European Marine Observation and Data Network | EMODnet

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.

Did you know that EMODnet Chemistry operates the webODV tool to enable users to visualize marine chemistry and wider ocean changes, including eutrophication and contaminants, to drive ocean understanding and to enable informed decision making, utilizing marine knowledge for societal action.

On 5 September, EMODnet Chemistry, represented by its Coordinating institute OGS, provided its expertise at the workshop “Building a federated architecture of interoperable databases”. This was part of a series of 5 workshops organised by the Back To Blue initiative to develop a draft roadmap to achieve zero pollution ocean. Each workshop focused on a topic from the Back To Blue issues paper, which was produced after extensive stakeholder consultation and contains the key questions that need to be answered for an effective and workable roadmap.

EMODnet Biology experts completed another data harvest during summer 2023. In this new batch, EMODnet Biology integrated more than 230K new occurrence records from a total of 23 datasets, from which 4 were updates to already existing datasets.

The Croatian Geological Survey used EMODnet Geology, Bathymetry and Seabed Habitats data to develop the seabed substrate and geology maps within a project that aims to map the marine habitats of the coastal area of the Adriatic Sea down to a depth of 40 m, and down to 200 m in marine protected areas.

EMODnet was represented at an EU-China Blue Partnership Forum for the Oceans that took place on the 23rd of September in Shenzhen, China. The Forum, organized by EC DG MARE and Chinese authorities, served as a tool to advance jointly on relevant topics such as the Blue Economy, International Fisheries and Global Ocean Governance.

Starting this month, the EMODnet newsletter will include updates on the European Atlas of the Seas the EC DG MARE Ocean Literacy tool, powered by EMODnet. The EU Atlas of the Seas offers 275 marine data layers, with over 50% coming from EMODnet. This month the EU Atlas of the Seas has released 5 new predefined maps, a new tutorial for MyMaps tool, took part in outreach activities at the World Cleanup Day village in Brussels, and more!

EMODnet was pleased to exhibit at the ICES Annual Science Conference 2023 which took place in Bilbao, Spain on 11-15 September 2023. ICES is a key stakeholder to EMODnet, with ICES being a partner and data provider to multiple EMODnet thematics, including EMODnet Biology, Chemistry, Physics, Human Activities and Data Ingestion. EMODnet experts are also members of a number of ICES Working Groups. The event also saw the launch of the OSPAR Quality Status Report 2023, to which EMODnet data/data products contributed.

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.

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 27 September EMODnet was presented at a Sustainable Blue Economy Partnership (SBEP) workshop on Ocean Observation. Kate Larkin, EMODnet Head of Secretariat explained the diverse partnerships that EMODnet has with the Blue Economy, from data provision by the private sector, to the many uses and applications of EMODnet services by the Blue Economy, including Offshore Renewable Energy sector, Coastal Tourism and more. The meeting was attended by EC (DG MARE and RTD) with stakeholders including EuroGOOS, JPI OCeans, EuroSea , FAO, EMB, MOi and many National representatives.

EMODnet is pleased to announce the release of the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 full draft programme including over 50 expert speakers and panelists. The event will take place on 29-30 November in Brussels, Belgium. Not yet registered? Join the > 200 stakeholders already signed up and secure your place today!

EMODnet Biology and LifeWatch ERIC have joined forces to organize a one-day workshop on citizen science platforms on the 15th of November 2023. This workshop will take place as a hybrid event, with the in-person location being in Lecce, Italy, and will focus on teaching participants how to use Citizen Science platforms, such as Zooniverse and the LifeWatch Citizen Science Platform. The purpose of this Training Session is to create Citizen Science projects and engage volunteers in the historical data rescue and standardization process.

EMODnet works hard to be fit-for-purpose by taking into account user needs and requirements, implementing technical upgrades to further enhance and simplify the user experience. What do you think of the EMODnet services? We’d love to hear your feedback on how you have experienced EMODnet 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.