European Marine Observation and Data Network | EMODnet

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.

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.

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.

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!

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.

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’ 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 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.

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.

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.

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).

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

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.

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.

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.