SeaDataNet – EMODNet – WISE-Marine

By

Dick M.A. Schaap – MARIS SeaDataNet Technical Coordinator

Brussels – Belgium, 14 November 2011, Expert Group on Marine Research Infrastructure

Supported by the European Commission

SeaDataNet has set up and is operating a pan-European infrastructure for managing marine and ocean data by connecting National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODC’s) and oceanographic data focal points from 35 coastal states in Europe

EU FP5EU FP6EU FP7

2002 - 20052006 - 2011 2011 - 2015

SeaDataNet CDI – Data retrieval and downloading

Search

Results

Include inBasket

Shopping list

Submit + Authentication

RequestConfirmed

Data

Check StatusIn RSM

Ready at DC x

Download

SDN format

SeaDataNet Expansion

SeaDataNet standards and tools are being adopted by other EU-funded projects:

Up-Grade Black Sea SCENE project, (2009 – 2011) involving 6 NODCs and many other data holding institutes from the 6 Black Sea countries, to provide metadata and data access and to strengthen their national NODC networks. EU-funding 3.4 Million Euro. CASPINFO project, (2009 – 2011) involving 12 institutes and private industry from the Caspian Sea region, to provide metadata and data access and to build their capacity for data management and user services. EU-funding 0.8 Million Euro. Geo-Seas project, (2009-2012) involving 24 geological and geophysical data centres from 16 European countries (EuroGeoSurveys), to provide metadata and data access. EU-funding 4.9 Million Euro. EuroFleets project, (2009-2012) involving 24 research institutes and data centres from 17 European countries, to optimise the management of research vessels and to streamline the flow of data from the research cruises to the data centre infrastructure. EU-funding 7.2 Million Euro. JERICO project, (2011-2015) involving 27 institutes from 17 European countries, to develop better coordination between the coastal observatories responsible for physical and bio-chemistry parameters as well as to develop improved procedures for streamlining the flow of data from the monitoring stations to the data centre infrastructure. EU-funding 6.5 Million Euro.

In each project several SeaDataNet partners are participating for transfer of knowledge & expertise, to secure interoperability and to achieve crossfertilisation leading to upgrading of the SeaDataNet standards and tools as well as enriching of the services.

Cross sector involvement

SeaDataNet cooperates and provides services for many other European and international groups and projects, contributing and safeguarding good data management. Examples:

EuroGOOS, maintaining the European Directory of Ocean observing systems (EDIOS) and quality controlling and archiving long-term data series. See www.edios.org GMES Marine Core Services for streamlining the provision of long-term archives for optimising marine forecast services; there is an MoU formulating the cooperation between MyOcean and SeaDataNet POGO, collecting and providing information on ocean-going research vessels, and their operators, planned and completed cruises. See www.pogo-oceancruises.orgServices for the international oil & gas industry for metocean data (SIMORC). See www.simorc.org

European Marine Observation and Data Network

SeaDataNet and EMODNET

SeaDataNet has qualified itself as leading infrastructure for the EMODNet data management component and is leading several preparatory EMODNet projects:

Chemistry – focus on the groups of chemicals required for monitoring the MSFD for establishing Good Environmental Status – cooperation with EEA, ICES and Regional Conventions Hydrography – to produce and deliver a higher resolution digital bathymetry for European seasPhysics – together with MyOcean and EuroGOOS Regions to give wide access to operational metocean data, real-time and archives

The Geology lot is producing harmonised seabed maps (WMS). The SeaDataNet infrastructure is adopted via the Geo-Seas project to give overview and access to the underlying geological and geophysical data sets. SeaDataNet is data partner in the Biology lot and a closer technical relation is being developed in the ongoing SeaDataNet II project.

EMODNet Chemistry

CDI service with overview of chemistry data sets for the Black Sea region

EMODNet Chemistry

Viewing service for Nitrate distribution in the Balearic spot with overlay of CDI data sets

EMODNet Hydrography

Viewing service with digital bathymetry and overlay of CDI data sets

MSFD 6 year MSFD 6 year cyclecycle

With each step something has to be reported

SeaDataNet - EMODNet and MSFD

Article 8

Characteristics (A

nnex III, Table 1)

Pressures a

nd Impacts

(Annex III, Table 2)

Economic and social analysis

Article 9

Set of characteristics for

Good Environmental Status

(GES) (Annex I)Article 10

Environmental targets and associated indicators

2012 Reporting Requirements

Working Structure within EU

EMODNet opportunities

EMODNet is a promising development Discussions with EEA and EU DG Environment for adopting the EMODNet infrastructure as part of the MSFD reporting by interfacing with the WISE-Marine system.

Paper prepared for WG Data Information and Knowledge Exchange (WG DIKE)

Prepared by Subgroup of SeaDataNet, EMODNet Chemistry and EMODNet BiologyFocus limited to marine environmental data and not including socio-economic and human activities data. Legal frameworks and constraints relating to access of marine environmental data. Study done by EMODNet =>

MS and EU will agree on which marine environmental data will be made available for MSFD reporting, MS will ensure that these marine environmental data are accessable in practice,access to additional marine environmental data beyond the agreed MSFD data scope is determined primarily by data source holders and should be in line with European Directives such as INSPIRE (for as far as it concerns publicly funded data).

