EMODnet Associated Partners including Fugro, Xeos by Satlink, Saildrone and Develogic played a visible role at Oceanology International (OI) 2026, held on 10-12 March in London. The event brought together leading ocean observation, technology companies with (digital) data services and organisations for three days of exhibitions, demonstrations and expert discussions. Head of Secretariat Kate Larkin spoke in two sessions on “Ocean intelligence: The role of geodata and AI” convened by Fugro and “EMODnet: Regional bathymetry towards a global map of the seabed by 2030” convened by the GEBCO-Nippon Foundations’ Seabed 2030 initiative, and EMODnet partners MARIS and SMHI were among the participants, with an EMODnet exhibit as part of the Dutch Ocean stand.
A Strong EMODnet Partner and Associated Partner Presence
Across the exhibition and conference programme, EMODnet engaged with numerous organisations, including Associated Partners such as Fugro, XEOS by Satlink, develogic and Saildrone. These partners demonstrated technologies ranging from autonomous and uncrewed observation platforms to advanced sensors, positioning systems and AI-enabled data workflows. Their contributions illustrated how industry innovation in data collection and services directly support EMODnet’s mission to deliver open, harmonised and interoperable marine data, with the private sector actively using EMODnet’s service and providing valuable data through corporate data sharing.
Shared Objectives: Closing Persistent Marine Data Gaps
A major theme of OI 2026 was the need to address persistent marine data gaps, which continue to challenge decision-making across climate resilience, ecosystem management and sustainable blue-economy planning. This was central to the session “Ocean Intelligence, AI and Geo-data for Valuing, Protecting and Restoring Marine Ecosystems”, where EMODnet Secretariat Head Kate Larkin shared insights on the value of in situ ocean observations, noting these are increasingly important in the age of AI, to ensure AI and Large Language Models (LLM) are trained on high quality, diverse data to produce more accurate, four-dimensional predictions, not only relying on earth observation data or synthetic data. The Panel was moderated by Pooja Mahapatra of Fugro, a member of the EMODnet Vision Drafting Group, with panelists including NOC, UK, EOMAP, ESRI and TNFD joining EMODnet.
Strategic Dialogues on Corporate Data Sharing
EMODnet also held bilateral discussions with Associated Partners and wider private sector representatives to explore practical opportunities for collaboration. The conversations included improving interoperability between commercial data collection efforts and public data services and identifying new areas for (corporate) data sharing and co‑development.
These exchanges reinforced the mutual benefits for EMODnet to attend industry-led events: EMODnet raises awareness about its service offer, expands its private sector network and gains insights into emerging capabilities, while stakeholders learn how to leverage the EMODnet public service to support their business operations and to unlock the full value of their data by harmonizing data collection and sharing data with EMODnet.
Promoting EMODnet’s Mission to a Wider Audience
To reach a broader audience, OI featured an interview with EMODnet’s Head of Secretariat Kate Larkin explaining the EMODnet Value Proposition, its diverse marine data service offer and why public (data) services such as EMODnet bring unique value to the Blue Economy and wider society. See the video here.
Interested in Joining the EMODnet Community?
EMODnet’s Associated Partners play an essential role in strengthening Europe’s marine knowledge base. The partnership scheme is non-binding, mutually supportive and designed to bring together organisations committed to improving ocean data access, interoperability and impact.
If your organisation is interested in joining the EMODnet Associated Partnership Scheme, you can learn more here.