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Four new marine biodiversity monitoring datasets have been published by EMODnet Biology due to the work done by the Horizon Europe funded DTO-BioFlow project. These datasets provide crucial insights into marine ecosystems, helping advance efforts for ocean conservation and informed policymaking.
The first data set, collated by Sorbonne Université/CNRS, Laboratoire d'Océanographie de Villefranche (LOV) was updated and refers to taxa identification through plankton imaging technology and the geographical distribution of 25k+ occurrences of plankton in the Mediterranean. The remaining, released by Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), through the European Tracking Network (ETN) were created through the use of acoustic telemetry and counts more than 500k instances of fish, more specifically Gadus morhua and Anguilla anguilla, in Belgian waters.
With this publication and due to the established data flows with other initiatives, the datasets are also available through OBIS, GBIF, LifeWatch Belgium and in the EU DTO data lake through EDITO-INFRA.
DTO-BioFlow: Releasing hidden data for conservation of marine ecosystems
Marine biodiversity monitoring is instrumental for marine life conservation and to assess the health of our oceans. The datasets mentioned in this article are key to advancing these efforts.
As we know, despite the EU having some of the most monitored seas on the planet, getting access to comprehensive biodiversity monitoring data remains a challenge. In other words, a large percentage of the data that is collected through monitoring activities is currently hidden and/or inaccessible. This is a critical issue given the challenges facing our marine ecosystems and their importance for the health of both people and planet. Recent technological advancements in artificial intelligence and machine learning now allow vast amounts of data to be analysed more quickly and efficiently than ever before. DTO-BioFlow is harnessing these advances and making a significant contribution by helping to unlock previously hidden datasets, turning silent data into valuable insights.
By facilitating access to these previously unavailable or underutilised resources through EMODnet and the EDITO-INFRA, the public infrastructure for the European DTO, DTO-BioFlow is empowering the scientific community to better exploit these data and provide policy makers with valid information to make informed, science-based decisions. This enables more accurate evaluations of the state of our ocean and guides impactful marine conservation and biodiversity preservation efforts.
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