"EMODnet News Digest" Newsletter Issues

Release of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab (OSL 3.0) Hackathon Final Report & Video (27/09/2023)

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.

EMODnet Chemistry Data webODV - Online Analysis and Visualization (27/09/2023)

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.

EMODnet Chemistry bring expertise to national discussions on federated, interoperable databases (21/09/2023)

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 latest data harvest (21/09/2023)

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.

Croatian Geological Survey uses EMODnet data to map Croatian part of the Adriatic Sea (07/09/2023)

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 at the EU-China Blue Partnership Forum for the Oceans (27/09/2023)

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.

EMODnet and the European Atlas of the Seas (26/09/2023)

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 joins the ICES Annual Science Conference 2023 (28/09/2023)

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.

EMODnet presents at SBEP Ocean Observation event (29/09/2023)

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 joins Fish-X Conference (29/09/2023)

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.

EMODnet for Business workshop: Marine data for coastal tourism (28/09/2023)

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.

EMODnet Open Conference 2023: Full programme released! (28/09/2023)

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 Autumn Data School, Citizen Science Workshop (21/09/2023)

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’s Central Map Viewer unveils new visualization and technical upgrades (29/08/2023)

EMODnet centralisation may be complete, but EMODnet services continue to evolve. Discover the enhancements and latest technical upgrades to the EMODnet Map Viewer, brought to you by the Central Portal Technical team. These upgrades improve marine data discovery and visualization, including new map projections, customized parameter exploration, offering a more efficient and precise marine data exploration than ever before.

EMODnet Geology and Caribbean Sea geological organisations meet to discuss collaborations (23/08/2023)

EMODnet Geology visited Santo Domingo in the Dominican Republic, on 26-27 July 2023 to meet with the Caribbean Sea geological organizations to discuss potential collaboration in the sharing and harmonization of marine data and what possibilities EMODnet Geology could provide for the Caribbean area. Besides four EMODnet Geology representatives, also participants from Colombia, Costa Rica, Cuba, the Dominican Republic, Guatemala, Honduras, and Mexico were present in person.

EMODnet Chemistry collects QA/QC questionnaire results on data for marine pollution assessment (23/08/2023)

A recent questionnaire to the scientific institutions and marine monitoring laboratories that contribute pollutant data to EMODnet Chemistry, allowed gaining comprehensive and up-to-date insights into the former’s marine pollutant data quality assurance (QA) and quality control (QC) procedures. You will soon find everything about the questionnaire in a scientific paper (under review). Stay tuned!

EMODnet Biology concludes new data harvest and plans data training workshops (23/08/2023)

EMODnet Biology has completed its first quarter in Phase IV with a new data harvest in conclusion which will increase occurrence results to > 40 million! Data training workshops are also in planning for November 2023 with HCMR and LifeWatch ERIC

DITTO Summit 2023 early-bird registration now open (09/11/2023)

During the 2023 World Ocean Week in Xiamen, China the Digital Twins of the Ocean (DITTO) Summit 2023 will be co-organised by the Fujian Ocean Innovation Center and State Key Laboratory of Marine Environmental Science (Xiamen University), China to gather global participants with the themes focusing on sharing the latest knowledge about Digital Twins of the Oceans (DTOs) and discussing future actions on advancing and applying them. Early-bird registration is now open until 14 September.

EMODnet for Business online workshop: Marine data for coastal tourism (26/09/2023)

Join EMODnet experts on 26-27 September 2023 for a two-day online workshop "EMODnet for Coastal tourism". The workshop will take place over two half-days (mornings) and is designed to explore how the coastal tourism industry can benefit from EMODnet’s diverse marine environmental and human activities data/data products and services, and to explore data sharing opportunities from this rapidly expanding Blue Economy sector. Register your interest to join today!

EMODnet's Open Conference 2023: Register today and submit your abstract by 14th September 2023 (29/08/2023)

Over 100 stakeholders have already registered for the EMODnet Open Conference 2023! Do you have your ticket yet? We welcome all stakeholders across the ocean observation, marine data, information and knowledge value chain to join us on 29-30 November 2023 in Brussels, Belgium! The call for community (e-/digital) poster abstracts has been extended to 14th September. Don’t miss your chance to apply to present your work!

10th EuroGOOS International Conference (03/10/2023)

The European Global Ocean Observing System (EuroGOOS) promotes, since 1994, the development of operational oceanography in Europe as the component of the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO. The EuroGOOS International Conference offers an opportunity to discuss how well our ocean observing, monitoring, and forecasting are supporting societal and policy needs.

