Fixed Point Open Ocean Observatories Network. A project newsletter highlighting news, events and results.

Transcription

1 Project Fixed Point Open Ocean Observatories Network Work Package number 8 Work Package title Outreach and training Deliverable number 8.6 Deliverable title Description Lead beneficiary Lead authors Contributors Submitted by Year 2 Project Newsletter A project newsletter highlighting news, events and results. NERC Luisa Cristini (NERC) Kathryn Keeble (BLIT) Simon Keeble (BLIT) Isabel Couñago (BLIT) Richard Lampitt (NERC) Maureen Pagnani (NERC) Robert Huber (UniHB) Andree Behnken (UniHB) Luisa Cristini

2 Contents Preparation... 2 Content... 2 Distribution... 3 Appendix... 3 Preparation Preparation of the second project newsletter started around May 2015 through coordination between the task leader and FixO3 project manager Luisa Cristini and WP8-leader Kathryn Keeble, who acted as newsletter editors. It was agreed that the newsletter would focus on European marine data to highlight current challenges in data management and access in Europe and the contribution of FixO3 community. An outline of the newsletter s content was then developed along with a feasible time-scale for the development of the articles drafts and the graphic layout. Potential lead authors were identified among the project partners, based on their expertise, and invited to contribute. A first draft of the content was ready for review by the end of June 2015 and the editors provided feedback to the authors by mid July The content was then revised where necessary to provide the final content by the end of July The graphic designers prepared the final layout based on the first newsletter with feedback from the editors. The newsletter was sent to print in early September Content The Newsletter features ten contents: 1. An introductory editorial Drops of data in the ocean of research by the Project Coordinator Richard Lampitt and Project Manager Luisa Cristini (NERC) 2. An information box What is FixO3 by Luisa Cristini 3. A summary table of key events and achievements during the second year of the project Looking back by Luisa Cristini 4. An overview of the current state of the European landscape of marine data repositories and policies Ocean data: a European perspective by Robert Huber (UniHB) and Maureen Pagnani (NERC) 5. A summary of FixO3 contribution to address the big challenges of data management The many challenges of data management: FixO3 contribution by Andree Behnken (UniHB). 6. An information box on transnational access to research infrastructure by Luisa Cristini 7. An overview of key events and activities planned for the third year of the project Looking forward by Luisa Cristini 8. A presentation of the Earth Virtual Observatory developed by Blue Lobster High impact data visualisation: EarthVO by Simon Keeble (BLIT) 2

3 9. A short report of the workshop for young scientists and data users organized by the University of Bremen Training new generations of data managers and users by Andree Behnken 10. A short interview to Philip P. E. Weaver, Managing Director at Seascape Consultants Ltd and Chair of EMODnet Steering Committee Opinion: Three questions to Philip P.E. Weaver Distribution The newsletter was distributed electronically to registered users of the project website and to the project Consortium and the project Advisory Board. 250 copies were also printed and will be distributed during the project General Assembly 2015 (12-14 October, Brussels) and in other events. Copies of the newsletter are also on display and available to the public in the FixO3 Project Management Office (PMO) and in the secretariat of the Ocean Biogeochemistry Group at the National Oceanography Centre, which hosts the PMO. Appendix The FixO3 Year 2 Project Newsletter 3

4 The Fixed point Open Ocean Observatory network (FixO 3 ) seeks to integrate European open ocean fixed point observatories and to improve access to these key installations for the broader community. Project Newsletter European Marine Data Special Volume 2 - Issue 1 29 partners, 12 European countries, 23 fixed point observatories, 12 work packages, 4 years, 7 million Euros. Find out more Web:

