It is 2006……
The problem:
Scenario A: A Dutch dredging company needs information on sea-floor geology in Belgian coastal waters. Who do they contact? Which governmental department can provide this data? What language do they speak? What formats will the data be in? What standards do they use? How do they grade particle size, does gravel in Spain equate to gravel in Belgium?
Scenario B: An international environmental NGO is trying to find information on oil extraction platforms in the Mediterranean to create a map of these in relation to fisheries distribution. How many countries have territorial waters in the Mediterranean? What languages do they speak? Which government departments in those countries should they contact and how to find out? How do they record this information? Will it be in formats they can use?
Scenario C: A PhD student in Ireland is looking at the distribution of an invasive species of shellfish, the larvae of which are carried in ships' ballast waters. She knows this information would be captured by local authorities throughout Europe as well as by other academics, but how to identify them? How to get their contact details? How to translate emails? Will their data be reliable and usable?
Figure 1 Vessel density traffic map from EMODnet
The solution:
Brussels: In an office of the European Commission’s Directorate General for Maritime and Fisheries (DGMARE), a conversation is taking place. Vast amounts of marine data are being collected on a daily basis throughout Europe, by a whole range of actors: from scientists, to environmental managers and from aquaculture producers to shipping companies. These data could be used for a whole range of purposes if everyone (scientists, engineers, NGOs, policy makers) was able to find, access and use them. This could save huge costs for offshore operators, reduce the risks associated to our seas and coasts and promote innovation.
Meanwhile, the marine scientific and ocean observing communities, led by the European Marine Board and EuroGOOS, are thinking along the same lines – how to better coordinate the incredibly energised and complex European marine observation landscape, to reduce duplication of effort, support information exchange and provide a central focal point for access to these diverse data. They coin the term ‘EMODnet’ (European Marine Observation and Data Network) as a means to foster common data policies for free and open access to marine data, develop common standards for quality control of these data and promote interoperability through a ‘system of system’ approaches.
All parties come together and later that year, the European Commission sets out a roadmap, and in 2009 EMODnet is born.
Figure 2 EMODnet digital terrain model of European seas
The vision:
The vision is clear and ambitious, by 2020 EMODnet will bring together diverse and disparate marine data, harmonise and integrate these, and deliver high resolution maps of our European seas. Maps of seafloor topography, seabed geology, seabed habitats, all accompanied by collated, harmonized and integrated diverse marine data; from biodiversity to maritime human activities, providing also timely information on the physical, chemical and biological state of the water column.
It is 2016….
EMODnet is entering its third Phase of development, towards becoming a fully operational service and….
A young scientist in the UK’s Met Office is trying to improve their storm surge models. The low-lying lands in the UK bordering the North Sea are particularly vulnerable to storm damage and flooding and so the UK’s Met Office operates a storm surge forecast that runs four times a day. She discovers that by replacing the seafloor topography data used in their models, with the topographical maps available from EMODnet, they could massively improve their storm forecasts. They incorporate the EMODnet maps into their operational models.
The Gulf of Finland assessment is published. One of the most important outcomes of the Gulf of Finland Year (2014), arranged by the three countries whose waters make up the gulf: Finland, Estonia and Russia. The map, which shows that erosion, transportation, and accumulation have combined to give a patchy substrate distribution in the gulf, also formed the basis of the regional spatial plan for the sea area created by the Regional Council of Kymenlaakso. Production of the combined map was only possible thanks to the work of EMODnet to develop standard classifications for the various categories of seabed substrate.
Representatives from the oil and gas industry discover there is now a freely available, complete European digital map of oil and gas boreholes, licenses and offshore structures, classified according to operator, purpose (exploration, exploitation) and status (active, abandoned) as well as (where known) the type of hydrocarbon. This is freely and openly available to all for viewing and downloading from EMODnet.
It is 2020…
EMODnet is celebrating its 10th anniversary and having successfully reached its 2020 vision targets. Thanks to EMODnet, Europe boasts the most advanced marine data management system in the world. As we enter the UN Decade of Ocean Science, there is an opportunity to establish an international ocean information hub, and EMODnet could be the foundation for this.
A human network reaching across borders and disciplines
EMODnet is not only about connecting data and data systems across borders and disciplines. Above all else, EMODnet is a network of people. It connects partners from more than 120 organisations throughout Europe, from different countries and diverse disciplines, who work together to exchange knowledge, ideas and best practice. The EMODnet community extends beyond the scientific domain, to include policy-makers, public bodies, maritime industries and citizen science initiatives.
To celebrate a decade of development and achievements we asked some of the people behind EMODnet to tell the story of EMODnet and what it means for them. You can hear what they have to say in our short documentary film, ‘Ten years of EMODnet in ten minutes’.
By the EMODnet Secretariat