EurOCEAN Conference 2023 (10/10/2023)

The EurOCEAN 2023 conference will take place on 10-11 October 2023 as an in-person event at the Auditorio y Palacio de Congresos Mar de Vigo, Vigo, Galicia, Spain. The aim of the EurOCEAN 2023 science-policy conference is to highlight the synergies between the EU Mission: Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030, other EU research and innovation, and management initiatives, and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development.

EMODnet Biology Autumn Data School-Mediterranean organisations (13/11/2023)

On 13-14 November 2023 EMODnet Biology is offering a workshop in collaboration with MedOBIS and LifeWatch ERIC in the form of an “Autumn School”. The first two days will be organized as a DATAthon where participants can bring their own datasets and exchange knowledge on data management best practices, with a focus on marine biological and biodiversity data.

Registration opens for the EMODnet Open Conference 2023 in Brussels, Belgium on 29-30 November 2023! (12/07/2023)

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet ) is pleased to announce the launch of the EMODnet Vision 2035 public consultation! The EMODnet Vision 2035 focuses on service evolution. This builds on a EMODnet Call to Action (launched on 30 November 2023) and on EMODnet’s achievements to-date including the unification of EMODnet services in January 2023, and EMODnet’s ongoing partnership with Copernicus Marine Service to deliver the data infrastructure for the prototype European Digital Twin Ocean, launched in June 2024. The EMODnet Vision 2035 will deliver concrete and realistic goals for EMODnet’s digital services and service offer, to increasingly serve user needs, including directly supporting EU policy, the Blue Economy, Research and Innovation and wider stakeholders, and providing added value for the EU economic agenda and competitiveness, set in the global context. The public consultation (EU Survey, link above) is open to all EMODnet stakeholders and the wider community in Europe and worldwide. You can reply as an individual, organization, network, project or initiative. Results from the survey will be summarized and considered by the EMODnet Vision 2035 Drafting Group of experts that was set up in Spring 2024 to jointly deliver the EMODnet 2035 Vision, with members representing the EMOD-network (partners, associated partners, sea-basin checkpoints) and wider stakeholders. Thank you in advance for your feedback on how EMODnet could/should evolve its services over the next decade to 2035. Please distribute this widely to your professional networks. This survey remains open until 11 September Midnight CEST. Questions relating to the EMODnet Vision 2035 public consultation can be sent to Megan Tijssens: megan.tijssens[at]emodnet.eu .

EMODnet at The Ocean Race Finale 2023! (30/06/2023)

On 27-30 June 2023, EMODnet Physics Coordinating organization, ETT, Italy was a co-organizer of the Ocean Data Week, an event held during The Ocean Race Finale in Genoa, Italy. The event brought together experts from EMODnet Secretariat, Physics, Chemistry and Data Ingestion together with wider stakeholders from the European Commission DG MARE, RTD, IOC-UNESCO, research, civil society and the private sector to exchange on topics spanning European Ocean Observation, the Marine Knowledge Value Chain, the role of Marine Data in EU Policy and Climate Change and Smart Sustainable Cities. EMODnet showcased the importance of diverse data sources highlighting the partnership with The Ocean Race, which saw EMODnet Physics making surface ocean physics data collected from sensors on the racing yacht hulls publicly available in near real-time via the EMODnet Physics dashboard, in collaboration with Copernicus Marine Service.

The EMODnet Annual Report 2022 is out! (29/06/2023)

Wish to know more about EMODnet and its results? Download the EMODnet Annual Report 2022 to learn about the main achievements, key facts and figures, partnerships on European and global level, highlights of the European Atlas of the Seas, the EMODnet-for-business events, and much more!

EMODnet Biology transitions from Phase IV to Phase V (20/06/2023)

From June 7th to 8th, the Biology consortium met in Crete, Greece, and online to wrap up Phase IV and kick off Phase V of the project. Those that were able to travel were extremely well received by our colleagues at HCMR in Crete.

EMODnet launches new online data collections for eutrophication and contaminants (20/06/2023)

Download the new aggregated and validated datasets from EMODnet Chemistry. They contain quality controlled information on contaminants in seawater, biota and sediment, and on the trophic level of seawater in all European basins. The regional data collections are produced according to specific procedures based on a quality control loop described in the guidelines entitled EMODnet Chemistry Regional sea eutrophication data collection and Quality Control loop. The collections are available on the EMODnet portal in the EMODnet Chemistry Data and Products section and in the Products Catalogue.

2024 Ocean Decade Conference pre-registration is now open (15/06/2023)

On World Ocean Day (8th June) 2023, the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (Ocean Decade) announced the launch of pre-registration and Call for Satellite Events for the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference. The three-day Conference will be hosted by the Government of Spain in Barcelona from 10-12 April 2024, and will be part of an entire Ocean Decade Week (8-12 April 2024).