5 FIXED-POINT OPEN OCEAN OBSERVATORIES 3 Editorial: Drops of data in the ocean of research Richard Lampitt and Luisa Cristini National Oceanography Centre Southampton Contents 1. Editorial What is FixO 3? 2. Looking Back 4. Ocean data: a European perspective 5. The many challenges of data management: FixO 3 contribution Transnational Access to research infrastructures 6. Looking Forward 7. FixO 3 General Assembly photos 8. High impact data visualisation: EarthVO 9. Training new generations of data managers and users 10. Opinion: Three question to Philip P.E. Weaver Layout Graphics: Simon Keeble (Blue lobster) Isabel Couñago (Blue lobster) Editors: Luisa Cristini (NOC) Kathy Keeble (Blue lobster) FixO 3 Project Management Office National Oceanographic Centre European Way Southampton SO14 3ZH Tel: +44 (0) fixo3@noc.ac.uk Website: When we talk about ocean observations we actually mean data. Data which is continuously produced with sensors and samplers developed and applied specifically to survey and monitor the global ocean. Data is heterogeneous coming as it does from sensors mounted on a variety of devices such as floats, gliders, moorings, ships and satellites. In addition data from the same type of observing platform is different because each sensor has its own particular characteristics. All types of research are based on data and therefore the data needs to be of high quality leading to high-level research and subsequently reliable and substantive advances in ocean science. Data needs to be saved in a secure manner so as not to risk losing precious information for research, but it must also be readily available, to allow research beyond each organization s limitations and to maximise the benefits from the economic investment through its reuse. Data also needs to be complete, not fragmented; otherwise it is not possible to investigate processes and phenomena on wider temporal and spatial scales to understand the big picture. It needs to be accompanied by metadata because this carries the information on how the data was taken. A dataset is useless without metadata. For all its possible applications, data needs to be integrated, harmonised and accessible to enable efficient use by various communities. Experience and studies show that effective data coordination and sharing are linked with increased scientific productivity and therefore value for money. As the FixO 3 community of data producers and users, we envision a network where data is freely available to scientists at any time and from any observatory with no restrictions to ensure the opportunity to study and understand our changing oceans, to tackle big challenges such as climate change, and to deliver high-quality services for the community. FixO 3 works towards the achievement of common data standardisation and sharing at European and possibly international level to foster the advancement of ocean sciences in any discipline and interdisciplinary. Data sharing is also a means for strengthening collaborations among research institutions and between public and private sectors with interest in the ocean. This year s issue of the FixO 3 Newsletter focusses on data management issues. We give an overview of the current state of the European landscape of marine data repositories and policies ( Ocean data: a European perspective by Robert Huber and Maureen Pagnani) and of FixO 3 contribution to address the big challenges of data management ( The many challenges of data management: FixO 3 contribution by Andree Behnken). We also present our achievements in data visualisation ( High impact data visualisation: EarthVO by Simon Keeble) and in capacity building for young scientists and data users ( Training new generations of data managers and users by Andree Behnken). Thank you for your interest What is FixO 3 The Fixed-point Open Ocean Observatories Network (FixO 3 ) is a collaborative project between 29 partners in 11 European countries drawn from academia, research organizations and small and medium enterprises (SMEs) coordinated by the National Oceanography Centre in Southampton, UK. The project started in September 2013 for four years with a total funding of 7 million Euros from the European Union Seventh Framework Programme (FP7/ ) under grant agreement The project aims to: integrate the 23 open ocean observatories operated by European organizations spread in the Atlantic ocean from the Arctic to the Antarctic and the Mediterranean Sea improve access to these key installations by the broader community provide multidisciplinary observations from the air-sea interface to the deep seafloor Page 1 FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1

