Data Projects

The purpose of this project is to make available for re-use previously inaccessible unique multi-decadal data on marine megafauna in European seas. These biodiversity data have been collected by scientists, citizen scientists and member of the public for more than 30 years in observing programmes carried out by the UK Sea Watch Foundation (SWF) and its partners. Only a small proportion of the high value effort related data, primarily for cetaceans, held by SWF have been reported to ICES JCDP. The bulk of effort related data are distributed across multiple databases and await manual processing before they are fit for re-use. In addition, the foundation holds c.335,000 records of sightings including several data-deficient species such as less common cetaceans and seals, sea turtles, sharks, tuna and sunfish. Sightings data are distributed across multiple databases, CSV files and spreadsheets, much of which is unreported. Geographic coverage focuses upon the North Sea, English Channel, West Scotland, Celtic and Irish Seas, but also extends more widely, for example Norwegian Sea and Bay of Biscay. Data goes back to 1960, with the majority collected from 1980 to the present. Different datasets currently hold historic sightings data, web-based sightings data, Seawatcher App based data currently stored on Amazon Web Services (AWS), and data derived from external data providers collated from published and unpublished sources. SWF has ownership of its datasets so can provide free and open access without need for data sharing agreements. To ‘wake up’ as much data as possible and make it available for the EDITO we propose to unify the SWF datasets into a state-of-the-art cloud-based AWS database. The database will provide the source for a new pipeline that will deliver, via APIs, fitfor- purpose biological data. Data flow, from data ingestion to data delivery will be automated, subject to quality control and standardisation following established protocols for JCDP and SeaDataNet where appropriate. SWF has a long and successful track record of grant procurement and this provides the basis for long-term and sustainable data flows providing a reliable source of future data on European marine megafauna. Those data flows will continue beyond the life of the project. Wide uptake of SWF data and information by National, European and International policy implementing bodies recognises its role in the implementation of marine directives. The data quality is also evidenced in the publication of ~200 peer reviewed scientific and policy papers.
The long-lasting impact of this work will be to make available data from poorly covered species and taxonomic groups of megafauna, making best use of novel data gathering approaches using citizen scientists as well as the scientific community. The project leverages the best possible outcome from state-of-the-art digital solutions to streamline the delivery of data. This project will support the digital knowledge system in which the European Digital Twin will play a key role in advancing our knowledge of the ocean, reduce uncertainty, and improve the evidence base to inform future policy decision making.

Whale watching has become one of the most important touristic activities in the Azores archipelago (Portugal). The number of commercial tours has increased over the years, providing therefore an increasing number of opportunities for cetacean data collection at sea. Futurismo Azores Adventures is one of the leading companies in the region and has been registering data during their trips consistently since 2008.
Currently, the existing data gathers more than 15000 sightings of cetaceans which are divided into two slightly different datasets (2008-2018 and 2019 onwards) stored in external hard drives. Acknowledging the opportunistic nature of the data, we emphasize the necessity for a rigorous quality check to address potential flaws and inconsistencies and ensure data accuracy before public release. We aim to create routines to facilitate data processing and guarantee regular updates to the public domain following the international biodiversity standard Darwin Core. That way, we will adapt and standardize the methodology for data collection and processing to maximize data accessibility, transparency and reusability following the FAIR principles. We aim to publish in open access (via EMODnet Biology) the data collected between 2008 and 2018, and make it available via API for the wider public.
As the data collection is still ongoing, we also envisioned regular data flow after the project in the long-term with an expansion on the spatial cover (to the north coast of São Miguel and Pico Island), and will do so in the future. By adopting open licensing, the project contributes to the global collaborative effort in marine conservation, fostering synergies, and enhancing the impact of sound research. Part of these opportunistic data has already been used for peer-reviewed articles and academic dissertations, showcasing its value for research. Among others, can be useful to detect potential changes in species distribution or migrations, identify suitable areas,
or even document extraordinary events. Futurismo Azores Adventures' commitment to establishing a robust database adhering to international standards sets an example, showcasing how the link between tourism and science could be crucial for research and conservation.