New Seabed 2030 Website launched (15/06/2023)

The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project (Seabed 2030) has lately revamped their website. Seabed 2030 is a flagship programme of the Ocean Decade which aims to drive the global initiative to contribute to Ocean mapping, in support of the UN’s Sustainable Development Goal 14 ‘To conserve and sustainably use the Ocean, seas and marine resources for sustainable development’. The Decade Programme targets to achieve a digital map of the entire Ocean floor by 2030. Explore the newly refreshed website to learn more about Seabed 2030!

Insights from the Digital Ocean Forum 2023 (30/06/2023)

The Digital Ocean Forum 2023 "Unlocking the Potential of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean” took place on the 14-15th of June in Brussels, bringing together marine scientists and wider ocean experts including data scientists and numerical modellers, policymakers, and citizens interested in the co-design and co-creation of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO). EMODnet’s Central Portal Coordinating institute the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ) presented EMODnet’s key role in EDITO-Infra, a project in collaboration with Mercator Ocean International to upgrade existing EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service infrastructures to create a common data lake that will serve the future EU Digital Twin Ocean (DTO). A large number of European funded projects conducting ocean related research and innovation were also invited to participate.

EMODnet for coastal tourism online workshop (26/09/2023)

Join us on 26-27 September 2023 for a two-day online workshop "EMODnet for Coastal tourism". The workshop will take place over two half-days (mornings) and is designed to explore how the coastal tourism industry can benefit from EMODnet. Participants will discover the potential of EMODnet services for the coastal tourism sector and will be able to engage in cross-regional dialogue with participants from all European sea basins.

Save the date: EMDOnet Open Conference 2023: Powering the European Marine Data Ecosystem” (29/11/2023)

On 29-30 November 2023, the full EMODnet partnership of > 120 organisations and wider stakeholders will gather in Brussels, Belgium for the third edition of the “EMDOnet Open Conference 2023: Powering the European Marine Data Ecosystem”. Save-the-date for this interactive event. Registration opening soon!

Blue-Cloud Virtual Labs for demonstrating cross-domain web-based open science - Info session (08/06/2023)

In this webinar on #WorldOceanDay, you are going to learn more about two of the Blue-Cloud 2026 VLabs, namely the “Carbon-Plankton Dynamics” VLab that was developed in the pilot Blue-Cloud, and the brand new VLab “Integration of Coastal Ocean observations along Europe”.

EMODnet 18th Steering Committee meets in Brest, France and celebrates change in Secretariat leadership (30/05/2023)

On 23rd May 2023 the EMODnet Steering Committee (SC) met in Brest, France, for its 18th meeting, hosted by Ifremer. At the 18th SC meeting, the EMODnet Secretariat announced a change in leadership, with Kate Larkin taking up the position of Head of Secretariat from April 2023 (read her welcome message here). Long-standing Head Jan-Bart Calewaert continues to work in the ocean data space, with more focus on global ocean data partnerships.

The UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development has announced the new Call for Decade Actions No. 05/2023 focusing on marine pollution and marine ecosystems (25/05/2023)

Recent and on-going intergovernmental negotiations, such as the Lisbon Declaration adopted in the UN Ocean Conference 2022 and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework endorsed during the UN Biodiversity Conference (COP15) in December 2022, have addressed marine pollution and restoration of marine ecosystem as some of the pressing challenges our Ocean is facing. Riding the wave of the highlighted challenges, the latest Call by the Ocean Decade focuses on transformative programmes contributing to Ocean Decade Challenge 1 – Marine Pollution, and Challenge 2 – Ecosystem Restoration and Management. Deadline for submission of full applications is 31 August 2023.

Digital Ocean Forum 2023 (15/06/2023)

The Digital Ocean Forum 2023 will bring together experts, stakeholders, policymakers and interested citizens in the co-design and co-creation of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean. The purpose of this event is to collaborate with stakeholders in defining the goals and aspirations that can be accomplished by setting up a robust EU Digital Twin Ocean (DTO).

EMODnet joins European Maritime Day 2023 to showcase its unified services to diverse stakeholders (30/05/2023)

EMODnet was well represented at the European Maritime Day (EMD) 2023, which took place on 24th-25th May 2023, at the BREST EXPO, Parc des Expositions de Penfeld in Brest, France. EMODnet thematic and data ingestion Coordinators, the Central Portal and Secretariat teams were in attendance, with a variety of roles representing EMODnet at the exhibition and multiple stakeholder workshops related to marine and maritime data for innovation and sustained ocean observations.

