Frequently Asked Questions (FAQ)

The Map Viewer can be found here.

The Data Products Catalogue can be found here.

The ERDDAP data server can be found here. 

The EMODnet Chemistry ERDDAP server can be found here.

Users can download data through the Map Viewer (see 1. and 2.), (2) the Data Products Catalogue (see 3.) and the ERDDAP server (see 4.). These tools can be accessed through the home page or by hovering the 'Data Services' item in the menu.

1. Download data in the Map Viewer through the download button

In the Map Viewer users can download data by opening the legend in the second button on the left. Select the desired layers by exploring the catalogue, click on the layers you would like to display. Layers that have a filter option, are indicated with the black filter icon. The function can be activated in the 'Active Layers'-tab.

For some data layers it is possible to subset and download data. For example,

• Click on EMODnet Bathymetry, then select ‘Mean depth in multi colour (no land)’.
• Click on the ‘Downloads’ button in the left hand tools menu.
• A new option will appear on the right. ‘Click here to select an area on the map’. Click on this and then draw a box on the map.
• On the right hand side menu you will see ‘Mean depth in multi colour (no land)’ appear alongside a formats menu and a download button.
• Select the desired format, for example 'PNG' for a picture or 'NC' for a netCDF file. Then click the download button. The file will be downloaded to your computer. 

2. Download data in the Map Viewer through the info icon

In the map viewer users can also download data through the info icon guiding the chosen layer.

• Navigate to the catalogue and choose a thematic.
• Search through the thematic and select the layer you are looking for.
• Click the info button on the right of the layer and a pop-up box with a download button will appear. 

3. Download data in the Data Products Catalogue

When you open the Data Products Catalogue, tick the “Downloadable” check box on the left-hand menu under the section ‘Available Actions’. This filters the catalogue to display only products that are downloadable from the catalogue.

In the Data Products Catalogue users can directly download data by going to the download button of the data product located on the right bottom of the box of the product.

Please note that the Download button in the top right on the product page is for metadata only.

4. Download data in the ERDDAP data server

ERDDAP is a data server that gives you a simple, consistent way to download subsets of scientific datasets in common file formats and make graphs and maps. Data can be found by using the search box, a data list by category, advanced search or datasets by protocol. There are also a few other ways more specifically oriented for developers of computer programs. Data can be download by clicking the files section. 

Some layers of data can be filtered. In order to see if a layer has a filter, select a layer in the catalogue and see if the layer contains a funnel icon. If present, look for the funnel icon in the 'Layers' tab and a pop-up box will appear for further filtering.

A map is a 2-dimensional representation of the Earth, which is a 3-dimensional object. Inevitably, the projection of a 3-dimensional object onto a 2-dimensional surface causes distortions in the representation of landmasses. The classic example of this is how the Mercator projection, which is a common map projection, exaggerates the size of Greenland so that on a map it looks like it is the size of Africa when in fact Greenland is smaller than the continental United States.  

To aid in the visualisation of EMODnet data products several map projections are available to users for selection via the ‘Settings’ icon on the left-hand side of the Map Viewer screen. The following map projections are available:

• WGS 84 / Pseudo-Mercator: the standard projected coordinate system for web mapping.
• WGS 84 – World Geodetic System 1984: the globally defined spatial reference system of GPS satellites.
• ETRS89 – extended / LCC Europe: the European Terrestrial Reference System based map projection for EU countries and candidates. Europe onshore and offshore.  
• ETRS89 – extended / LAEA Europe (Arctic view): European Terrestrial Reference System based map projection for EU countries and candidates. Europe onshore and offshore. Extended to include areas of the Arctic that relate to Europe.
• WGS 84 / Antarctic Polar Stereographic: a projection that is centred on the Antarctic.
• WGS 84 / Arctic Polar Stereographic: a projection that is centred on the Arctic.

Please note that not all EMODnet thematics have global coverage. Therefore selecting a map projection that does not include Europe may lead to a situation where the data layer selected does not produce any data on the Map Viewer.

