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EMODnet Biology Phase IV data products’ workshop

News article |
EMODnet Biology  Data Product workshop participants. Screenshot taken by ©Tom Webb

Work on EMODnet Biology data products is an ongoing task. This intensive workshop provided the opportunity to make significant developments and to work collaboratively to set objectives and to solve problems encountered in product development.

In this workshop, partners began work on brand new products, such as a new effort to model the distribution of an invasive seaweed by combining data across EMODnet lots, including biological and environmental data such as current and future climate scenarios. To facilitate this kind of interoperability across EMODnet data sources, work continued on the development of an R package to access all EMODnet web services, allowing partners and external users alike to access the marine data they need.

Significant efforts were made towards the updating and expansion of existing products, including initial production of a new, Europe-wide map of the presence and absence of benthic species, improved distribution maps of zooplankton species, and first investigations of temporal changes in benthic communities. All of these products will be further developed and published during this Phase.

A new innovation for this workshop was the invited contributions from two experts in open research and data science – Anna Krystalli, a Research Software Engineer at the University of Sheffield, and independent consultant Maëlle Salmon. Both experts ran detailed tutorial sessions to present current best practice in developing reproducible and well-documented EMODnet Biology data products.

Partners also began planning a position paper, demonstrating how EMODnet FAIR data products can help drive forward the sustainable management of our marine ecosystems. This paper will showcase a number of EMODnet Biology data products and will highlight the potential for users to apply them to a range of needs, or to benefit from our good practice in product development to further build on them.

Working collaboratively with EMODnet partners is a great way to develop innovative data products, by generating ideas and sharing expertise. This workshop was really productive and I am excited by the products that will emerge over the coming months.”


- Tom Webb, University of Sheffield - EMODnet Biology Data Products Workpackage lead.
 

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