EMODnet Geology project partners meet in the Faroe Islands (30/05/2023)

About 60 delegates of the EMODnet Geology consortium met from 23-25 May in Torshavn, the Faroe Islands, to discuss results of the past project phase and the plans for the future. The Faroese geological survey Jardfeingi has been a subcontractor in the project during repeated phases of the project. For this meeting, they invited all project partners to meet on these remote islands in the Northern Atlantic.

EMODnet Biology Phase V and data updates (24/05/2023)

The consortium was recently informed of the funding approval for Phase V. The start date was May 10th, 2023, and the project will run for an initial two-year period until May 2025, after which there is a possibility of an automatic extension for another two years. As a wrap of Phase IV work, EMODnet Biology has recently published data from 47 additional datasets. This has increased the number of available occurrence records to 35.7 million, originating from a total of 1280 datasets.

EMODnet Chemistry with Blue-Cloud to drive open marine science (25/05/2023)

As part of the Horizon Europe Blue-Cloud 2026, EMODnet Chemistry is working closely with Copernicus Marine Service and the wider blue research community to extend the existing European federation of marine and inland water data management infrastructures and their services in support of the EU marine and maritime policies. By combining the interests of the European Open Science Cloud and European data infrastructures, the pilot cyber platform Blue-Cloud will evolve into a federated ecosystem offering researchers more FAIRness, advanced analytics and higher data quality. Check out the forthcoming events. (link to the upcoming events in this newsletter including: - 8 June, Blue-Cloud virtual labs - 13-15 June vre-hands-workshop

EMODnet presents at webinar on Biodiversity data for the Green Deal Data Space (30/05/2023)

On 3rd May 2023 EMODnet’s newly appointed Head of Secretariat, Kate Larkin, presented EMODnet at the second EU Green Deal Data Space (GREAT) Webinar on ‘Biodiversity data for the EU Green Deal data space’.

EMODnet endorsed as an Ocean Decade Implementing Partner (24/04/2023)

Late March 2023, EMODnet was officially endorsed as a Decade Implementing Partner of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, further strengthening its role in supporting Global Ocean Marine Data activities and consolidating its engagement and commitment to the Ocean Decade. As an Implementing Partner, together with its partners, collaborators and network of experts, EMODnet will undertake and support a range of support actions and initiatives to promote the findability, transparency, accessibility and interoperability of ocean data and information, essential to underpin the generation of the knowledge we need to achieve sustainable ocean management at the local, regional and global level.

Second International Ocean Data Conference (IODC-II) - 20 and 21 March 2023, Paris (27/04/2023)

The Second International Ocean Data Conference (IODC-II) entitled “The Data We Need for the Ocean We Want” took place on 20 and 21 March 2023 at the UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France. The Conference focused on the implementation of commitments and main recommendations for ocean data and information management identified at IODC-I. The Conference was attended by 160 participants on site and 296 online - including many representatives from EMODnet - and provided a platform for the global ocean data community to present new solutions to existing barriers and challenges as well as opportunities in the area of oceanographic data and information management and exchange.

European Marine Board (EMB) launches report on Sustainable Offshore Renewable Energy, recognising EMODnet's efforts to bridge data gaps (26/04/2023)

The European Marine Board has released a new report on sustainable management of the offshore renewable sector titled "Future Science Brief No. 9 European offshore renewable energy: Towards a sustainable future". While the report highlights the need for increased offshore renewable energy capacity, it also emphasizes the importance of managing the expansion sustainably and responsibly. Furthermore, the report notes that access to industry data remains a significant barrier for offshore renewable energy (ORE) researchers, and EMODnet is playing a significant role in bridging the gap.

Inventory of identified stakeholders for licensing data – Progress of EMODnet Data Ingestion Phase III (27/04/2023)

EMODnet Ingestion has started tackling a new challenge, dedicating specific efforts to improving and documenting the availability of data provided for coastal and offshore licensing. The objective is to identify and engage with public authorities that receive data from licensing procedures for coastal or offshore activities, with a particular focus on aquaculture and offshore energy, to obtain more information on the management of monitoring data, to promote the use of common standards, and to start a path towards a more harmonised approach, through a workshop.

EMODnet Biology Phase IV reaches its end (26/04/2023)

EMODnet Biology reached the end of its Phase IV work cycle which resulted in more data being freely and openly available via the portal: users are now able to access to more than 40 Million occurrence records on various taxa distributed in European Seas and beyond.

New EMODnet Biology data product: temporal turnover of benthic species in European seas (27/04/2023)

The product, developed by the University of Sheffield, extends the EMODnet macrobenthos presence-absence product to map changes in macrobenthic communities over time, measured as species loss and gain and beta diversity.

