Biology

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

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

On 19 June 2024, EMODnet, Copernicus Marine Service, EUMETSAT and ECOPS delivered a joint webinar on Marine Data for the UN Ocean Decade: A European focus. Attracting > 300 registrations from ocean professionals spanning early to later career, and from many nations in Europe and beyond, the webinar showcased EU earth observation capacity, and EC marine data services that offer in situ and satellite marine data, open for all.

In early June 2024, the prototype European Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) EDITO-Infra platform was presented to the marine ecosystem modelling community by the EMODnet Technical Coordinator, Conor Delaney. The session “Data Lakes for Ecosystem Modelling” took place in the context of a wider Conference "Ecopath 40 Years – The Ecosystem Continuum: From Knowledge to Decisions", organized by the European Marine Board, held in Ostend, Belgium, from 3-8 June 2024.

Two global biodiversity data networks, Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS) and Global Biodiversity Information Facility (GBIF), have agreed to a joint strategy and action plan that will deepen their collaboration, improve the flows and services of high-quality data about marine and coastal biodiversity, and support research and decision-making on the world's oceans. This agreement will have positive implications for EMODnet Biology as data curation and management will become more streamlined and we expect a better and strengthened collaboration we have been developing over the years.

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 has published the presentations and minutes of the EMODnet 20th Steering Committee (SC), now available on the EC Maritime Forum. The event took place online on 29-30 April 2024. The open session included the EMODnet SC, Technical Working Group (TWG), and representatives from the EC (multiple DGs) and EU agencies. Key discussions focused on EMODnet’s service evolution, and EMODnet for EU Policy, with a session chaired by Rémy Denos, EC DG MARE and involving DG DEFIS, DG ENV, JRC and EEA, among others. Updates on thematic data, user uptake, and portal developments were presented. The closed session covered the EMODnet communication strategy, use cases, partnerships, and planning for Open Sea Lab 4.0. 

In Spring 2024 EMODnet launched a technical blog, championed by the EMODnet Technical Coordinator Conor Delaney, to update EMODnet's diverse user community on latest service developments. This latest blog (#2 in the series) focuses on the EMODnet Map viewer, explaining how this key tool can be used to discover EMODnet's diverse offer of marine environmental and human activities data and data products and the latest features and functionalities, from map projections to visualisations. Dive in and discover EMODnet!

2023 was a milestone year for EMODnet with the unification of thematic services, the OSL 3.0 Hackathon, the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 and much more! Learn more in the EMODnet Annual Report 2023, now published. This provides a comprehensive overview of the EMODnet service’s main achievements in 2023, user metrics and key facts and figures, thematic offer updates including new data products, new coverage for the Caribbean Sea and Caspian Sea, EMODnet data ingestion, EMODnet for the European Digital Twin Ocean, wider EU and global partnerships and EMODnet’s key role in the EC communication tool European Atlas of the Seas, etc.

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 teamed up with a number of European services and key stakeholders at EMD2024 held on 30-31 May 2024 in Svendborg, Denmark. EMODnet co-organised a workshop on diverse data for the Blue Economy and EU Policy with the European Blue Economy Observatory and the European Environment Agency (EEA). This included presentations by EMODnet Human Activities and the Secretariat. The EMODnet EC marine data service booth was visited by diverse stakeholders ranging from policy makers and the research community to the private sector, non-governmental agencies and citizen science initiatives. This year’s booth was held in partnership with the International Hydrographic Office (IHO) and Seabed 2030, enabling the dialogue on how EMODnet Bathymetry contributes to global seabed mapping initiatives. EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service also co-organised a booth on the EU Digital Twin Ocean showcasing EU marine data services supporting EU Green priorities. Read the newly published article on the ongoing is co-operation between these two EC marine data services here.

Mark your calendars! Final planning is underway for the “EU marine data services Ocean Decade Data” Webinar kicking off on 19 June. This webinar is co-organized by EUMETSAT, Copernicus Marine Service, EMODnet and the ECOP Programme, in collaboration with the UN Ocean Decade Coordination Office for Ocean Data Sharing (ODS). The webinar will showcase European marine data services and how these already contribute to the UN Ocean Decade and global initiatives. This series is designed for international audiences from diverse backgrounds and aims to foster a user-driven approach to marine data utilization. You can find more information on participation here!

EMODnet will be well represented at the 3rd edition of the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) in Brussels, Belgium (12-13 June 2024). As the key pillar for in situ marine data services, EMODnet is a key contributor to the public infrastructure backbone of the European Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) through the EDITO-Infra project, in collaboration with the Copernicus Marine Service. The high-level event will be web streamed, allowing you to follow all new European DTO developments live. Stay tuned for more information coming soon on our social media channels!

Two ongoing EU Horizon Europe projects, MPA Europe and MARCO-BOLO, are working on producing species distribution models to support conservation action. The underlying species occurrence information is sourced from EMODnet Biology holdings available in OBIS through the European regional OBIS node (EurOBIS). MPA Europe and MARCO-BOLO are collaborating and exchanging experiences in distribution modeling. As a case study, models for the harbor porpoise (Phocoena phocoena) were developed and compared, showing that different approaches successfully capture the species' distribution.

As EMODnet Biology reaches the end of the first year of Phase V, the thematic provides an overview of activities and a forward look to the year ahead.

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!

Secure your spot at European Maritime Day 2024, taking place in Svendborg, Denmark, on 30th-31st May 2024. EMODnet will be there with an exhibition booth and co-organising a joint workshop on 2 EC services ‘EMODnet and the Blue Economy Observatory’ to be held on-site on 31st May late morning.  All plenary sessions will be live-streamed, however on-site participation is recommended for full engagement with the hundreds of marine and maritime stakeholders attending. Register by 10th May 2024: Register now for the European Maritime Day 2024!The EC are also hosting the European Blue Forum on 30th May 2024 back-to-back with EMD 2024, with separate registration.

The Thalassa 2024 Marine Sciences Conference, organised by EMODnet Associated Partner the Cyprus Marine and Maritime Institute (CMMI), will take place on 28th-29th May 2024 in Larnaca, Cyprus. Registration is open until 15th April here.

EMODnet has multiple oral and poster presentations at the International Conference on Marine Data and Information Systems (IMDIS) taking place in Bergen, Norway, and online on 27th-29th May 2024. Join the large SeaDataNet, EMODnet and wider data management community for the latest developments in this space. Registration is open (early bird rate by 15th April). 

This course is suitable for anyone who would like to learn about how to use version control tracking changes and effective collaboration on their projects. This 2-day course will take place online and you will be introduced to the most popular open-source software for version control (Git) and the most popular platform for sharing and collaborating on projects online (GitHub) using a graphical interface to both (GitKraken Client). The course is designed to get researchers started with version control, demonstrate how to collaborate effectively as well as introduce version control best practices, as practiced by research software engineering teams.