September 2023, EMODnet together with the European Commission, DG MARE, organised an online workshop on ‘’EMODnet Marine Data for Coastal Tourism’’. The main objective of the workshop was to facilitate cross-sectoral dialogue and share experiences from key coastal tourism stakeholders regarding their in situ data needs, existing and emerging uses of EMODnet and wider open source marine environmental and human activities data for coastal tourism operations and applications, and opportunities for private-public data sharing, including optimization of dataflows and EMODnet data ingestion as a public service supporting the European ocean observation and data collection community to enable Findable, Accessible, Reusable and Interoperable (FAIR) data.
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We are thrilled to announce and welcome three new Associated Partners to EMODnet, each bringing unique expertise and a strong commitment to advancing collaboration with EMODnet in the areas of data sharing, best practices in marine data, information technology and data services, and expanding the users of EMODnet, including for the Blue Economy.
The European Commission, in collaboration with the European Investment Bank (EIB), is launching the new pilot scheme ‘EU Blue Champions’. It will be supported by the BlueInvest platform. Through this new initiative, the EIB Advisory Services, in collaboration with the EIB Projects Directorate, will provide financial advisory to selected projects in the blue economy.
The Open Conference 2023 Closing Session began with a speech by Delilah Al Khudhairy, Director of Maritime Policy and Blue Economy, EC DG MARE, who noted that “EMODnet has been one of the most important investments of DG MARE…We will move forward together” . A Panel of 7 experts from the EMODnet stakeholder community exchanged on EMODnet’s achievements to-date and looked to the future of EMODnet and its evolution. Kate Larkin, Head of EMODnet Secretariat then presented an EMODnet Call to Action on behalf of the EMODnet Partnership (see article above).
Before the plenary stage opened for the EMODnet Open Conference 2023, the EMODnet community convened for the EMODnet Partner Jamboree 2023—an exclusive gathering of EMODnet partners and Associated Partners. This pre-conference event was attended by > 150 representatives of the EMOD-network and provided a unique setting for in-depth discussions, partner meetings, cross-thematic dialogues, and collaborative endeavors, setting the stage for the subsequent conference. Topics of discussion spanned EMODnet and Citizen Science, EMODnet Communication, EMODnet and the EU Digital Twin Ocean, and EMODnet content evolution, ranging from the coast to the deep sea and from the surface ocean to the seafloor, including ideas for new cross-thematic data products. A Partnership Dinner on 28th November evening included speeches by Kestutis Sadauskas, Deputy Director-General EC DG MARE and Kate Larkin, Head of the EMODnet Secretariat.
To complement the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 on-site meeting and physical exhibition, a Virtual Exhibition was produced by the EMODnet Secretariat and Coordinators. contains many resources and updates on EMODnet thematic and data ingestion services, key partnerships spanning business to ocean observation and from EU to global, EMODnet videos and other communication outputs, the European Atlas of the Seas and community posters solicited and submitted specifically for the Open Conference 2023. This was showcased in Plenary during the EMODnet Open Conference 2023, just before community poster pitch presentations. The Virtual Exhibition remains open for 1 year until 30 November 2024. You can see the full EMODnet Virtual Exhibition by clicking on the button below.
EMODnet Associated Partners were active at the EMODnet Open Conference 2023, with members FUGRO, SOCIB, CMMI, HR Wallingford and more presenting in Plenary and taking part in Townhall discussions. During the flagship EMODnet week, EMODnet also welcomed three new Associated Partners, namely, e-BO Enterprises, Puertos del Estado and Marine Centre Wales, School of Ocean Sciences, Bangor University, promoted on the EMODnet Portal website and on social media.
EMODnet has a very diverse and expanding user base, across European stakeholder communities, and beyond. A session was dedicated to these users, bringing together stakeholders from EU Policy, Blue Economy, and Wider Society to discuss the tangible value of EMODnet data, data products and services. Panels explored its application in EU Policy, including the EU Green Deal, Marine Strategy Framework Directive, Maritime Spatial Planning Directive and more, supporting the Blue Economy – including Offshore Renewable Energy and Coastal Tourism, and benefiting wider society, supplying marine data and knowledge to non-governmental organisations and the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters and Horizon Europe projects, and working with these entities including citizen science to bring more societal data into EMODnet, which also powers the EC European Atlas of the Seas for Ocean Literacy.
The interactive dialogues at the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 included a series of Townhalls which provided a unique platform for focused discussions on various critical aspects of EMODnet. Topics for the 2023 Townhalls included: EMODnet, Ocean Best Practices, and Interoperability; EMODnet for EU Policy; EMODnet and the Blue Economy; and EMODnet, EU Mission Ocean and wider society. These were organized and co-Chaired by members of the EMOD-network and invited experts, with EMODnet and the European Marine Board Secretariats jointly serving as rapporteur and facilitators. For each Townhall, a representative presented key messages back to the Plenary on Day 2.
