It’s official! Save-the-date for the 4th EMODnet Open Conference on 25-26 November 2025 in Brussels. This edition will take place during a week of EU Marine Knowledge events, starting with a 0.5-day EMODnet partnership Jamboree on 24 November PM, then the EMODnet Open Conference 25-26 November, directly followed by the Digital Ocean Forum 2025 on 27 November. Stay tuned for more information!

Join EMODnet at the EMD 2025 in Cork, Ireland, from 21-23 May 2025 where EMODnet and EU DTO will be exhibiting, together with other key actors in the European marine and maritime landscape, engaging also in stakeholder workshops and plenary sessions, including continuing the Oceans and Fisheries dialogues that are shaping the European Ocean Pact. Apply now to secure your spot: https://maritime-forum.ec.europa.eu/theme/governance/european-maritime-day_en

At the Mission Ocean and Waters Forum during EU Ocean Days 2025 in Brussels, the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) booth drew strong interest from across the marine community. As the in situ component of the EU DTO, and a co-developer of the EDITO-Infra initiative, EMODnet was at the forefront, engaging visitors with insights into how its harmonised marine data underpins the European Digital Twin Ocean and supports dynamic, scenario-based tools for sustainable ocean management.

EMODnet Geology has published a new Story Map on Seafloor Mapping, which shows the long process of geological mapping of the seafloor, interpretation of its results and the compilation of detail and overview map data. Finding and compiling spatial data of seafloor geology remains a challenge, because data and information is largely scattered, rarely compatible and often usable only by insiders. The main reason for this situation is the inaccessibility of the ocean floor and the need to use and rely on mostly geophysical methods. EMODnet is a solution as a leading European resource for marine geological data and data products – check out this latest communication to learn more!

On 25–27 March 2025, over 400 people joined the EMODnet Open Sea Lab 4.0 online, bringing together marine data users, data scientists, developers, and innovators from across Europe and beyond. Their mission: to co-create solutions to real-world ocean and coastal challenges using the EMODnet service and other open-source data. For this edition, participants were also given exclusive access to the full EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service data collections via the European Digital Twin Ocean cloud-based service, which also offers state-of-the-art analytical tools and modelling capabilities. The two top winning teams will pitch their solutions at European Maritime Day 2025 in Cork, Ireland! This flagship event ended a bumper Marine Knowledge Month following EU Ocean Days 2025 (see news articles below for more information).

On 20 March 2025, Kate Larkin, Head of the EMODnet Secretariat, will present EMODnet in a plenary presentation at the EU Open Data Days 2025 event, organized by the Publications Office of the European Union, taking place on 19-20 March 2025 at the European Convention Centre in Luxembourg (ECCL) and online. This event is cross-domain and will showcase success stories in open data, such as EMODnet for the marine domain. To find out more information and join online visit: https://data.europa.eu/en/euopendatadays?utm_source=chatgpt.com

New maps for contaminants are accessible on the EMODnet Map Viewer. The main purpose of these visualisations is to show the spatial and temporal variability of the data in the water column, in biota and in sediment. Currently, maps are available for 12 contaminants in all European sea basins and beyond. These contaminants belong to the following groups of variables: Heavy metals, hydrocarbons, pesticides and biocides, and antifouling agents. To learn more about EMODnet Chemistry's maps and data collections, follow us on this guided tour to explore the features of the Map Viewer.

Just over two years ago, in January 2023, EMODnet took a bold step by transforming from seven distinct Thematic Portals—covering Bathymetry, Biology, Chemistry, Geology, Human Activities, Physics, and Seabed Habitats—into a single, unified web portal. Spearheaded by the EMODnet Central Portal Technical Team and thematic coordinators, this transition consolidated marine data access, simplifying user experience and enhancing efficiency.

A detailed map of the seabed and its associated habitats is essential for the sustainable management of our oceans. One of EMODnet Seabed Habitats main products is EUSeaMap, which is a broad-scale habitat map for all European sea basins, as well as the Caribbean. It represents a comprehensive, free and ready-to-use classified map of physical seabed habitats. There is an ongoing requirement to update this map with new and revised input data, in order to improve spatial coverage and resolution, thereby enhancing its usefulness. This storymap illustrates the different phases of EUSeaMap from the first iteration in 2012 to the most recently published version - EUSeaMap 2023.

The European Commission is inviting stakeholders to provide input on the European Oceans Pact, a new initiative designed to strengthen ocean governance across all sectors. This is a key opportunity to help shape the future of Europe’s ocean policies by sharing insights on priorities, challenges, and opportunities for sustainable ocean management. Your feedback will play an essential role in ensuring coordinated, science-based, and impactful ocean governance that supports both environmental and economic goals. The consultation is open to marine and maritime professionals, policymakers, researchers, industry representatives, and civil society members. The survey is open until 17 February (Midnight Brussels time) offering a chance to contribute to the development of a robust and forward-looking approach to ocean management. Make your voice heard and participate today! Access the survey here:

EMODnet’s key work for EDITO will continue to strengthen in 2025, with the completion of the first phase of EDITO which delivered a common data lake between EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service, and a prototype EDITO platform, launched at the Digital Ocean Forum 2024. In 2025, the engagement with the EMODnet partners as well as wider stakeholders will increase, and we encourage you to watch this space for updates and announcements on how to get involved. And, in the meantime, you can get access to the EMODnet and CMEMS offer on the EDITO platform by signing up for the public, free Open Sea Lab 4.0 an EMODnet Hackathon series, which for this 2025 edition (online, 25-27 March 2025) sees a direct partnership with EDITO, in collaboration with Mercator Ocean International and Copernicus Marine Service.

EMODnet’s Biology experts have published a new open access paper addressing the challenges of creating biodiversity data products to address user needs, due to the complexity of biological systems and of the data derived from surveys designed without explicit biodiversity policy or management guidance, and the key role of EMODnet’s expertise for this thematic area.

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!

The EMODnet Portal has recently been updated with restructured and updated seafloor geology map layers on geomorphology, Quaternary and pre-Quaternary geology. It has also had a major overhaul of the existing submerged landscapes datasets into a new data product structure. These achievements are delivered by EMODnet Geology, now in the final year of the current contract. Check out the latest full offer of harmonised EMODnet Geology products spanning the deep ocean (abyssal) seafloor to coastal erosion in the EMODnet Map Viewer and Products catalogue!

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.

EMODnet Seabed Habitats provides a single access point to European seabed habitat data and unique products like the EUSeaMap broad-scale seabed habitat map for Europe, with diverse uses from produces aiding marine spatial planning to supporting marine habitat assessments. EMODnet has recently updated a storymap which visually illustrates the data and data products available from EMODnet Seabed Habitats on the EMODnet Portal.

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!

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.

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.