6 Looking Back September 2014 August 2015 A summary of key events and achievements during the second year of FixO 3. Month Event Description September 2014 Challenger Society for Marine Science 2014 Conference (8-11, Plymouth) The Challenger Society for Marine Sciences represents the UK marine sciences community and is sponsored by the National Oceanography Centre and the Plymouth Marine Laboratory. FixO 3 was present at the Challenger Conference with several abstracts on the project progresses over the first year, the economic value of ocean observations and research carried out at NOC observatories PAP, NOG and SOG. Milestone 5 achieved! A review of the current status of all fixed observing sites (instrumentation, software and middleware) was achieved with input of all observatory providers to the project website. Newsletter 1 October 2014 EurOCEAN 2014 (7-9, Rome) November 2014 December 2014 FixO 3 General Assembly 2014 (14-16, Heraklion) Milestone 6 achieved! 7th EuroGOOS Conference (28-30, Lisbon) Establishment of technology clusters Evaluation summary on first call for proposals Launch of visual data products section of the FixO 3 website Common workshop on procedures The year 1 project newsletter includes editorial by project management team, updates on activities carried out during year 1, planned activities for year 2, featured articles from partners, information boxes & interview to Tim Cowles and Susanne Neuer. EurOCEAN 2014 brought together marine scientists across the broad range of disciplines with policymakers, industry and NGOs, to develop a common vision on achieving an ecosystem approach to the management of Europe s marine resources as a fundamental requirement for sustainable Blue Growth. FixO 3 was presented at EurOCEAN 2014 by Project Coordinator Richard Lampitt. The 2014 FixO 3 Consortium General Assembly took place in Crete and featured sessions on the project s work packages, Steering Committee and Advisory Board meetings, evaluation of TNA proposals, a keynote lecture by Advisory Board member Ingunn Nilssen from Statoil and cultural visits to the Knossos Palace, the Cretaquarium and the archaeological museum in Heraklion. A common data policy was drafted in collaboration with all data providers was approved at the project General Assembly. The conference provides a forum for interaction between marine scientists and technologists that develop operational oceanography services and the users and stakeholders including the private sector, decision and policy makers. Achievements during the first year of FixO 3 and plans for the future are presented at the conference by the project coordinator Richard Lampitt. A number of technology clusters (e.g. ICT, sensors) that include industry & academic partners were created. The development of clusters of technology companies stimulates innovation. With SLR help, Ifremer has identified technology companies in different sectors and combined them in a cluster that encourages interaction to address specific technical problems encountered in the deployment of seafloor observatories. TNA leader PLOCAN provided a summary of the evaluation process and results of the first call for transnational access to FixO 3 observatories. Outreach leader Blue Lobster has designed a special section of FixO 3 website dedicated to visualisation of FixO 3 data and products for the public. All procedures used within the network (maintenance, service, calibration, pre-deployment, data transfer etc) have been documented by HCMR and OGS through the collection of protocols assessed during a common workshop. January th SC meeting The project Steering Committee convened through videoconference Milestone 8 achieved! PLOCAN had disseminated information on the first round of TNA projects. February 2015 Common FixO 3 data policy MoU To provide a better formal basis for access to observatory data, a common data policy was defined by MARUM and in collaboration with all observatories providers was formulated as a Statement of Compliance and signed by all project partners. Monitoring of Service Activities FixO 3 time series accepted as contributing to GISC and EuroGOOS Assessment of development of observatory systems and assessment of communication status AWI compiled the available information on the different service activities and their implementation by partners and disseminated it through the Service Activity section of the FixO 3 website. Peter Haugan and the team at the University of Bergen presented FixO 3 to GMES and EuroGOOS assuring integration into their long-term plans for sustained operation. To provide a better formal basis for access to observatory data, a common data policy was defined by MARUM and in collaboration with all observatories providers was formulated as a Statement of Compliance and signed by all project partners. FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1 Page 2