At the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 the two EC marine data services EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service, launched a joint communication on the EU in situ marine data landscape. The statement explains the complementarity between the two EU marine knowledge assets, and also how the services work together, following a high-level agreement between DG DEFIS and DG MARE and the signature of Memorandum of Understanding (MoU) in 2016. Copernicus Marine Service was represented at the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 in sessions including on the value of EMODnet, EMODnet for the digital era, and EMODnet, Ocean Observation and the marine knowledge value chain.
At the EMODnet Open Conference 2023, a new video animation was released that explains the EMODnet unified service, noting the centralisation of all 7 EMODnet thematics into one portal, and what is means for EMODnet’s diverse user community. Follow the link to watch the full video.
Between 27-30 November 2023 over 340 partners, associated partners, and stakeholders of the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) gathered in Brussels for the third EMODnet Open Conference and Jamboree. The week kicked off with a Partner Jamboree with the >120 partners exchanging on their latest service developments and joint activities. The Open Conference was a public event, moderated by Karen Coleman. With a line-up of over 75 speakers across the 1.5 days, the event highlighted EMODnet’s crucial role in the European Marine Data Ecosystem, focusing on a "Digital and Green Future." If you missed a session or want to revisit the insights, the Plenary video recordings together with event photos are now available on the Conference website, with Plenary and Townhall presentations also being made available over the next few days. A full conference report will follow in early 2024. This November 2023 EMODnet News Digest is dedicated to Conference and Jamboree 2023 highlights, with news articles also posted on the EMODnet Portal (see links below). Further updates of the EMOD-network activities will come in the end of year issue, coming out end of December.
On 29-30 November 2023, the full EMODnet partnership of > 120 organisations and wider stakeholders will gather in Brussels, Belgium for the third edition of the “EMDOnet Open Conference 2023: Powering the European Marine Data Ecosystem”. Save-the-date for this interactive event. Registration opening soon!
The 14th EMODnet Technical Working Group (TWG) meeting, was held online on 18th October 2023. At the TWG, EMODnet technical experts exchanged on the latest EMODnet Central Portal developments, including user-driven evolution for 2024 and beyond.
On 27 September, EMODnet joined Panel discussions at the Fish-X project workshop 'Digitalisation of Small-Scale Fisheries'. The event was held at WWF EU Office in Brussels. Kate Larkin, EMODnet Head of Secretariat presented EMODnet services, including the existing offer for fish biodiversity data (including much wider than commercial species) and fisheries management data from the Biology and Human Activities thematics, noting that EMODnet aggregates open-source data, and receives most of its existing data layers from ICES. EMODnet's core role in the EU Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) was also highlighted with the invitation for Fish-X and other related projects to engage with the EDITO-Infra project to ensure interoperablity with the future EU DTO.
On 26-27 September 2023, EMODnet together with EC DG MARE organised a workshop on “EMODnet marine data for coastal tourism”. The workshop was attended by over 42 coastal tourism experts with representatives from diverse sectors including research, policy, marine data services and non-governmental agencies. EMODnet was well represented by thematic experts from geology, human activities, physics, Data Ingestion, Central Portal and the EMODnet Secretariat. The agenda included a demonstration of the latest EMODnet services, use cases of how the coastal tourism sector use EMODnet data and data products, and dialogues on data requirements and data sharing. A report will follow on the EC Maritime Forum.
Join us on 26-27 September 2023 for a two-day online workshop "EMODnet for Coastal tourism". The workshop will take place over two half-days (mornings) and is designed to explore how the coastal tourism industry can benefit from EMODnet. Participants will discover the potential of EMODnet services for the coastal tourism sector and will be able to engage in cross-regional dialogue with participants from all European sea basins.
Join EMODnet experts on 26-27 September 2023 for a two-day online workshop "EMODnet for Coastal tourism". The workshop will take place over two half-days (mornings) and is designed to explore how the coastal tourism industry can benefit from EMODnet’s diverse marine environmental and human activities data/data products and services, and to explore data sharing opportunities from this rapidly expanding Blue Economy sector. Register your interest to join today!
Over 100 stakeholders have already registered for the EMODnet Open Conference 2023! Do you have your ticket yet? We welcome all stakeholders across the ocean observation, marine data, information and knowledge value chain to join us on 29-30 November 2023 in Brussels, Belgium! The call for community (e-/digital) poster abstracts has been extended to 14th September. Don’t miss your chance to apply to present your work!
The Digital Ocean Forum 2023 "Unlocking the Potential of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean” took place on the 14-15th of June in Brussels, bringing together marine scientists and wider ocean experts including data scientists and numerical modellers, policymakers, and citizens interested in the co-design and co-creation of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO). EMODnet’s Central Portal Coordinating institute the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) presented EMODnet’s key role in EDITO-Infra, a project in collaboration with Mercator Ocean International to upgrade existing EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service infrastructures to create a common data lake that will serve the future EU Digital Twin Ocean (DTO). A large number of European funded projects conducting ocean related research and innovation were also invited to participate.