European Marine Observation and Data Network | EMODnet

BLOG #1 (March 2024): EMODnet’s technical state-of-the-art as a unified Portal. The EMODnet EC in situ marine data service is enabled by a large expert community of technical experts in thematic data, data and web services, data ingestion and more. One year on from the launch of EMODnet’s unified Portal, EMODnet launches a technical blog that brings the technical developments and achievements of the EMOD-network to the forefront, championed by EMODnet’s Technical Coordinator, Conor Delaney. The blog is intended for wider stakeholders who use and/or contribute to EMODnet and would like to know more about the latest state-of-the-art in EMODnet services. The technical blog will be released quarterly.

Four short months ago, the EMODnet community gathered in Brussels for the EMODnet Open Conference and Jamboree 2023 Re-immerse yourself in the energy and insights of the Conference plenary, panel discussions, townhalls and networking, and get a snapshot of EMODnet’s rich and diverse network and valued stakeholders, all in the newly released EMODnet OC 2023 highlights video!  This video complements the Conference Report that was released earlier this year. The Conference Virtual Exhibition remains open until November 2024.

EMODnet Data Ingestion, in collaboration with EMODnet Thematic Coordinators and the Secretariat, have produced an EMODnet Guidance document on European project data submissions to EMODnet. This is an output from the webinar 'EMODnet for Horizon Europe and Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters' on 28th February 2024, organised by EMODnet, in collaboration with EC DG MARE.

On 29th February 2024, stakeholders from 18 different countries gathered online for an EMODnet Data Ingestion workshop, focusing on data management in offshore licensing procedures. The workshop, organized by EMODnet Data Ingestion and facilitated by partner Deltares, aimed to provide an overview of the diverse approaches and practices surrounding marine data management in offshore licenses, particularly in aquaculture and renewable energy sectors.

More than 100,000 new occurrence records have been published by EMODnet Biology in the first data harvest of 2024, including more than 100,000 biodiversity occurrence records, making EMODnet Biology data holdings surpass the 40 million occurrence records threshold.

The Horizon Europe MSP4Bio project used EMODnet multidisciplinary marine in situ data, including from Bathymetry, Biology and many other thematic data, to inform an Ecological-Socio-Economic (ESE) management framework used for science-based MSP to safeguard and restore biodiversity in a coherent European MPA network. Read the use case here.

In March, the European Atlas of the Seas’ team contributed to the Ocean Literacy in Action conference and exhibition organised in the framework of the European Ocean Days and the EU4OCEAN Science Projects Online Workshop (SPOW) on Plastic Pollution and Working with Ocean Technology. The team organised a workshop in Dutch for pupils in the fifth grade of primary school at the De Plataan school in Merchtem (Belgium). The Atlas poster was featured at the VLIZ Marine Science Day and the "Where next for Europe’s Seas" event. Five ‘Maps of the Week’ were published on the Maritime Forum and the EMODnet website: ‘European Ocean Days - Mission Restore our Ocean & Waters Forum’, ‘EU4Ocean – Ocean Literacy in Action’, ‘Regional Sea Conventions’, ‘World Water Day – Cooperation towards sustainable management of water and peace’ and ‘International Day of Zero Waste’.

The Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) 2024 takes place on 13th June 2024, from 10:00 to 16:30 CET at the Palace of the Academies in Brussels. This high-level gathering will be hybrid and open to the public and will feature the prototype of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO), powered by EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service via EDITO. The DOF 2024 Forum will showcase the capabilities of the EU DTO as a Commission public service, building on existing EU marine data service capability and demonstrating the European DTO's role as an additional asset to drive applications and solutions for ocean resource management, ocean and climate change and a green transition and sustainable operations for the Blue Economy. Discover how the EU DTO aligns with the Green Deal and the UN Decade of Science for Sustainable Development.