EMODnet Chemistry at the ECCWO5 symposium on climate change (26/04/2023)

On 18 April, the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS, scientific coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry, presented progress made on ocean acidification data at the 5th International Symposium on the Effects of Climate Change on the World's Ocean - ECCWO5 The annual event, held in Bergen, Norway from 17-21 April, brought together experts from around the world to better understand the impacts of climate change on ocean ecosystems, the ecosystem services they provide, and the people, businesses and communities that depend on them.

EMODnet Chemistry shares success stories on ingestion of new datasets (26/04/2023)

Thanks to the collaboration between data providers across Europe, EMODnet Ingestion and EMODnet Chemistry, six organisations from six countries have become champions in providing datasets, as well as in sharing and saving them forever: the UK, Belgium, Denmark, Georgia, Italy and Romania. This is reported by EMODnet Chemistry in its collection of success stories with EMODnet Ingestion. The latest update was presented during the 1st Annual EMODnet Ingestion Phase III Progress Meeting, held on 12-13 April 2023 in Larnaca, Cyprus.

EMODnet Physics joins the Chalmers University Coastal Data Gap Challenge (27/04/2023)

On 30 March EMODnet Physics together with SMHI, marine sensor developers, citizen science initiatives, TransEurope Marinas and other international organizations and institutes attended Chalmers Filling Coastal Data Gaps - Let's Do it Ourselves!". The activity is a marine citizen science low-code, low-cost sensor course for 110 2nd year Industrial Economics MSc students at Chalmers University of Technology, Sweden, running throughout spring 2023.

Low Cost Technologies & Data Workshop (02/06/2023)

As part of the GOOS OCG-14 Meeting, the OCG, AtlantOS team together with EMODnet Physics is hosting a low-cost technology workshop that will focus on available technologies, their applications and on opportunities to ensure collected ocean data is FAIR.

EMODnet at Ocean Race event “Ocean Data Hours” (27/06/2023)

The Ocean Race, the most extraordinary and toughest around-the-world regatta involving more than 2 million visitors in the past edition, is gearing up for June's Grand Finale in Genoa, Italy. ETT is supporting the race with a technical partnership and as part of the sponsorship, in collaboration with EMODnet Physics and Ingestion partners and sister projects (NAUTILOS, SOCHIC, OCEAN:ICE, EuroSea and others) is organizing “Ocean Data Hours” dedicated to sustainability, data FAIRness, cooperation. The program will propose events, roundtables and workshops that will lead to the Ocean Data Week.

Green Week 2023 conference (06/06/2023)

EU Green Week is an annual event promoting European environmental policies, educating the public, and stimulating discussions. Policymakers, prominent environmentalists, stakeholders, and interested parties from Europe and the world attend this high-level event organised by the European Commission's Directorate-General for Environment.

Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and waters by 2030’- The Mediterranean lighthouse in action (30/05/2023)

The event will be an opportunity to witness the political commitments of the Mediterranean countries towards the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters (europa.eu) and to present the actions and initiatives which contribute to the Mission objectives that may be scaled up and replicated in other sea basins.

EMODnet releases an upgraded Bathymetry Digital Terrain Model (DTM) 2022 (13/04/2023)

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) has launched a major update of the EMODnet Bathymetry Digital Terrain Model (DTM), as part of its continuing evolution of services to further improve open access to data, information and knowledge of the marine environment. The 2022 DTM is the result of efforts across the EMODnet Bathymetry Consortium of thematic experts and collaborators, in co-operation with the European SeaDataNet infrastructure.

EMODnet delivers Open Sea Lab (OSL) 3.0 Hackathon and announces 3 winning teams for EMD 2023 (30/03/2023)

On 27-28 March 2023, over 500 registered participants from 83 countries worldwide joined together for the OSL 3.0 hackathon, representing a diverse community of marine science practitioners, data scientists, IT professionals and innovators.

EOOS Strategy 2023-2027 launch (22/03/2023)

On 2 March European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) organised an online webinar presenting its new Strategy and the Roadmap for the implementation.

EMODnet attends EuroSea foresight workshop (30/03/2023)

On 15-16 March 2023, the EMODnet Secretariat participated in the Horizon 2020 project EuroSea foresight workshop titled “Ensuring accurate climate related predictions in Europe by 2035”, organised by the European Marine Board, which took place at the Museum of Natural Sciences in Brussels, Belgium.

