On 15 January 2025, EMODnet will showcase how its open and FAIR marine data and products contribute to the UN Ocean Decade initiative. The webinar will focus on: Challenge 3: Sustainably feed the global population, Challenge 4: Develop a sustainable, resilient, and equitable ocean economy and Challenge 6: Increase community resilience to ocean hazards. This is a unique opportunity to explore how Earth observation, in situ, and modelled marine data drive solutions for a sustainable ocean future. Learn more and register today!

The minutes of the EMODnet 21st Steering Committee and 16th Technical Working Group meetings that took place in Autumn 2024 are now available, offering valuable insights into EMODnet’s latest discussions, decisions, and strategic directions.

EMODnet extends its gratitude to partners, associated partners, key partnerships and all stakeholders for an incredible year in delivering its European marine data services. The EMODnet Portal remains operational 24-7 over the festive season, whilst EMODnet Secretariat and wider network will take some well-earned time to rest and recharge. We look forward to new collaborations and achievements in 2025. In the meantime, seasons greetings, happy holidays and ocean wishes for the New Year!

On 4-13 June 2025 in Nice, France, the EU Digital Ocean Pavilion will serve as a central hub at the UN Ocean Conference, and related One Ocean Congress, spotlighting EU flagship ocean programmes, missions, and operational services for Marine Knowledge, including EMODnet, Copernicus Marine Service and the European Digital Twin Ocean. Submit your application to contribute content, organize your own event and drive forward-looking dialogues that foster innovation, sustainability, and global marine stewardship by 6 January 2025.

On 15 January 2025, EMODnet will highlight how its open and FAIR marine data and products support the UN Ocean Decade. The webinar will address three key challenges, namely Challenge 3: Sustainably feed the global population, Challenge 4: Develop a sustainable, resilient, and equitable ocean economy and Challenge 6: Increase community resilience to ocean hazards. Join this event to discover how Earth observation,  in situ and modelled marine data can drive tangible solutions for a sustainable ocean future. >Learn more and register today!

Did you know that EMODnet has a searchable database of > 100 use cases demonstrating concrete uses of EMODnet’s data, data products and services? Use cases are provided by stakeholders spanning local authorities and the private sector, to policy makers using EMODnet to deliver European policy and provide evidence for Regional, European and global assessments. EMODnet has an open call for use cases - so if you are interested to showcase how you utilise EMODnet, and give your organisation visibility, let’s talk! And, if you are a data provider and have a success story of your data submission and ingestion to EMDODnet we’d also love to hear from you - more information on how EMODnet celebrates its hundreds of data providers is coming soon!

In December 2024, EMODnet Biology completed a major data publication, increasing its biodiversity data holdings by over 1.2 million new occurrence records, spanning a historical time period of > 100 years for a broad range of taxonomic groups from algae to marine mammals and more. This significantly enhances data coverage and accessibility across European regional seas and the Atlantic and Arctic Oceans.

Less than 2 months ago, EMODnet held its fourth Blue Economy workshop, with this edition’s focus on the Ports, Marinas and boating sectors. And now you can read all about it in the workshop report, released this week for public access and download. The event was held online on 22 October 2024, co-organised by EMODnet, EC DG MARE, the European Boating Industry (EIB), TransEurope Marinas and the European Sea Ports Organisation (ESPO). The event brought together over 70 experts, including representatives from local and national port authorities, representatives of marinas, boating operators, European networks of these Blue Economy sectors, and wider stakeholders from the public and private sectors, together with EMODnet experts and wider open data specialists. Recommendations include marine data needs from these sectors, current and emerging uses of EMODnet data to support ports, marinas and boating operations and planning, and the value of data sharing, including how EMODnet’s data ingestion can support this process to ensure FAIR data, for the benefit of all.

What do you get if you combine the EMODnet marine data service and the European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) platform in a Hackathon? A world-first opportunity to ideate and innovate using Europe’s most comprehensive  in situ  marine data and data products, on the cloud! From 25–27 March 2024, the fourth edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab (OSL 4.0) Hackathon will offer exactly that. And, as a free, online event, this hackathon is truly open to all. Registration is now open, just in time for the festive season! Don’t miss this chance to join a community of ocean innovators—register now and turn your data-driven vision into action! Winning teams will receive a variety of prizes. Terms and conditions apply.