7 Month Event Description ESONET/EMSO label agreement Evaluation of optimum observational network ph sensors deployed in real time in two Atlantic sites (ESTOC, PAP) and one Mediterranean (AEGEAN) sites Milestone 20 achieved! The ESONET-EMSO label is a set of criteria on specifications of deep-sea observatories. INGV communicated and promoted the Yellow Pages and FixO 3 label through the ESO- NET-Vi webpage with particular attention to transmitting the information to the EMSO consortium for observatory infrastructures. The University of Exeter carried out an initial evaluation of optimum integrated Virtual Observing Networks (VONs), for key regimes and processes. The evaluation researched Observing System Sampling Experiments (OSSEs) to assess the precision and accuracy of differently sampled mid- to high-resolution models. ULPGC implemented ph sensors on the three FixO 3 sites transmitting data in near real time. Input from the WP2-WP3 workshop on procedures distributed to WP12 March 2015 Milestone 19 achieved! A meeting between WP2, WP11 and WP12-leaders (spread over three meetings) updates on sensors specifications and optimization. April 2015 May 2015 EGU General Assembly (12-17, Vienna) Ocean Business (14-16, Southampton) Workshop for less experienced users of data (15-16, Bremen) 8th SC meeting 5th AB meeting First update of the Open Ocean Observatories Yellow Pages Website First report on Service Activities An IPR agreement for the technology clusters 1st periodic report Second call for TNA proposals opened! FixO 3 was present to this important event in European Geosciences with a session on fixed-point ocean observations and several individual contributions. Ocean Business is a three-day exhibition of over 300 companies, bringing together the world s leading manufacturers and service providers in the industry. FixO 3 s WP5 organized a 1-day workshop on innovation through industry during the event that strengthened technology clusters. A 2-day workshop on the uses of existing data infrastructures, importance and metadata and property rights and uses of key online and stand-alone software and tools for less experienced users of data organized by Marum. The project Steering Committee convened through videoconference The project s Advisory Board convened through videoconference ESONET Yellow Pages site was transferred to IFREMER server to form the first version of Open Ocean Observatories Yellow Pages. The existing database will be continuously updated, after a renewal of contacts with equipment, service and data suppliers. AWI produced an Interim report on procedures, developments, and dissemination of service activities and how activities are connected to the user community. An IPR agreement for the technology clusters that best fits the business needs of all parties will be developed by SLR that will address individual company concerns about loss of competitive advantage. Activities and financial report on first project period (1 Sept 2013 to 28 Feb 2015) have been submitted to the European Commission by all project partners. The second call for proposals to access FixO 3 observatories opened between 1 May and 20 July 2015 June th SC meeting The project Steering Committee convened through videoconference July 2015 First 3 high impact visual outputs conveying 3 key concepts relating to FixO 3 and Open Ocean observatories Outreach-leader Blue Lobster delivered three outputs: a general FixO 3 poster (developed in collaboration with project manager Luisa Cristini); a brochure on the observatories offered under TNA (developed in collaboration with project manager Luisa Cristini, TNA-leader Eric Delory and all TNA observatory providers); and EarthVO, an online tool accessible through FixO 3 webpage, to visualise data from FixO 3 observatories. August 2015 Interim report 2 (IR2) for FixO 3 partners and EC Compiled library of instrument specific preparation, deployment and calibration techniques Handbook on best practices FixO 3 time series complying with GEOSS recognized in GEOSS Cost-benefit analysis report Compiled by the project management office, the second project annual report highlights each work package s achievements of the project during the second year. NOC prepared a Quality Assurance Plan reflecting current best practices and a road map for incorporating appropriate methods for metadata collection and distribution. CNRS prepared a handbook describing the best practices in all phases of the system covering the entire infrastructural chain of data acquisition. In this handbook there will be recommendations on how to produce high quality data aiming towards common methodologies and protocols within the network. Marum will ensure recognition by interacting with the working groups. A paper has been prepared by the project coordination with key contributors on the unique benefits of Eulerian observatories, the cost of a typical infrastructure and the value of data and services produced by FixO 3 Page 3 FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1