EMODnet at International Ocean Data events and meetings (31/03/2023)

The EMOD-network participated in force at the second edition of the International Ocean Data Conference (IODC-II) on 20-21 March 2023 where the recent EMODnet unification of services was presented, together with dialogues on EMODnet’s contribution to FAIR data and the Global Ocean Data Ecosystem, together with its active input to the UN Ocean Decade Data and Information Strategy. EMODnet was also well represented at the 27th session of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange" (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, held back-to-back on 22-24 March 2023.

New Biology outputs: products, use case, data (22/03/2023)

As EMODnet Biology approaches the end of Phase IV, new outputs are being published via the EMODnet portal. Products covering benthos presence/absence in the European Seas, invasive macroalgae modelling are available for subset and download.

EMODnet Chemistry Stakeholder Consultation (22/03/2023)

On 10 March 2023, the EMODnet Chemistry Stakeholder Consultation took place online and in Trieste. The main objective was to bridge the gap between the EMODnet Chemistry offering and the needs of key data providers and users in Europe. A live survey was also used to gauge their satisfaction and interest in new ways of working together. The result was generally positive feedback and some useful tips for improvement. The workshop also revealed new win-win situations, e.g. with a Big Data publisher who expressed great interest in sharing data with EMODnet.

Advanced Master in Sustainable Blue Economy: lecture on EMODnet (27/03/2023)

On 17 March 2023, EMODnet was presented in detail at the Advanced Master in Sustainable Blue Economy during the lecture by Marina Lipizer, researcher at the National Oceanographic Data Centre, managed by the National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics - OGS.

EMODnet Biology datasets enriched with standardized associated media information (14/03/2023)

Flanders Marine Institute, coordinator of EMODnet Biology, developed guidelines on how to report imaging data (focusing on the specific case of plankton imaging) in a standardised manner. The guidelines contain recommendations to users of imaging instruments on how to format their data for submission to biodiversity international data portals following the OBIS-ENV-DATA format, a Darwin Core (DwC) based approach to standardise biodiversity data. As a result of this work, and to showcase how to apply the best practices to a dataset that includes this associated media information, the Explore Your Shore dataset, available via EMODnet Biology was updated.

European Maritime Day 2023 (24/05/2023)

Registrations are now open for European Maritime Day 2023 (EMD2023) which this year takes place in Brest, France on 24-25 May 2023.

Abstract submission is now open for the 10th EuroGOOS International Conference (22/03/2023)

Every three years the EuroGOOS conference provides a forum for marine scientists and technologists developing operational oceanography products, and the users of these services including decision and policymakers as well as the private sector.

Workshop on Ocean Health & Observation: Synergies and clustering between maritime projects (17/04/2023)

The main goal of the workshop is to establish a framework to foster information exchange, networking and cooperation across projects and beneficiaries.

OCG-14 Low-cost technologies workshop (02/06/2023)

As part of the Observations Coordinating Group (OCG) Meeting, the OCG and AtlantOS team is hosting a Low-cost technology workshop that will focus on showcasing the technologies available and their application, and opportunities to ensure collected ocean data is FAIR. This workshop will host both on hands training, lightning talks and posters! Please join us either in-person in Cape Town or online at the workshop on June 2nd, 2023, 09:00 - 17:30 SAST.

EMODnet Chemistry supports Back to Blue’s initiative (17/02/2023)

EMODnet Chemistry was interviewed by Back to Blue, an initiative of Economist Impact and The Nippon Foundation, to produce the report on marine chemical pollution entitled ‘Invisible Wave: Getting to zero chemical pollution in the ocean’. This documentation underpins the discussion paper 'The Zero-Pollution Ocean: a call to close the evidence gap', which was launched by Back to Blue to spark a conversation on how to coordinate a global response to marine pollution. Have your say and help make visible the invisible wave of marine pollution!

EMODnet Biology contributing to the TRASMARES itinerary Massive Open Online Courses (MOOC) (17/02/2023)

The EMODnet Biology partner IHCantabria was involved in the setup of the TRASMARES project, delivering ‘Specialised Training on Applied Tools for Sustainable Marine Ecosystems’

EMODnet and European defence (17/02/2023)

On 23-24 January 2023, marine environmental research scientist Mrs. Claudia Coman, data ambassador for EMODnet Ingestion in Cyprus, participated as observer to the conference “Battlefield redefined” in Limassol. The event was organized under the auspices of the Ministry of Defense of the Republic of Cyprus and the Cyprus Chamber of Commerce and Industry. It was attended by eminent experts and key stakeholders including the European Defense Agency, DG DEFIS and major companies of the European Defense Industry. Learn more on the prospect of win-win synergies in this article.

Introducing ERDDAP: a national workshop, Sweden (17/02/2023)

On 19 January 2023, EMODnet Physics co-organized a national Swedish ERDDAP workshop to demonstrate the great advantages of this technology. This included promotion of the EMODnet ERDDAP services, accessible via the EMODnet Central Portal.

