The COLUMBUS project aimed to ensure that applicable knowledge generated through EU-funded projects can be transfered effectively to marine and maritime sectors. To capitalise on the European Commission’s investment in research COLUMBUS investigated the accessibility and uptake of research outputs by end-users (policy, industry, science and wider society) and helped ensure that measurable value is derived from research investments contributing to sustainable Blue Growth.

EuroGOOS worked within one of the nine competence nodes, on Monitoring and Observation. The node examined the existing gaps and challeges in the obsevation and monitoring value chain (from the infrastructure providers to data providers to service providers to end users).  During the lifetime of the project, the node demonstrated case studies of the knowledge transfer through this value chain. In this process, marine data acquisition, storage and access are considered as well as existing observation and monitoring technologies and systems. The node also examined the bottlenecks in taking up the knowledge outputs and identified requirements to enhance the knowledge transfer towards application. EuroGOOS worked with the node leader (Seascape Consultants Ltd) to identify the knowledge supply, analyse the outputs and help defining requirements for a better knowledge transfer.

EuroGOOS is contributing to the operation of the Copernicus Marine Service through a broad range of activities, working with the entrusted entity of the Copernicus Marine Service, Mercator Ocean, the Copernicus Marine Service In-situ Assembly Centre, and with the European Environment Agency, delegated coordinator of the Copernicus in situ component across all services.

This work is focused on integrating the disparate components of the in situ ocean observation in Europe, feeding into the development of a sustained and fit-for-purpose European Ocean Observing System.

EuroGOOS partnered with Mercator Ocean to promote the importance of integrated ocean observing and a strong connection with users of marine data products. The work particularly addresses in situ (in water) observations and the uptake of Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS). The Mercator Ocean-EuroGOOS contract helps build closer links with national ocean observing programmes towards a fit-for-purpose Copernicus Marine Service. EuroGOOS collects and assesses information about the current in situ systems in Europe and determines priority actions towards a long-term integration. Furthermore, EuroGOOS delivers targeted communication to improve the awareness of the European policy and decision-makers of the importance of the in situ marine observations, and complementarities between the leading European marine data initiatives and services, namely Copernicus Marine Service, EMODnet and SeaDataNet.

EuroGOOS also works as a facilitator in the Copernicus Marine Service In-situ Thematic Assembly Centre coordinated by Ifremer. In this role EuroGOOS helps establish contacts with relevant projects and infrastructure programmes on ocean observations.

Furthermore, EuroGOOS was partner in the European Environment Agency (EEA) project titled Foundations. The Foundations project delivers expert advice to the EEA supporting their role in the European in situ data coordination for the Copernicus services. The project consists of two lots. Lot 1 brings together EUMETNET, EuroGOOS and ICOS, with EUMETNET being the lot’s coordinator. The partners advise the EEA in the areas of in situ meteorological and ocean observation networks, climate datasets, atmospheric chemistry observation and data management. This brings Copernicus services up to date with the networks’ capability and helps evaluate future requirements and gaps to be filled to improve their service.

The DOORS project (June 2021 – May 2025) was a research and innovation action under the European Union Horizon 2020 programme. The project aimed to implement the Black Sea Strategic Research and Innovation Agenda (download) with stakeholders and other projects and initiatives in the region. DOORS addressed research and infrastructure to better understand the Black Sea, developed and implemented an ecosystem-based framework for the Blue Economy, informed policy development and implementation, and promoted behavioural change towards sustainability.

In DOORS, EuroGOOS led the work package on stakeholder engagement and participated in other work packages to facilitate a smooth and integrated engagement activity throughout the project.

EMODnet is a European data network covering European coastal waters, shelf seas and surrounding ocean basins. EMODnet is unlocking fragmented and hidden marine data and makes them openly available, facilitating public and private investment in sustainable coastal and offshore activities. EMODnet is also a source of data necessary to understand the seas and oceans state and variability.

EMODnet is in its final development stage (phase III, ending in 2021) working towards a seamless multi-resolution digital map of the entire seabed of European waters. The map will deliver highest resolution possible in areas that have been surveyed, including topography, geology, habitats and ecosystems. This will be accompanied by timely information on physical, chemical and biological state of the overlying water column as well as oceanographic forecasts.

