EMODnet3 - European Marine Observation and Data Network

Country / Region: marine areas of Europe

Begin of project: April 15, 2017

End of project: April 15, 2019

Status of project: April 15, 2019

EMODnet Source: EMODnet

The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) is a long-term project of the Directorate-General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries (GD MARE) to support the Horizon 2020 strategy Marine knowledge. GD MARE is the Commission department responsible for the implementation of the Common Fisheries policy and of the Integrated Maritime Policy.

The data infrastructure of the EMODnet project is being developed in three phases. Currently, the third phase is running with eight knowledge portals to marine data in the fields of bathymetry, geology, physics, chemistry, biology, seabed habitats, human activities and coastal mapping.

EMODnet portals

Source: GEOMAR, BGR

Many European countries own comprehensive spatial data for their marine areas. However, these data are due to differing technical descriptions currently cross-border hardly compatible. But Pan-European studies and research for policy makers, industry and research rely on harmonized geological records. The ur-EMODnet-project for the northern European seas in scale 1:1 million had taken account to this. Nevertheless, there was and still is a great need for more accurate, better harmonized marine data, also from the European southern sea areas. Therefore departments of European marine geological services continue working together in the EMODnet 2 and EMODnet 3 project phases under the umbrella of EuroGeoSurveys.

Workpackages

Based upon the data of the ur-EMODnet project more detailed and more harmonized geological data relevant for the off-shore regions of the whole of Europe are being developed. The aim of the project phases 2 and 3 is to provide these data to all user groups from research, industry, government and the general public via the Internet.

The EMODnet 3 - Geology project consisted of twelve work packages. Led by the BGR Work Package 4 "sea floor geology: compilation and harmonization" (pre-Quaternary, Quaternary, geomorphology) aimed to gather geological surface data of the seabed for the whole of Europe in scale 1: 250 000 and larger, to harmonize and to make available at EMODnet-web portal. For this purpose, BGR had created guidelines with technical work instructions and a vocabulary for a semantic harmonization mainly based on the INSPIRE-data specifications. This was and still is available to all project partners and taken as a base for the preparation of the partner’s off-shore data at scales of 1: 250 000 and larger. From the participant’s contributions BGR has been creating pan-European data layers of the off-shore pre-Quaternary and Quaternary geology and geomorphology which include information on lithology, age (geochronological), genesis and faults of the units.

Participants in the first WP 4 Harmonization Workhop in Rome, September 24, 2017

Complete geometric and semantic harmonisation is aspired for four „Prototype regions“: Western Baltic Sea, Adriatic Sea, Southwest European Seas and Bay of Biscay/Portuguese coast.

EMODnet Phase 4

EMODnet phase 4 has been in operation since September 2019 and comprises the completion of the work from project phase 3, the improvement of code lists and the completion of the data sets with contributions from new countries (Caspian Sea). The first planned project meeting and workshops in April 2020 have been postponed due to the COVID-19 pandemic.

Link to the portal:
https://www.emodnet-geology.eu/

Partner:

34 European geological surveys and research institutes