8 Ocean data: a European perspective Robert Huber, MARUM, University of Bremen Maureen Pagnani, British Oceanographic Data Centre With the rapid evolution of scientific methodologies and technologies during the last decades an enormous amount of data in ocean sciences has been, and will continuously be, generated in massive scale. Further, complex scientific challenges require international, interdisciplinary approaches resulting in extremely heterogeneous data sources to be analysed. This increase in experimental and observational data volumes and analytical complexity has leveraged a large shift in research practices from traditional hypothesis-driven approaches by domain experts towards data-driven approaches which involves computational analysis, networked sensors and data sources, data sharing, large numbers of researchers including crowdsourcing and interdisciplinary collaboration. Due to the scale and complexity of current scientific challenges such as global climate change, information is required on a very diverse set of parameters from different scientific fields ranging over ecosystem production, carbon budgets, biodiversity and ocean and atmospheric circulation. Development of large scale, world-class research infrastructures for collection of environmental data has been prioritized in recent year in Europe to assist environmental research and science-based decision making on environmental issues. FixO 3 as a network of multidisciplinary fixedpoint open ocean observatories as well as its integrated data management is embedded in such a European framework of projects and initiatives which operate domain specific services and provide complementary data offerings. FixO 3 is the current European Funded project which is a network of deep ocean observatories working together to harmonise their processes and technologies. FixO 3 has built on the network originally developed in 2002 in the ANIMATE project which then grew to be the EuroSITES network ( the European contribution to the global OceanSITES ( org/). EuroSITES has collected, harmonized and published a large amount of data over the past years which still are available via its data (FTP) infrastructure. The EuroSITES project ended in 2011, but the practices established within the programme have continued to be developed and used, particularly the OceanSITES format the as exchange standard within the MyOcean, now Copernicus, framework. FixO 3 encompasses both Atlantic and Mediterranean observatories, but several of the Atlantic sites will also be actively contributing to the AtlantOS project ( launched this year. This will build on the previous integrations to become part of the AIOOS (Atlantic Integrated Ocean Observing System). EMSO ( the European Multidisciplinary Seafloor and Water Column Observatory, has similar focus to fixed-point open ocean observatories which include several of FixO 3 sites. EMSO aims to initiate a large-scale European Research Infrastructure (RI) with the basic scientific objective of real-time, long-term monitoring of environmental processes related to the interaction between the geosphere, biosphere, and hydrosphere. This multidiciplinarity is also reflected within the planned IT infrastructure which partly builds upon existing archive such as EuroSITES and PANGAEA ( but also cooperates with infrastructures of EPOS (European Plate Observing System, to manage its seismic data and carry out other initiatives. The coastal counterpart to these initiatives was the FP7 project Jerico ( jerico-fp7.eu/), just ended, which aimed to construct a European infrastructure for coastal observatories. Jerico provides access to data from a dense network of near-coast monitoring stations with a focus on priority parameters such as temperature, salinity, acidity (ph), turbidity, chlorophyll, dissolved oxygen (O2) and partial pressure of carbon dioxide (pco2). In addition to fixed point observatory networks, the EuroARGO ( research infrastructure provides oceanographic data collected by a large fleet of drifting profiling floats measuring temperature and salinity of the ocean. These data is distributed via global data assembly centers (GDAC). SEADATANET ( is the network of 45 European National Data Centres. Working together they have created a standardized system for accessing the large and diverse data sets collected by the national oceanographic fleets and the automatic observation systems SEADATANET has further developed and maintains a variety of standards and controlled vocabularies required for the exchange of marine data. Multidisciplinary marine data, predominantly collected by a large number of European governmental agencies, is available via the European Marine Data and Observation Network (EMODnet, eu/) which aims to be the integrated and inter-operable network of systems of European marine observations and data communications. Several marine observatories are contributing to this initiative in particular to the EMODNET physics or chemistry portal. Data is offered via several Regional Operational Oceanographic Systems (ROOS) within the context of EuroGOOS ( an International Non-Profit Organisation committed to European-scale operational oceanography within the context of the Global Ocean Observing System of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO (IOC GOOS). The largest European player in the field of earth and environmental observation The largest European player in the field of earth and environmental observation is Copernicus ( the European Earth Observation Programme, previously known as GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security). This large European programme focusses on data and service provision for policymakers and public authorities who need the information to develop environmental legislation and policies or to take critical decisions in the event of an emergency, such as a natural disaster or a humanitarian crisis. Copernicus collects data from multiple sources, it consists of a space component, which operates a fleet of earth observation satellite and offers a variety of remote sensing data, and a in-situ component, which collects data via in-situ monitoring networks (e.g. weather stations, ocean buoys and air quality monitoring networks) is used to calibrate and validate the data from satellites. The Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS, copernicus.eu/) which evolved from the FP7 projects MyOcean and MyOcean2. CMEMS covers the marine and coastal environment by using information from both, satellite and in situ observations, provides daily weather analyses and forecasts thus providing the capability to observe, understand and anticipate marine environment events. The European landscape of marine data infrastructures outlined above may appear unintegrated and scattered, but reflects how research infrastructures are typically specialized in collecting data from their specific scientific fields or specific environments. Within this complex and heterogeneous infrastructural environment, FixO 3 aims at both, utilizing the existing data archiving infrastructure as well as making data discoverable within its own website to enable unified access to marine observatory data. The integration of data and information from these research infrastructures is a necessary and a continuing challenge. Policies for data accessibility, standards for data and metadata and protocols for quality control are not yet standardized either among research infrastructures operating within different scientific disciplines or among research infrastructures from different countries, but great progress has been made in sharing processes and policies and their convergence towards a fully integrated interoperable system is within sight. FixO3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1 Page 4

