This Future Science Brief outlines recent advances, challenges and opportunities for big data to support marine science. To develop solutions to key societal challenges, there is an increasing need for more complex, transdisciplinary analyses across traditionally siloed disciplines and sectors. To achieve these goals, we need to move towards increased digitalization and the adoption of big data in marine science. The publication identifies overarching challenges and recommendations within the categories of data acquisition, data handling and management, service interoperability, computing infrastructures and data accessibility, data sharing, big data analytics, and training networks and collaboration. These are explored through topics and case studies on climate science and marine biogeochemistry, habitat mapping for marine conservation, marine biological observations, and pest control in the aquaculture sector.
EMB publications
This Policy Brief outlines why we need research vessels, noting the multiple roles they play in supporting marine science and ocean observing. It presents an overview of the current European fleet and its capabilities, and highlights the importance of transnational access within this context. It also briefly outlines the concerns around training for vessel crew, marine technicians and shore-based staff. It then presents the main recommendations of EMB Position Paper 25. This publication summarises the main messages and recommendations of the recent EMB Position Paper 25 on “Next Generation European Research Vessels: Current Status and Foreseeable Evolution”, which was produced in collaboration with the European Research Vessel Operators (ERVO) community.
EMB Position Paper 25 is a comprehensive look at the current research vessel fleet in Europe, updating the findings and recommendations of EMB Position Paper 10 from 2007 on “European Ocean Research Fleets - Towards a Common Strategy and Enhanced Use”. This publication is the result of a collaboration with the European Research Vessel Operators (ERVO) and presents an overview of the current fleet, its capabilities and equipment, and its management. It then looks to the future, highlighting what will be needed to ensure that the European fleet can continue to provide the same high level of support to science, in particular in specialized areas such as the deep-sea and Polar regions. It also goes beyond the fleet itself, to consider the training of fleet personnel, fleet management, and the role of research vessels in the wider context of ocean observations and the European Ocean Observing System (EOOS).