João Faria de Oliveira Santos, a researcher at the Research Centre in Biodiversity and Genetic Resources (CIBIO) at the University of the Azores, is leading BenthicAZ, a project that unlocks two decades of unpublished coastal benthic biodiversity data from the Azores—one of the most underrepresented regions in EMODnet Biology. Drawing from more than 50 sources, including theses, field notes, and raw datasets, the project will digitise, standardise, and openly share valuable records of sessile species and benthic macroinvertebrates from intertidal and shallow subtidal zones across several islands.
This work is one of the ten winning projects from the second DTO-BioFlow Open Call. The interview was recorded during the exclusive data training workshop in Paris, held from 3–5 June 2025. The immersive event brought together experts and project teams for hands-on sessions in data transformation, quality control, metadata management, and collaborative discussions, refining methodologies and strengthening connections across the growing marine biodiversity data network.
Read the full written interview
Who are you, and what is the name of your institute?
My name is Ron Faria. I work at the Research Centre for Biodiversity and Genetic Resources at the University. Our group focuses mainly on benthic ecology—benthic organisms, benthic taxa, and benthic communities.
For those unfamiliar with the term, what are benthic communities?
Benthic communities include all sessile organisms that live attached to rocks or other substrates. Some have limited mobility, but essentially they live on the ocean floor or another surface. This is in contrast to pelagic organisms, which live in the water column.
How long have you been collecting benthic data, and in what environments?
We’ve been collecting benthic taxa for the past 20 years using quadrats, transects, and other methods. Our work spans a wide variety of environments—from artificial structures to rocky shores and sandy beaches.
Over time, we realised the need for a single unified database, because our data is scattered across many projects: individual student research, national studies, and international collaborations.
What is the challenge with the current data, and what do you hope to change?
Most published work includes only the analysed results, not the complete raw datasets. What we want to make available—through Marine Biology initiatives and the Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO)—is the full raw data. Having one unified database on benthic communities in our region would be extremely valuable for our research centre. It would support studies on how assemblages change over time and help us assess the impacts of biological invasions and anthropogenic pressures.
How does your work connect with the Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO)?
We are contributing to the biological component of the DTO. Our data will help predict ecological changes that occur in the ocean, especially in a region where almost no data currently exists. That alone would be a major asset to the DTO.
What role do you see this data playing in understanding climate change?
This data is very important for studying climate change. Benthic assemblages—from intertidal to subtidal zones—are heavily affected by ocean acidification, warming, and other climate-related stressors.
By adding these datasets to the DTO, we can better understand what is happening now and what might happen in the future.
How much data have you identified so far?
We have identified more than 50 different data sources on benthic taxa from our research centre and our researchers. Each file and dataset is completely different in format and structure, which is why this workshop is crucial. It will help us standardise everything into one unified dataset—something essential for our future research.
What is your perspective on the DTOBioFlow initiative?
I think it’s very ambitious. I’m not sure if it’s fully achievable—but every great idea starts as a seed. Perhaps eventually we will have a realistic, though virtual, representation of the ocean.
This initiative is a step toward that vision.