The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet): Visions and Roles of the Gateway to Marine Data in Europe

EMODnet originated from the need to unlock the potential of fragmented and hidden marine observations and data stored in a myriad of data systems and repositories scattered all over Europe. This was critical because the data collected through observations can only generate knowledge and innovation if Europe's engineers and scientists are able to find, access, assemble and apply them, efficiently and rapidly. Since its creation in 2009, EMODnet has greatly alleviated this problem by providing access to a broad range of harmonized marine observations/data and data products across seven thematic domains.

The paper presents how EMODnet has developed over the last decade to tackle these issues. EMODnet is comprised of more than 150 organizations which gather marine data, metadata, and data products and make them more easily accessible for a wider range of users. It consists of seven sub-portals: bathymetry, geology, physics, chemistry, biology, seabed habitats, and human activities. In addition, Sea-basin Checkpoints have been established to assess the observation capacity in the North Sea, Mediterranean, Atlantic, Baltic, Artic, and Black Sea. The Checkpoints identify whether the observation infrastructure in Europe meets the needs of users by undertaking a number of challenges. To complement this, a Data Ingestion Service has been set up to tackle the problem of the wealth of marine data that remain unavailable, by reaching out to data holders, explaining the benefits of sharing their data and offering a support service to assist them in releasing their data and making them available through EMODnet. The EMODnet Central Portal (www.emodnet.eu) provides a single point of access to these services, which are free to access and use. The strategic vision of EMODnet in the next decade is also presented, together with key focal areas toward a more user-oriented service, including EMODnet for business, internationalization for global users, and stakeholder engagement to connect the diverse communities across the marine knowledge value chain.