9 The many challenges of data management: FixO³ contribution Andree Behnken MARUM, University of Bremen When it comes to handling data derived from oceanographic research, data managers and data users often face reoccurring problems when handling or searching these data, such as: data are often protected and not easily accessible data policies differ between data providers data and metadata exist in various formats data dissemination is not always standardised data reside in various repositories To help improve this situation, the main objective of FixO³ s data management is to ease access to marine observatory data by harmonising standards, formats and workflows. The FixO³ data policy was therefore emplaced with the aim of defining specific data and metadata formats as well as data transport protocols that comply with acknowledged international standards and which will have to be adhered to by all partners providing data to FixO³. To further harmonise efforts with other European infrastructures, FixO³ interacts with EMODnet, SeaDataNet, PANGAEA, and especially OceanSites and Copernicus (formerly MyOcean). FixO³ set itself the ambitious aim of offering unrestricted, direct and fast access to data. In order to achieve this, the FixO³ web portal offers two different approaches to search and access datasets: a metadata catalogue and search by observatory. The FixO³ metadata catalogue offers simple and advanced search modes and returns matching results from within the FixO³ data holdings. The results contain a brief, descriptive summary of the datasets as well as a link for direct and unrestricted download. All FixO³ observatories are listed on the website and can be searched. These listings include a link to the data sets, which provides for direct and unrestricted access. Currently, there are just under 1000 datasests accessible via the FixO³ website, which are located in different repositories, but are directly downloadable without the need for further registration or provision of user credentials. The number of these datasets will increase during the remaining two years of the project. As FixO³ strongly promotes the usage of standardised formats and protocols, another important point is the dissemination of (near) real-time data. It is planned to use Sensor Web Enablement (SWE) technologies, in particular the Sensor Observation Service (SOS), to make real-time data accessible. This approach has been followed in a number of recent and on-going projects (ESONET, Jerico, NeXOS), and FixO³ will contribute to this effort. Over the last few years the SWE suite has yielded a number of acknowledged standards and has gained considerable relevance. A discussion on this topic is ongoing within FixO 3, to present SWE solutions already in place in the group of FixO³ observatory operators, and to find pragmatic ways to implement those techniques for real-time data across the whole network of FixO³ observatories. w Transnational Access to research infrastructures One of the FixO 3 Project s key aims is to facilitate access to the ocean observatories included in the network by the wider community for research and development of new technologies. Throughout the project s lifetime two calls for transnational access (TNA) are issued, which are the primary mean for external users to access key installations with full logistic and financial support. The first call was issued between the 15 June and the 31 July 2014 and a total of 15 infrastructures included in the network participated: 14 ocean surface, water column and seafloor observatory installations and systems; and one shallow water test site able to make practical and fast tests of instruments, systems, procedures and new technologies applicable to fixed open-ocean observatories. A total of 15 proposals from 9 different European countries were submitted to 9 of the included observatories indicating a success rate of 60% of the infrastructures. Applications to work at the observatories were submitted OBSEA, Western Mediterranean Shallow Water Cabled Observatory from both academia and industry, thus creating opportunities for collaborations between research institutions and businesses. The second call for TNA proposals remained open between the 1 May and the 31 July 2015 and received 9 applications, which are now under review by a panel of experts. Awarded proposals will be announced in early 2016 for implementation during the third year of the project. More information on the TNA action, procedure and results is available on Page 5 FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1

10 Looking Forward September 2015 August 2016 An overview of key events and activities in the third year of FixO 3. Month Event Description September 2015 Starting of the project s technical review Workshop: practical introduction to marine monitoring hardware and procedures (15-17, Trieste) Newsletter 2 An external reviewer appointed by the European Commission will review the project s first two years to assess the work that has been done and the use of resources. A fully-funded workshop for early career scientists with an interest in a career in ocean monitoring, observation and forecasting is organized by FixO 3 partner OGS The year 2 project newsletter is focused on the current challenges of data management and sharing in Europe and on FixO 3 contribution. October 2015 FixO 3 General Assembly 2015 and Technical Review (12-14, Brussels) The annual project s General Assembly (GA2015) will take place at the Thon Hotel Brussels and will include the Technical Review meeting. The 10th SC meeting and the 6th AB meeting will take place during the GA2015. Data management workshop (15, Brussels) EMODnet conference & jamboree (20-22, Ostend) A workshop for data managers will take place right after the GA2015 The open conference and jamboree will discuss standards for harmonization of marine data, products and metadata throughout Europe to make these fragmented resources more available to public and private users. D2.4 INGV will coordinate a summary of new sensors development and their suitability for different applications D5.5 SLR will describe five innovative products MS16 Innovative products developed November 2015 D7.10 TNA leader PLOCAN provides a summary of the evaluation process and results of the second call for transnational access to FixO 3 observatories. January th SC meeting February 2016 MS12 Publication of guidelines and recommendations from TNA users D5.6 SLR will lead a joint industry-ocean observatory forum March 2016 April 2016 Ocean Sciences Meeting (21-26, New Orleans) Oceanology International (15-17, London) EGU General Assembly (17-22, Vienna) OceanSITES Conference 2016 (25-29, Southampton) 12th SC meeting 7th AB meeting The world s largest conference on ocean sciences (deadline for abstracts 23 September 2015) The world s leading forums where industry, academia and government share knowledge and connect with the marine science and ocean technology communities The European largest conference on geosciences Conference on data Management and Steering Committee Meeting June 2016 D2.5 INGV will prepare a useful handbook with all relevant information about sensors and devices tested July th SC meeting D8.4 IMAR will deliver three high impact visual outputs conveying three key concepts related to FixO 3 and ocean observatories D8.12 NIOZ will organize a 2-day course for less experienced users of data products on acquisition, validation, quality control and access to biodiversity data MS14 PLOCAN will communicate the information on the second round of TNA projects August 2016 D1.7 The project coordination will prepare the third project annual report D3.3 Ifremer will develop a FixO 3 label for ocean observations D6.2 INGV will ensure inclusion of FixO 3 time series in ESFRI projects D6.4 HCMR will ensure recognition of role of FixO 3 time series in European marine and maritime policy by the European Marine Board FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1 Page 6

