EMODnet has played a key role in shaping the European Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP) developments over the past decade, from its expert advice in the Technical Group on MSP to the Human Activities making available EU Member State plans available as digital maps so that these can be offered to users in FAIR geospatial data formats, which can be integrated into EMODnet’s data resources and thus also into the European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) platform. Highlighting the importance of forward-thinking tools, EMODnet emphasized the role of MSP data in creating “what-if” scenarios on the EU DTO platform. EMODnet also demonstrated how its data services, alongside the EU DTO, are addressing the needs of MSP practitioners and promoting sustainable ocean use, supporting innovation and development across sectors.
At the Conference, EMODnet urged Member States to continue to work with EMODnet to make National MSP plans more openly accessible, and to utilize EMODnet’s diverse data/data product offer to inform future MSP plans.