EMODnet Geology data services used by the Offshore Renewable Energy sector (15/02/2023)

Energinet, an independent public enterprise owned by the Danish Ministry of Climate, Energy and Utilities, develops offshore windfarms and energy islands in Danish Waters. Prior to the development of the offshore windfarms, the Danish Parliament requires Energinet to undertake preliminary studies of the seabed. Energinet is a user of EMODnet Geology data, in particular the Seabed Substrate map and Index Map, to acquire insights in the geology of the Danish seas.

EMODnet for Mission Ocean and Waters (27/02/2023)

On 17th February 2023 the EMODnet Secretariat and wider representatives attended the first Annual Forum of the Mission "Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030" (Mission Ocean).

EMODnet successfully delivered the "EMODnet Centralisation: One Ocean, One EMODnet" webinar (02/02/2023)

Following the centralisation of EMODnet services, a successful webinar was organised to showcase and promote all the new features and capabilities of the EMODnet portal and how to use them. The webinar recording is now available on the EMODnet YouTube Channel   .

Register today for the Green Deal Data Space Webinar (01/03/2023)

The Green Deal Data Space Foundation (GREAT) project aims at fostering an international cross-sectoral Community of Practice, which will shape and constitute the future Data Space through the provision and use of data. The project will deliver a roadmap for implementing and deploying the Green Deal Data Space, an infrastructure that will allow data providers and initiatives to openly share their data to tackle climate change and environmental challenge in a multidisciplinary manner. This introductory webinar will introduce the GREAT project and its goals, objectives and upcoming activities.

EMODnet is evolving its services: Help us to improve your experience! (27/02/2023)

EMODnet works hard to be fit-for-purpose by taking into account user needs and requirements. Tell us how you have been experiencing your visit to the EMODnet Central Portal 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.

EMODnet Seabed Habitats launch new story map on EUSeaMap and its applications in MSFD reporting (21/02/2023)

There have been many versions of EUSeaMap. A new story map by EMODnet Seabed Habitats explains the added value of the different versions and how it can be applied in an MSFD reporting context.

Register today for the "Advancing EOOS - the foundation of European ocean knowledge" webinar (02/03/2023)

On 2 March 2023 at 10:00 CET, at the online launch event, the new EOOS Strategy  and EOOS Roadmap for Implementation   2023-2027 will be presented and discussed. Be part of those discussions and invite your country's ocean-observing community, stakeholders and high-level decision-makers to join this two-hour event.

2023: One Ocean, One EMODnet - New Year's Letter (31/01/2023)

At the beginning of every new year, we take a moment to reflect with you on the previous year, to take stock of EMODnet’s achievements and look forward to what the coming year will bring for our growing network of data providing partners, service implementers and users. And What A Year 2022 Was! In 2022 EMODnet reached another important milestone with the unification of all EMODnet data services and resources into one single shared portal. EMODnet has reached a new stage, putting it in a stronger position to contribute to the EU Mission ‘Restore our Ocean and Waters by 2030’, the wider goals of the EU Green Deal and the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. Read the full New Year’s letter from the Secretariat.

EMODnet and the National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) of China to continue partnership after successful completion of pilot projects – Watch the VIDEO! (31/01/2023)

After 34 months of intense collaboration, the EU-China collaborative ocean-data pilot projects EMOD-PACE (EMODnet Partnership for China and Europe) and CEMDnet (China-EU Marine Data Network Partnership) reached their end on 31 December 2022. The projects successfully connected EMODnet with the Chinese National Marine Data and Information Service (NMDIS) to provide interoperable access to shared data resources and generate new data products and insights through various technical and scientific assessments. Watch the final project video to gain insights and reflections on the achievement of the projects. Visit the Central Portal to find out more and the EMODnet map viewer to visualize the many data products produced jointly.

One Ocean, One EMODnet: The European Marine Observation and Data Network is now fully unified into one single portal, offering major functionality upgrades (27/01/2023)

This thematic unification simplifies access and enhances the EMODnet user experience. Central to the upgrade and major improvement is the release of the common map viewer, which offers the user easy and seamless access to discover, visualise and download marine data across seven thematics spanning marine environment and human activities and hundreds of data and data products from one place, powered by a searchable unified catalogue.

EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoint (SBCP) partnership and invited experts unite for an online workshop on the added value of the SBCPs and uptake by the wider community (27/01/2023)

On 26 January 2023, the EMODnet Secretariat hosted an online workshop on the added value and benefits of the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoint (SBCP) exercises that took place across six sea basins in 2013-2018. The workshop brought together more than 50 experts including EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoint Coordinators, partners and expert panel members, EMODnet thematic and data ingestion Coordinators and representatives, EMODnet associated partners, the European Commission and wider invited experts from the European Ocean Observing, marine data and user community.