EuroGOOS plays a key role in the development of the EMODnet Physics portal, coordinated by ETT, Italy. EuroGOOS Regional Operational Systems (ROOSes) feed data to EMODnet exploiting SeaDataNet and Copernicus Marine Service infrastructures and services. Furthermore, the portal gives access to near real time and archived data from the EuroGOOS Task Teams and provides OGC services (WMS, WFS, and WCS) for data discovery, view and download.

EuroGOOS was also partner in the development of the EMODnet data ingestion portal. This portal helps identify and reach out to potential marine data providers and make their datasets part the existing marine data management infrastructures. The portal helps private and public data holders release their data for safekeeping and subsequent distribution through EMODnet. This will enrich the total offer for all types of users conforming to the EMODnet motto ‘collect data once and use it many times’.

In addition, EuroGOOS was partner in two EMODnet checkpoint projects in the Atlantic and the Baltic. The checkpoints audit the value of EMODnet in particular and the marine data services in general, in their ability to solve concrete commercial, environmental, and policy challenges.

ENVRI Plus aims to provide common solutions to shared challenges for European Environmental and Earth System Research Infrastructures (RIs) in their efforts to deliver new services for science and society. The project brings together existing infrustructure networks and projects together with technical specialist partners to create a more coherent, interdisciplinary and interoperable cluster of environmental research infrastructures across Europe.

Research infrustructures provide key tools for the researchers to address specific challenges within their own scientific fields. However, to tackle the grand societal challenges, collaboration across disciplines is necessary. ENVRI Plus aims to contribute to a multidisciplinary Earth system science across the traditional scientific fields. Such cooperation will help avoiding fragmentation and duplication of efforts and make the European RI products easier to access.

EuroGOOS was partner in the marine domain of the project, along with SeaDataNet, EuroFLEETS 2, FixO3, ESONET, JERICO Next and Euro-Argo. In addition, EuroGOOS Secretary General Glenn Nolan is member of the ENVRI Board of European Environmental Research Infrustructures (BEERi), the project’s advisory panel set up to give direct guidance to the project management.

The EuroSea project subtitled ‘Improving and Integrating European Ocean Observing and Forecasting Systems for Sustainable use of the Oceans’ is a Horizon 2020 Innovation Action running from November 2019 to December 2023. EuroSea brought together 55 institutes from EU and third countries and was a contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System, GOOS, and the G7 Future of the Seas and Oceans initiative.

EuroSea accelerated the Technology Readiness Levels of instruments, sensors and platforms, and integrating these observations with ocean models, delivering cost-effective actionable information for improved ocean governance and monitoring. EuroSea focused on innovation in the full ocean observing value chain – from the requirement setting to data collection and delivery of forecasts and information. EuroSea impact resulted in knowledge transfer towards innovation in the European ocean observing, monitoring and governance in support of a sustainable blue economy and responding to policy needs.

In EuroSea, EuroGOOS was co-leading with IOC-UNESCO the work package on governance and coordination (WP1) and leading the work package on engagement, dissemination, exploitation and legacy (WP8). EuroGOOS was also actively involved in other work packages and in particular WP3 which brings together several EuroGOOS task teams. Discover the EuroSea Legacy Report here.

FORCOAST was a European Union Action titled “Earth Observation Services for Fishery, Bivalves Mariculture and Oysterground Restoration along European Coasts,” which ran from November 2019 to October 2022 (with an extension). FORCOAST worked to foster market development by exploiting the value of Copernicus Earth Observation Products. FORCOAST aimed to provide information services offering high-resolution water quality and met-ocean indicators in coastal and nearshore areas, improving operation, planning, and management of various marine activities in the sectors of wild fisheries, oystergrounds restoration, and bivalve mariculture.

FORCOAST developed, tested, and demonstrated novel Copernicus-based services that incorporated Copernicus Marine, Land, and Climate Services products, local monitoring data, and advanced modeling. FORCOAST provided services in eight pilot sites covering five European regional waters: the North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea, and the coastal Atlantic Ocean.

In FORCOAST, EuroGOOS co-led the communications work package (WP7), supporting the project’s stakeholder engagement activities, and was involved in work packages on requirements (WP2) and service design (WP3). FORCOAST was conceived by the EuroGOOS Coastal Working Group and involved EuroGOOS regional systems: IBI ROOS, BOOS, NOOS, and MonGOOS, as well as eight EuroGOOS member organizations.

Integrated Arctic Observation System

Joint European Research Infrastructure of Coastal Observatories -Design Study

Towards a joint European Research Infrastructure network for coastal observatories

Pan-European infrastructure for ocean and marine data management