INSPIRE Directive

INSPIRE Directive is considered as an important driver for improving the harmonised availability of spatial marine environmental data sets from MS to a large range of potential users. Multiple INSPIRE themes are relevant for MSFD. Drafting and establishing the INSPIRE implementing rules is underway and involves a process of consultation with stakeholders and testing on practicle usability. Oceanographic and marine data communities (including SeaDataNet and MyOcean (GMES)), are active contributors as LMOs and SDICs for finetuning and testing. In addition, the SeaDataNet and MyOcean communities are committed to achieving INSPIRE compliance in their further infrastructure developments, incl EMODNet. This implicates that MS will also achieve INSPIRE compliance for marine environmental data through their EMODNet participation.

MSFD Definition of data and information, including QA/QC issues

Data: refers to basic observations as collected in the marine environment by monitoring agencies and research institutes by various platforms and methods. In-situ and remote sensing data sets and laboratory results. There are many differences in used formats, lack of metadata and QC/QA methods that hamper the direct use of these basic data together for harmonised and trustworthy use at basin scales.

Information: refers to analysed data and concerns expert opinions. For example this could be indicators as formulated in the MSFD. It is generated by the assembly and analysis, including further quality control at temporal and spatial scales, of multiple basic data sets. This resulting information is to be generated and reported by MS to EU for MSFD purposes. It is formulated that the reported information is evidence based, implicating that there should be a direct relation between the reported information and the associated basic data sets that have been used for its analyses.

MSFD Definition of data and information, including QA/QC issues

Knowledge: refers to absorption, assimilation, understanding and appreciation of information as provided by all MS at a basin scale by EU. This includes a process of bringing together all information, comparing individual MS reports for possible imbalances and confronting it with MSFD policy targets to assess the trends and actual situation as well as the impacts of measures. This process requires a very good understanding of the regional environment and the processes underlying the DPSIR approach.

QA-QC plays a very important role in this process at all levels, because it must be secured that the assessments and the management and policy decisions to be made upon these assessments are well balanced and evidence based.

EMODNet – WISE Marine coupling has a focus on the possible mechanism by which basic data sets from individual data source holders in MS can be made available in a comparable way (formats and quality) as supporting evidence for the MSFD information as reported by MS to EU.

EMODNet and WISE Marine – possible coupling

Roles and Standards foreseen

EMODNet is a Pan-European infrastructure for managing and giving access to a wide and further expanding range of ocean and marine environmental basic data sets for chemistry, physics, geology, biology, and geophysics, following SeaDataNet standards and INSPIRE compliant, from monitoring and research activities. EMODNet arranges that basic data are made available in a comparable way (considering metadata and data formats, quality flags, and use of common vocabularies) .

MS and EU agree beforehand which marine environmental data will be made available for MSFD reporting. EMODNet is then also adopted by MS and EU as an instrument to give access to basic data sets that are relevant and associated to the information that is reported by MS to WISE-Marine for MSFD.

Relevant national data source holders are connected to EMODNet using SeaDataNet protocols. Where needed, MS must oblige relevant data source holders to cooperate. Relevant MSFD basic data sets have a MSFD label (tagging) in the metadata (CDI) for automatic recognition. MS this way control which basic data sets are taken into the MSFD process.

Roles and Standards foreseen

Regional MSFD databases (buffers / caching) are set up that are loaded with MSFD basic datasets by regular automatic harvesting from the EMODNet infrastructure, using the MSFD label as filter. Over time the original observation data might be re-processed leading to updated basic data. Therefore versioning of basic data sets in the regional MSFD databases is required, because it is highly relevant which version has been used for specific assessments.

All versions of a specific basic data set are stored and managed in the Regional MSFD databases. The EMODNet operators are responsible for the well functioning of the automatic harvesting to the Regional Databases. This process will be based upon the machine-to-machine interfacing that

is being developed in the frame of the SeaDataNet II project.

MS report their MSFD information reports to WISE-Marine, thereby indicating by CDI identifiers from which basic data sets their information has been derived. This way there will be a direct connection between the MS information, managed in WISE-Marine, and the basic data sets as managed in the Regional Databases. This can be used for re-analysis of possible anomalies and for the regional assessments.

EMODNet also provides access to additional marine environmental data beyond the agreed MSFD data scope. These are not harvested into the Regional Databases, but it is possible to use these extra data sets for additional assessment analyses. Their access is determined primarily by their data source holders and should be in line with European Directives such as INSPIRE (for as far as it concerns publicly funded data).

Roles and Standards foreseen

The QC/QA for basic data sets and the reported information is the primary responsibility of the MS. The QC/QA for basic data sets will follow the international standards that are adopted in EMODNet and that are binding for all connected data centres. Additional QC/QA will take place at the Regional Databases, especially considering spatial and temporal comparisons and analyses.

The combination of information and basic data sets will lead to knowledge about the regional basins. The QC/QA for knowledge is a responsibility of EU and it is advised to involve regional experts for QC/QA at basin scales as is well demonstrated by the Regional Conventions.

Whether the Regional Databases are considered as internal buffers OR as open databases with public user interfaces is to be decided by the MS.

Roles and Standards foreseen

Further development in EMODNet and WG DIKE

There is 18 MEuro available for further development of the EMODNet pilots in the coming 2 years (2012-2013); for 2014 more budget will be requested. This will lead to a further technical development of the basis infrastructure, together with related EU projects such as SeaDataNet 2, and wider population

WG DIKE will establish on short notice a WG DIKE Technical Group for refining the MSFD reporting sheets and setting the ToR for the EMODNet - WISE Marine coupling.  This group will take good notice of the ongoing SeaDataNet and EMODNet developments and seek to establish the necessary synergies. This will be supported by sharing selected experts