EMODnet invites inputs to a public survey on the benefits of the SBCP which remains open until 2 February 2023!

The awakening of marine data continues: Updates on EMODnet Data Ingestion phase III (27/01/2023)

EMODnet Data Ingestion is paving the way for expanding and diversifying marine data submissions to EMODnet, following an inventory of potential marine data sources in 2022 which revealed 230 data sources from 25 countries and 35 institutes/organisations. Data Ingestion partners including data centres are now focusing efforts on datasets that are under-represented in EMODnet including diverse sources e.g., private sector and emerging or under-represented parameters and geographical areas.

EMODnet Biology reaches 30 million data point occurrences, and other highlights from 2022 (27/01/2023)

As 2022 has ended, EMODnet Biology provides a summary of the main achievements from the past year, including contributions to conferences, workshops and citizen science projects. EMODnet Biology is delighted to announce that in the past year it reached a total of 30 million occurrences from a total of 1251 datasets.

EMODnet Seabed Habitats plays key role in major update to the EUNIS Marine Habitat Classification (27/01/2023)

EMODnet Seabed Habitats’ Coordinating institute JNCC has played a key role in a major restructuring of the marine component of the EUNIS habitat classification. Advantages to the new version include an easier translation to Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) Broad Habitat Types to facilitate reporting on MSFD Descriptor 6 (Seafloor Integrity), the introduction of biogeographical regions at level 3 and a separate level 2 biogenic class under which all biogenic habitats are classed.

EMODnet Chemistry 2022 highlights expanded quantity and quality of marine data: a great value for marine strategies and more (27/01/2023)

EMODnet Chemistry reflects on 2022 highlights ranging from centralisation of the Chemistry portal, alongside other thematics, expanding the quantity, quality and user-friendliness of data and data products, making the Chemistry offer more fit for use than ever before by marine strategies e.g., Marine Strategy Framework Directive, an increased offer of data, products and service e.g., for marine pollution, publishing guidelines including for marine litter, eutrophication, contaminants and more, and increasing the interoperability and discovery of Chemistry data products.

The new Memorandum of Understanding between EMODnet Chemistry and the United Nations Environment Programme (27/01/2023)

On behalf of EMODnet Chemistry, the Coordinating institute National Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics (OGS) recently signed a Memorandum of Understanding with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) with the aim to consolidate, develop and detail cooperation and effectiveness of the Parties, including strengthening collaboration with the UNEP Global Partnership on Marine Litter (GPML) Digital Platform where EMODnet Chemistry data is already made available.

EMODnet Chemistry and ICES work together to optimise micro-litter formats and data flow (27/01/2023)

On 18-20 January 2023 EMODnet Chemistry participated in a workshop of the International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES) on the revision of the format for marine litter data in the ICES Environmental Database. EMODnet Chemistry brought its expertise having developed the EMODnet micro-litter data format in collaboration with the MSFD Technical Group on Marine Litter (TGML) since 2017. Marine litter data trawls collected by ICES are already available via EMODnet Chemistry. The hybrid event took place in Copenhagen (Denmark) and online.

Register today - EMODnet Centralisation Public Webinar (16/02/2023)

The EMOD-network is excited to announce an EMODnet public webinar, “EMODnet Centralisation: One Ocean, One EMODnet" on 16 February 2023. The webinar will focus on the new features, capabilities and advantages of the EMODnet tools and services, following the unification of the 7 thematic portals into one central portal. Registration is free and open (see below).

Register now - Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters Annual Forum (17/02/2023)

Registration has opened for the EU Missions Restore our Ocean and Waters Annual Forum, taking place 17 February 2023 in Brussels.

Registration is now open for the EMODnet Open Sea Lab Hackathon 3.0! (06/03/2023)

Join us at the third EMODnet Open Sea Lab Hackathon to address Ocean challenges in support of the EU Green Deal and the UN Agenda 2030. During a two-day open data virtual event (27-28 March 2023), participants will have the opportunity to explore and test the new features and advantages brought on by the unification of all seven thematics of EMODnet into one central portal.

SAVE THE DATE - Open Conference & Jamboree 2023 (27/01/2023)

On 27 November - 1 December 2023, the full EMODnet partnership of > 120 organisations and wider stakeholders will gather in, Brussels, Belgium for the third edition of the EMDOnet Open Conference and Jamboree. Save-the-date for this interactive event. More news to follow soon.