Marine Data Challenges: from Observation to Information

The Marine Board – ESF 1^st Marine Science Forum, ‘Marine Data Challenges: from Observation to Information’, was held in the Marine Board’s new offices in the InnovOcean Centre, Ostende, Belgium on 15^th May 2008. The Forum brought together directors and representatives of many of the leading European marine observation and data centres, researchers, national and European policymakers and data end users from the maritime transport and offshore industries sectors. The aim - to debate the challenges faced in the development of pan-European marine observation and data management systems.

The presentations described the many well developed research, observation and marine data networks in Europe and the high degree of partnership and cooperation that already exists. Substantial progress, particularly in technology and integration, has been made in recent years, yet the community still recognises that its fragmentation is a key barrier to further development.

Put simply, the challenges identified are fourfold. Firstly to make the necessary observations – recognising that much of the ocean is under-sampled and that monitoring is expensive, technically challenging and requires a long-term, sustained, commitment. Secondly to store the observation data – with associated quality control and metadata. Thirdly to make the observation data accessible and fourthly to produce the information and services required at local, regional, European and global scales that meet identified commercial, societal  and environmental needs in a cost efficient way.

Maintenance of long-term in-situ observations:  The technical and financial challenges of maintaining long-term in-situ ocean monitoring devices, often in inaccessible and harsh ocean conditions, were described. The need to link existing data flows from public and private observations (e.g. from research vessels, data buoys, satellites, oil rigs and other coastal and offshore structures) to maximise their use and benefit, was touched on. Critical issues, such as climate change and the implementation of an ecosystem approach to environmental management, demand and greatly benefit from these long-term datasets. Yet, the Forum agreed that working in partnership would be essential to convince national governments and private sector funding bodies of the critical need for such data and data collection facilities.

Data management, including curation and quality assurance: The Pandora’s box that is data management was evidenced by the variety and number of organisations involved and the advanced technologies employed in marine data management. Issues of standardisation and interoperability still abound. While efforts are being made to establish a number of portal sites to provide “single points of access”, the Forum was challenged to demonstrate that the Data Management Community was playing its role as part of the data flow chain and not just managing data for the sake of management itself. 

Data accessibility: All present agreed that observational data, collected at great expense and often by public agencies, should, where possible, be made readily available to those who need it and in a format that they can use. Such data must carry the necessary quality assurance giving confidence to end users to invest in transforming observations into useful operational products. 

Information: Data collection and management is useless unless it can be converted into usable and useful information. Further, not all data provision is driven by science, much comes from the policy and regulatory regimes and from industry and these also should be included in a wider European marine and maritime data and observation network. Those in need of marine information were identified as:

·         policy makers to assist in evidence-based policy making;

·         the private sector to reduce risk, enhance productivity, provide forecasts an develop and market new commercial knowledge based products and services;

·     researchers to prove/disprove their hypotheses, facilitate new discoveries and provide a better understanding of the world around us;

·     the general public who have an insatiable and genuine interest in things marine.

The Forum welcomed the European Commission’s European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODNET) initiative, a component part of the Integrated Maritime Policy for the European Union (October 2007). The Forum noted that the Aberdeen Declaration (EurOCEAN Conference, June 2007) had also endorsed this initiative which it viewed as a comprehensive marine observation system spanning the full chain from in-situ data collection to the provision of usable information. A European Marine and Oceans Observation Vision Group, established jointly by the Marine Board and EuroGOOS, will shortly (July 2008) publish its view to complement that of the European Commission’s EMODNET independent advisory group.

The more detailed Report on the 1^st Marine Science Forum will be published in July 2008. 

Media contact:

Ms. Maud EvrardE-Mail

Category: Marine, Media Centre, Homepage, Press Releases 2008