The Arctic is a climate change hot spot, with ocean warming, freshening, sea-ice decline, linked to changing atmospheric and terrestrial environments. These processes are imprints of Atlantification, a progressive propagation of the Atlantic signal into the Arctic Ocean, significantly influencing climate, ecosystems, and marine food web. In the Svalbard archipelago global warming is notably accelerated.
In 2010, the first deployment of Mooring Dirigibile Italia (MDI) in Kongsfjorden, significantly influenced by Atlantic Waters (AW) intrusion, permitted continuous physical and biological measurements addressing climate changes. This initiative evolved into the Italian Arctic Marine Observing System, enabling comprehensive observation of western coastal dynamics along the Svalbard through five observing sites.
Since 2010 to present, the oceanographic moorings have been continuously gathering year-round data of environmental parameters and automatically collecting zooplankton and sinking particles samples using time-series sediment traps. Trapcollected zooplankton samples (TCZs) have been analysed over 13-years (2010- 2023), considering zooplankton abundance, fluxes, and taxonomic composition linked to thermohaline measurements, and revealing seasonal and longer-term biodiversity dynamics.
Despite possible discrepancies with actual abundances, TCZs prove valuable for investigating biodiversity in ice-covered regions, where conventional plankton net samplings face challenges. Long-term TCZ data from MDI provide insights into deepsea zooplankton distribution, diversity and ecology, and assess temporal dynamics and variability of zooplankton fluxes, composition and structure in relation to environmental changes. However, these data are currently poorly accessible in public domains, and the lack of standardised guidelines for their organisation and description significantly hampers their findability, accessibility, interoperability, and reusability (FAIR). The primary objective of KAIROS is to unlock 8-years (2014-2022) of TCZs data, adopting FAIR principles and sharing them as OPEN data. Focusing on data curation and harmonisation, KAIROS will primarily involve meticulous data review, formatting, quality control, validation and adoption of standards to improve data interoperability. KAIROS will also update and integrate the existing TCZs data with trait-based data: morpho-functional information, developmental stage and other relevant ecological traits where possible.
KAIROS will finally link TCZ data with environmental data (e.g., temperature, salinity, organic carbon fluxes, 𐋿13Corg, etc..) retrieved at the same time and location, and already available, for a better understanding of zooplankton dynamics in the Arctic Ocean. This integrated approach, bolstered by the development of FAIR and OPEN datasets of TCZs and associated environmental data from MDI, aims to assess how oceanographic changes affect zooplankton fluxes in Kongsfjorden and predict the future of the Svalbard ecosystem and zooplankton biodiversity under the pressure of climate change and Atlantification.
Data management and FAIRification processes will be achieved following broadly shared guidelines and existing web services and tools provided by e-Science European infrastructures for biodiversity and ecosystem research (e.g., EMODnet Biology, LifeWatch ERIC, OBIS, etc...). The harmonised and FAIR (meta)data will be published on EMODnet Biology. Moreover, the (meta)data will also be exposed on LifeWatch Italy in order to increase their accountability and visibility at the national level, and guarantee the long-term sustainability of the data.OOS BIOWG best practice document.

The Israeli territorial waters and its Exclusive Economic Zone (EEZ) are delimited by a rectangular polygon parallel to the shore and spans the depth range of 0-2000 m and an area of ~26,000 square Km. In 2023, The Israel Oceanographic and Limnological Research (IOLR) opened a publicly available database, designated ISRAMARBIO, which is aimed at including all the biotic data collected in the last ~130 years along the Mediterranean waters of Israel as well as selected adjacent interesting sites located in the South Eastern part of the Mediterranean. A substantial part of this data, detailed below, was already deposited in our database, but not all of it. The database is aimed at providing data and research tools for long-term bio-geographic and ecological studies as well as background data for assisting governmental policymakers to establish educated environmental policy. The east edge of the Mediterranean was less documented than its west part and introducing this database to EMODnet biology and eventually to the Digital Twin Ocean (DTO) system would improve the digital ocean model and our knowledge of the Mediterranean biodiversity. Data sources for ISRAMARBIO are peer-reviewed publications in international languages but also samples that were obtained in the framework of dissertations and local monitoring programs written in Hebrew or English and are not internationally available. Detailed description of ISRAMARBIO was published in “Tom, M., Lubinevsky, H., Kanari, M. 2023. Integrative data system for monitoring biota and natural habitats in the Israeli Eastern Mediterranean marine environment. Environ. Monit. Assess. 195, 1068,”
The database is built on a publicly accessed Geographic Information System-Based (GIS) online platform (ESRI, USA) supported by a virtual Windows server 2012R2 which stores a variety of textual and pictorial documents. The link to the public site is: https://experience.arcgis.com/experience/40e86605ff4d4e5096ed2c901fec2a2f. Each biotic data item is termed a record and every record is composed of sampled taxon which is part of a single sample. The taxon name is accompanied by ~50 descriptive items divided into taxonomy information with the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) as a reference, quantitative information if exists, documentation and formal information, sampling location, time and date, processing information and bio-geographic origin. Due to GIS limitations, the records are
arranged in three assemblies devoted to point, line and polygon samples. In addition to the biotic information, the database includes habitats’ map of the Israeli waters and several auxiliary GIS map layers including hill-shade, nature reserves and protected marine areas, human interference areas and sites and contour layer.
The aim of the present project is to integrate ISRAMARBIO biotic data with EMODnet biology and consequently with DTO, establishing flow of biotic data deposited in ISRAMARBIO to the EU system. Definition of east Mediterranean marine habitats is not yet established in the European system (EUNIS) and their integration into it could be also a potential goal of the project, depending on EUNIS consent. IOLR is already a member of EMODnet, continuously providing oceanographic and bathymetric data to its depositories.

The Marine Characterisation Research Project (MCRP), managed by Menter Môn, is an innovative research and development project which is collecting an extensive range of data on the marine environment in North West Wales. The focus is on understanding size of populations, seasonal distribution and fine-scale behaviour of marine mammals and seabirds, together with associated abiotic measurements to add context and value.