On 27 November, EMODnet Biology presented at the Blue-Cloud 2026 Webinar on FAIR Data Principles 3, highlighting the alignment of EMODnet Biology with the FAIR data principles. The presentation explained the relationship between EurOBIS and EMODnet Biology, detailing the types and volume of metadata being made available and the adherence to FAIR principles in improving metadata accessibility and interoperability. The session also outlined the Blue-Cloud 2026 plan for EurOBIS metadata, which focuses on continuously enhancing the FAIRness level of data. EMODnet's commitment to driving metadata improvements by aligning with INSPIRE directives and ISO 19115 standards was also showcased. The improvements in the FAIRness of the data are key to fostering greater interoperability across the marine biology discipline and creating connections with other fields such as marine chemistry and physics, further supporting multidisciplinary research and applications. The webinar emphasized the collaborative efforts between EurOBIS, EMODnet Biology and Blue-Cloud 2026 in promoting open science and fostering sustainable data management practices.”

How does EMODnet Chemistry contribute to the Blue-Cloud 2026 project and vice versa? To answer this question and better illustrate the synergies between EMODnet and this key European project, the Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS), Coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry and a partner in Blue-Cloud 2026, took part in the three working days on Blue Cloud 2026 in Lisbon (Portugal) from 5 to 7 November. EMODnet Physics, Data Ingestion and the Secretariat also participated.

EMODnet Biology hosted an online workshop on 19-20 November with more than 40 representatives from EU projects, EU project officers and DG MARE. The focus was on projects that collect biodiversity data or create products based on these data.

Mark your calendars for the 4th edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab (OSL) Hackathon, happening online from 25 to 27 March 2025. The hackathon builds on the last 3 successful editions, with one key difference: In addition to using EMODnet services, participants will be given unparalleled access to the EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service offer via the European Digital Twin Ocean infrastructure (EDITO). This is a very exciting time for marine digital services, and we invite all interested stakeholders, from data scientists to IT specialists and from policy makers to researchers, students and the private sector to join EMODnet in this unique hackathon - Stay tuned for more details, coming soon!

EMODnet’s Bathymetry Coordinator, Shom, France, EMODnet Human Activities experts and the EMODnet Secretariat were among EMODnet experts at the Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) Week Conference in Marseille, France on 22-24 October, celebrating a decade of EU achievements. Conor Delaney, EMODnet Technical Coordinator, spoke on the panel “Data, Innovation, and Harmonisation within MSP” highlighting EMODnet’s key role in shaping European MSP, including making EU Member State MSP plans available in geospatial format.

The Ocean Decade envisions "the science we need for the ocean we want" and serves as a global framework, bringing together diverse sectors to co-design and implement the knowledge and partnerships required for a comprehensive understanding of the ocean. This collaborative effort aims to deliver science-based solutions in support of the 2030 Agenda for Sustainable Development. To realize this vision, the Ocean Decade is inviting partners to submit transformative Decade Action programmes, projects, or activities that contribute to achieving these goals. You are encouraged to request endorsement for your initiatives through this Call for Decade Actions and play a vital role in advancing sustainable ocean science.

At the Ocean Best Practices Workshop VIII, held from October 14-18, 2024, EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service collaborated to present best practices for enhancing data and service interoperability within the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO). During the session on 16 October 2024, EMODnet Biology Coordinator Joana Beja (VLIZ) presented on its conventions used, with wider discussions on critical standards for data integration, focusing on the EDITO-Infra project, which aims to create a robust EU infrastructure supporting the EU DTO.

EMODnet Biology Coordinator (VLIZ) speaks at MARBLUE Black Sea Conference and Ocean Best Practice System workshop.

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!

Between 7-9 October 2024, EMODnet Coordinators and wider experts convened in Brussels, Belgium, for a series of EMODnet governance meetings. The 21st EMODnet Steering Committee (SC) open session was attended by diverse representatives of the EC and EU agencies, including CINEA, EC DG MARE, DEFIS, ENV and RTD. Discussions included EMODnet for EU Policy, the EC Ocean Observation Initiative and the EMODnet Vision 2035. This was followed by the 16th EMODnet Technical Working Group, with representatives from the EMODnet Central Portal technical team, thematic and data ingestion experts, EC DG MARE and CINEA (featured in the group photo). The following day, EMODnet held a planning meeting for its upcoming 4th Open Sea Lab Hackathon which will take place in Spring 2025.

On 22 October 2024, more than 70 experts gathered for an EMODnet online workshop titled “EMODnet Marine Data for Ports, Marinas, and Boating.” The event was co-designed with key stakeholder networks from these Blue Economy sectors, including the European Boating Industry, TransEurope Marinas and the European Sea Port Organisation, in collaboration with the EC DG MARE and CINEA.