EMODnet, represented by EMODnet Biology Coordinator Joana Beja, VLIZ, Belgium, presented EDITO-Infra and EMODnet’s contribution in a webinar hosted the European project Iliad titled ‘Digital Twins of the Ocean and Biodiversity’.

EMODnet experts from across the network will be in Barcelona for the week-long UN Ocean Decade Conference 2024, 8th-12th April. You will find us in the official Conference exhibition area in a joint booth of EMODnet, Copernicus Marine Service and the Ocean Prediction Decade Coordination Centre, and at numerous side events spanning Digital Twins of the Ocean, Early Career Ocean Professionals (ECOPS), Ocean Observing, Private sector data sharing, Sea Level Rise and more.

EMOD-PACE (The EMODnet Partnership for China and Europe) between the National Marine Data and Information Service of China (NMDIS) and EMODnet has produced an article published in the Friends of Europe magazine. The article highlights the importance of EMODnet global partnerships and ocean data sharing collaborations at global level to tackle global challenges. You can read the full article here.

The EMODnet Biology/EurOBIS team presents an invaluable training course designed to empower data providers in understanding the EMODnet Biology project and its connections with international initiatives like OBIS and GBIF.

The Decade Coordination Office (DCO) for Ocean Data Sharing has prepared a survey to solicit feedback from all Decade Actions to better understand the needs and challenges you face to find, use, manage and share ocean data and information. Your responses would greatly help the DCO to identify where and how they can best support your Action(s). The survey will remain open until Friday 5th of April. The EMODnet secretariat is preparing a submission, and wider partners and stakeholders are encouraged to also submit. Visit the DCO-ODS website and complete the Ocean Data Sharing Survey!

EMODnet demonstrated its cross-disciplinary services alongside EMODnet Biology and EDITO-Infra at an exhibition at VLIZ Marine Science Day 2024. The event took place at De Grote Post in Ostend on Wednesday, 6th March 2024 and attracted over 450 researchers, many from higher education and early career professionals.

EMODnet was well represented at the Oceanology International 2024 and European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) Technology Forum that took place back-to-back in mid-March 2024 in London, UK. EMODnet Physics, Chemistry, Data Ingestion and wider experts were on-site, complementing a pan-EMODnet feature article in the Hydro International magazine that accompanied the OI 2024 event. 

The EMODnet Secretariat attended the Equinox Summit "European Climate change Science Summit" on 26th March 2024 in Brussels, co-organised by JPI Climate and European project MAGICA and held under the auspices of the Belgian presidency of the Council of the European Union. The event was attended by many National representatives from Ministries and public authorities, EU policy makers, JPI Climate, JPI Oceans, European projects and wider stakeholders. The event highlighted the value and crucial role of high-quality ocean and climate data, information and science to understand Climate Change and to inform mitigation and adaptation solutions. The EMODnet offer of marine environmental and human activities data spans Ocean and Climate, including Sea Level Rise data products, relevant for the first European Assessment Report on Sea Level Rise coordinated by JPI Oceans and JPI Climate, which will be launched in late Spring 2024.

EMODnet experts from the Human Activities and Secretariat presented EMODnet and provided technical advice at the Technical Expert Group (TEG) on Data for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) workshop “MSP Data tools and Guidance” which was held as a hybrid event on 13th March 2024.

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.

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 year, the EGI federation of computing and storage resource providers are holding their annual EGI conference in Lecce, Italy, in collaboration with the CMCC Foundation from 30th September until 4th October 2024. Different contribution types are accepted (short and long talks, posters, and demonstrations) across a variety of topics. Deadline: 24th April, 2024. 

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.

Registration has opened for the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) Annual Science Conference 2024, to be held in Gateshead, UK on 9th-12th September 2024. This edition, EMODnet and ICES are co-organising a themed session (J) on Marine data, Machine Learning and Artificial Intelligence, and will co-host an early career scientist networking event. Register by 1st September 2024 and explore the event here.

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