11 Month Event Description D7.4 UiT will organize a scientific and technical conference based on observatory output D11.2 UiB will evaluate the actual observational network D11.3 ULPGC will carry out a cross-over analysis of parameters between platforms MS15 MS22 Harmonization of standards and data formats for marine observatories Initial evaluation of the observational network FixO 3 General Assembly October 2014, Heraklion, Crete. The first General Assembly was hosted by FixO3 partner HCMR and was a great opportunity to touch base on the project status and plan the work ahead. Find the full summary of the meeting as deliverable D1.4 on the project website at (login required) FixO 3 presentations and workshops at Atlantis Hotel, Heraklion, Crete Professor Richard Lampitt, FixO 3 coordinator FixO3 partners group photo Page 7 FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1

12 High impact data visualisation: EarthVO Simon Keeble Blue Lobster EarthVO (Earth Virtual Observatory) is a platform independent data visualisation tool that allows users to analyse integrated data in a flexible and rapid way. The tool was developed with the end user and the device they use, as the highest priority. Given the rapidly increasing use of tablet, mobile and now also wearable devices, the biggest challenge was to develop an application that would be capable of running on any device. Maps and plots can be embedded simply onto any webpage (or device) by the installation of a small piece of parameterised code, or a deployment of the whole application for a specific task or project, which is very quick. For the FixO 3 project, individual plots have been embedded into the observatory pages (See for example observatory-data-dyfamed/) and a light version of the full application has been implemented into the website (Fig.1) The full version has a large number of other datasets outside of the FixO 3 observations and a number of additional features such as login integration with Facebook/Twitter/ Google+, additional map types/layers and plot types, saving settings etc. The future development list is quite extensive and we hope for further suggestions from the community. The full application is expected to be launched in autumn Front End After listing as many different types of plots we could think of, we had to find some way to produce them on as many devices as possible. By utilising the d3js (Data-Driven Documents) JavaScript library ( org), we were able to take full creative control over the design of the plots and all of the code would be valid across all devices we expected to encounter. We decided to use GeoServer ( geoserver.org) with OpenLayers ( openlayers.org) for map generation. Map technology has been around for a while and has matured well over the last few years and this combination has proven excellent over many projects. The application has already been developed for ipad (using Swift) for the FixO 3 project data and once the Apple review process has been completed, we expect to produce an Android version shortly afterwards. Output Data Figure 1. Screenshot of FixO 3 EarthVO main screen ( Data Feeds A self-maintaining repository of JSON files provides the data behind the plots. These are pre-processed text files of data that can be plotted rapidly and don t rely on any complicated methods for connection. This means that performance of the plots is dependent solely on the users Internet speed and not the application server or the device it s running on. The files are updated under a number of conditions to ensure integrity and availability of the data. Database A central database (PostgreSQL/PostGIS) was selected as an appropriate spatial database to use and store data to be visualised. The application is not dependent on this specific database and can be adjusted to fit other databases. Fortunately, a much greater compliance with data formats and standards in the last few years has meant that only a few import scripts had to be developed to bring data in, predominantly NetCDF & ODV formats. Other data formats have been catered for by the development of bespoke interfaces but a generic CSV import facility is also available, which allows users to describe the data being imported via an import wizard. All of the import scripts have been developed using Python. The Future There is continued work planned for the application. Further details will be provided in the applications documentation and at the EarthVO website from this autumn. (Earth Virtual Observatory earthvo.org) Figure 2. Screenshot of ipad version FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1 Page 8

