Calewaert, J.-B.

Derycke, P.

Larkin, K.

Marsan, A.-A.

Oset Garcia, P.

Tonné, N.

Open Marine Archive

61 
Demo Booth 
EMODnet: Your gateway to marine data in Europe  
Tonné Nathalie1, Marsan Andrée-Anne1, Oset García Paula2, Larkin Kate1, Derycke Pascal1 and 
Calewaert Jan-Bart1 
1  The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), Wandelaarkaai 7 - pakhuis 
68, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
E-mail: nathalie.tonne@emodnet.eu  
2  Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), InnovOcean site, Wandelaarkaai 7, 8400 Oostende, Belgium 
 
Marine data are needed for many purposes: for acquiring a better scientific understanding of 
the marine environment, but increasingly also for decision making as well as supporting 
economic growth. Data must be of sufficient quality to meet the specific users’ needs and be 
accessible in a timely manner. Both conditions are essential to achieving the crucial balance 
between making optimal use of our marine resources and protecting them. 
 
Yet, despite being critical, this timely access to high-quality data proves challenging. Europe’s 
marine data have traditionally been collected by a myriad of entities with the result that much 
of our data are scattered throughout unconnected databases and repositories. Even when data 
are available, they are often not compatible what makes the sharing of the information and 
data-aggregation impossible. Going to sea to set up new research cruises to gather data that 
already exist, is timely and costly. 
 
To tackle those problems, in 2007 the European Commission through its Directorate General for 
Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (DG MARE) initiated the development of the European Marine 
Observation and Data network, EMODnet, a long-term initiative in the framework of the EU’s 
Integrated Maritime Policy. Today EMODnet is comprised of more than 150 organisations which 
work together to assemble marine data and metadata and make them, together with ready-to-
use data products, easily and freely accessible for a wider range of users. This "collect once and 
use many times" philosophy benefits all marine data users, including policy makers, scientists, 
private industry and the public. 
 
Currently, EMODnet consists of seven sub-portals providing access to marine data and 
information from the following broad themes: bathymetry, geology, physics, chemistry, biology, 
seabed habitats, and human activities. Since the beginning of 2017, the EMODnet Data Ingestion 
Portal was launched which facilitates additional data managers to ingest their marine datasets 
for further processing, publishing as open data, and contributing to applications for society. 
 
With this increase in EMODnet Open Marine Data, initiatives, such as the upcoming second 
edition of the OpenSeaLab Hackathon, are set up to seek new opportunities in the blue 
economy through the development of new applications using the marine data offered by 
EMODnet. The event will take place this Autumn from 4 to 6 September 2019, in Antwerp 
(Belgium). Registrations are free and will open in March 2019. More information can be found at 
www.opensealab.eu. 
 
Keywords: Marine open data; Blue growth; Thematic lots; Hackathon 
  


EMODnet: Your gateway to marine data in Europe

http://www.vliz.be/imisdocs/publications/325042.pdf

EMODnet: Your gateway to marine data in Europe

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