Finally, for some of the Arctic and Antarctic projections the EMODnet base layer is only defined within the extend of the projection. This should result in data and the base layer only appearing within the extend of the projection. Outside of the extent of the projection no base layer will appear, even though data may appear. The appearance of data outside the extend of the projection is a problem that we are aware of and intend to address at a later stage. 

You can contact the EMODnet (technical) Helpdesk (helpdesk@emodnet.ec.europa.eu) providing a description of the issue, relevant links or datasets, and optional screenshots. Reported issues (e.g., typos or data inconsistencies) are reviewed and addressed. 

Temporary slowdowns can occur due to network connectivity or synchronisation between sources and EMODnet central DB. If the issue persists, it is recommended to contact the EMODnet Helpdesk: helpdesk@emodnet.ec.europa.eu

It could be a problem with local memory. We suggest to clear browser cache and try again. Here are the links to the main browsers' instructions to clear your cache: Chrome, Firefox, Microsoft Edge, Safari.

If the problem persists it is recommended to contact the EMODnet Helpdesk: helpdesk@emodnet.ec.europa.eu

In EMODnet, it is possible to download subsets from datasets, which are smaller and easier to handle. For bigger datasets we recommend you use data science techniques, Python, or R. EMODnet Biology provides R applications to access EMODnet data: LifeWatch & EMODnet Biology QC tool (Rshiny). Alternatively, you can use our web services in a GIS such as QGIS; these web services will allow you to subset and filter data. 

EMODnet provides RESTful web services via ERDDAP and OGC compliant geospatial web services.

Aggregated collections related to eutrophication, contaminants and microliter are primarily available as ODV (Ocean Data View) collections and spreadsheets. Contaminant data is also offered in a transposed (long/vertical) format, which is specifically designed for easier use in worksheet applications like Excel or LibreOffice Calc because each measurement is a separate record line. Beach litter data is available in Beach Litter Data Format (BLIT), a spreadsheet format composed by four mandatory tabs. Seafloor litter data from trawlings is available in Seafloor Litter Data Format (SLIT), a tsv-like format.  Some services, like webODV and ERDDAP, also allow for netCDF and ASCII exports with some differences depending on the data type.

The methodology used to generate the EMODnet Human Activities vessel density maps is described in detail in the following publication: Methodology for the EMODnet Human Activities EU Vessel Density Maps.

This document explains the processing workflow, the calculation of vessel density, and the assumptions adopted in the production of the maps.

The vessel density maps are provided in GeoTIFF format and can be visualised using most Geographic Information System (GIS) software, such as QGIS or ArcGIS.

Please refer to the user guide (PDF), which provides step-by-step instructions on how to load, visualise, and interpret the GeoTIFF files.

The AIS data currently used by the EMODnet Human Activities team to produce the vessel density maps are provided under a commercial licensing agreement. Consequently, EMODnet is not authorised to redistribute or share these data.

Alternative sources of AIS data may be available through the Copernicus Programme, including data associated with the Sentinel missions. However, access to these datasets is restricted and granted only to eligible users.

If your country participates in the Copernicus Programme, you are encouraged to contact your national Copernicus delegation to verify your eligibility and obtain information on the procedures for requesting access to AIS data.

If you are experiencing this issue, you have probably downloaded WFS data in SHAPE-ZIP format from GeoNetwork (via GeoServer). Datasets published in EPSG:4326 (WGS84 latitude/longitude) may appear with swapped X/Y coordinates. This behaviour results from the OGC WFS 1.1.0 specification, which mandates latitude/longitude (Y/X) axis order for EPSG:4326, while the ESRI Shapefile format expects longitude/latitude (X/Y). As a result, coordinate axes appear reversed when exporting to SHAPE-ZIP. This is a well-known interoperability issue between WFS 1.1.0 and Shapefile encoding, not specific to GeoServer or GeoNetwork. Other formats (e.g., GeoJSON, GML) are unaffected and handle coordinates correctly.

This may be due to temporary issues or dataset-specific problems. Please contact the EMODnet Helpdesk and provide details to be supported: helpdesk@emodnet.ec.europa.eu