13 Training new generations of data managers and users Andree Behnken MARUM, University of Bremen The participants to the workshop for less experienced users of data, held in Bremen (Germany) on the April 2015 A two-day workshop was organized and conducted by the PANGAEA group at the Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences (MARUM, University of Bremen, Germany) within FixO 3 Work Package 8 (Outreach and Training) with the purpose of giving an introduction to European marine data infrastructures. The workshop, titled An introduction and practical use of European marine data infrastructures, was directed at PhD students and early career scientists who constitute the next generation of data managers and users. The session emphasised the importance of metadata and intellectual property rights and presented software tools to be used for data retrieval and analysis. The workshop took place on April in Bremen, Germany and featured speakers from EMODnet/EuroGOOS, MyOcean, ICES, EurOBIS, PANGAEA and SeaDataNet, which are all key marine data repositories. A total of 19 young scientists (PhD students, postdoc and early career scientists) from disciplines covering physical, chemical and biological oceanography learned about the use of European marine data infrastructures in support to their research. The speakers presented the structure and services provided by their infrastructure and guided the participants through hands-on sessions with the objective to find and retrieve marine data relevant to their field of study. A brief paragraph in Deep-Sea Life, Issue 5 (June 2015) was also dedicated to the workshop: indeep-project.org/f/document/dsl5.pdf Page 9 FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1

14 Opinion: Three questions to Philip P.E. Weaver BIO sketch Prof. Philip P.E. Weaver is Managing Director at Seascape Consultants Ltd, a consulting company that was established in 2010 to offer a range of services to the offshore and marine sector focusing on sustainable solutions for environmental management and development. Since September 2013 Phil is also Chair of the EMODnet Steering Committee with the aim to bring together the network of organisations working together to observe the sea, process the data according to international standards and make that information freely available as interoperable data layers and data products. Phil has background in marine geology with expertise that includes strategic environmental assessment and ocean governance. What is in your opinion the biggest challenge to data sharing in Europe at this time? There are many challenges to data sharing in Europe. Scientists often collect data over a number of years before they are confident that they have enough to publish a key paper. In the interim they want to hold on to their data to prevent others from using it. This might be because they have students working on the data, in which case it may be unavailable for 3-4 years. Often however, the key paper is never written, or it takes a different direction, and the scientist forgets to submit the data. In industry data is often collected as part of a contract to another company. In fact there may be many companies involved in collecting or using data on any particular project. Getting permission to release data may therefore involve more than one organisation and there might be no incentive for its release. Perhaps some form of regulation, or other type of encouragement, would be useful. However, this data is likely to be targeted to one small area (e.g. a wind farm licence block), and may consist of very large data sets. Individual data sets may have small value but the aggregated data could be extremely useful and prevent recollection for other purposes. There is often no mechanism for long-term storage of this data outside of the companies who collect or own it. Data as research infrastructure: How can collaboration between different projects such as FixO 3 be improved towards better data management in Europe? A data management policy should be established at the beginning of the project and should set the parameters for submitting data to a data centre, and rules as to when it can be released. The project data managers then need to monitor that this is carried out by all partners. Perhaps the Directorate General for Research at the European Commission could collect the policies from the most effective projects and offer them to new projects as templates so that there would be more conformity with time. Each project should also monitor its partners to ensure that they comply with the policy and identify reasons why they may have difficulty. Setting quality control measures is also very important, but they will need to be generally agreed international standards. This is very important if the data is to be used in the policy domain, e.g. in reporting on Marine Strategy Framework Directive requirements. How do you see ocean data management and sharing evolving in 10-years time? I foresee more pressure to submit data to data centres in a timely fashion and to agreed international standards. This already happens in some other countries, such as Canada. Ship management organisations could supply some data directly (e.g. geophysical data). Over the next few years a big drive will be made to make data produced in Europe available via EMODnet. Hopefully scientists will then see the value of large combined data sets from across Europe and they will be more willing to contribute with their own data. Gaining credit for someone else using your dataset via a DOI label may become very important. Working more with industry may be another aspect, especially if industry can be persuaded to collect data, for example by putting sensors onto platforms. Mechanisms for data management, quality control and data sharing will need to be developed. FixO 3 Newsletter 2015: Volume 2 Issue 1 Page 10

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