This project would be focused on managing the data flows from the MCRP and ensuring that data is able to be shared in a standardized and quality assured format with the wider European and international network throughout the next several decades of operation.

Whilst some data gathered is based on established scientific survey methods, the MCRP also provides the opportunity to develop and test new and innovative technology. The methods include passive acoustic monitoring, sonar cameras, RGB and infrared cameras, acoustic deterrent devices (ADDs), drone and boat-based observations, seal and seabird tagging, shore-based population counts and desktop modelling exercises. The MCRP is one of the largest environmental monitoring projects of its kind in the world.

The primary aim of the MCRP is to develop an Environmental Monitoring and Mitigation Plan (EMMP) to understand more about the populations and behaviour of local marine wildlife and ensure the safe phased deployment of tidal turbines in the Morlais Demonstration Zone (MDZ), off the coast of Anglesey. Morlais is the largest consented tidal Stream Energy scheme globally.

Data collection has been ongoing since 2022 to establish a baseline dataset, and environmental monitoring is planned to continue over the next several decades throughout the construction and operational phases of the Morlais tidal Stream Energy project. The volume of data will increase significantly over the next several years, creating a strong evidence base.

Menter Môn is committed to open access and open science and therefore sharing the MCRP findings data (CC-by), for use particularly by other marine renewable energy projects and the regulator in Wales (Natural Resources Wales, NRW), in order to address scientific data gaps in the marine environment and to enable the growth of the tidal Stream Energy industry in the UK.

The original data collection project has had EU, ERDF funding support.

While BODC is a key provider of physical, geophysical and biogeochemical data to EMODnet Physics, Bathymetry and Chemistry, we do not currently have the capacity to easily provide biodiversity data to EurOBIS and EMODnet Biology. The reason for this is that the Darwin Core Archive (DwCA) format was never integrated into BODC’s basic workflows. BODC manages and ingests plankton and, to a lesser extent benthos data, alongside concomitant environmental measurements, into its databases, but there is currently no mechanism to make these data available in DwCA format.
Furthermore, the publication pipelines put in place at BODC over the last 15 years to replace CD-ROM publication, are not well suited to biodiversity data. As a result, these data are difficult to find and extract. Here we are proposing to lay down the foundations for a sustained data pipeline between BODC and the OBIS network (via the UK OBIS node and EurOBIS) so that current and future biodiversity data from UKfunded oceanographic research, but also from research activities within our parent organisation the National Oceanography Centre, including historical data collections and data collected using novel technologies, can make their way to OBIS, EMODnet and DTO using an efficient semi-automated workflow. As part of this project, and to test and demonstrate the pipeline, we will submit plankton abundance and biomass data from at least four datasets. We will also use this grant to train two members of staff in the management of biodiversity data according to international best practices, enabling them to become leaders in this area of work at the BODC.

Nord University initiated a standardised zooplankton biannual time-series in 1980, now replicated in three fjords. More recently, a benthos time-series and two livestreaming undersea videos have been established. Funding has also been obtained to develop automated image analysis (AI) of these samples. However, to date, there is no organized system for biodiversity data management from data recording to archiving, which complicates data publication. This project would hire a post-doctoral level researcher to develop this system, train associated staff, write a user manual, and demonstrate biodiversity data publication into EMODnet Biology.

The SMP was started in 1997 to track changes in populations of organisms along the Dutch coastline and is carried out by volunteer observers (citizen scientists). These observers walk a fixed SMP route (SMP-traject) along the beach once every two or four weeks at low tide at one of our fourteen SMP-trajects along the Dutch shoreline.
They register all washed-ashore organisms and/or their remains. These data are used to calculate trends and indicate changes in the species populations living in the nearshore zone.

The absence of a standardized data format for automated classified image data from Imaging Flow Cytobots (IFCBs) in Europe has led to decentralized storage practices, with each partner within the European IFCB network managing their own datasets.
For instance, the processed data from our own IFCB is housed on servers accessible exclusively to staff at the Swedish Meteorological and Hydrological Institute (SMHI). We are aware of, and involved in, initiatives to create best practices for IFCB use and data processing within the EU-funded project JERICO-S3 and within EuroGOOS BIOWG, but these inititives have not yet resulted in an operational system.
In response to the need for a more cohesive approach, we are currently developing a prototype format that aligns with the ongoing efforts to streamline data management. The aim is to integrate this format seamlessly into the dataflow infrastructure of the Swedish National Oceanographic Data Centre at SMHI. Despite these strides, it's crucial to note that, as of now, the prototype data format is not yet implemented for storage within the National Oceanographic Data Centre, nor elsewhere.
The ongoing development of a standardized format and integration into the national data center represents a pivotal step toward centralizing and enhancing accessibility to automated classified image data from IFCBs in Europe. The initiative aligns with broader objectives of facilitating collaborative research and streamlining data sharing within the scientific community. We hope and expect that the results will be part of EuroGOOS BIOWG best practice document.