A marine biodiversity data management seminar was delivered at the University of Pavia on 23 June 2026 for six PhD students and postdoctoral researchers of the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory. The training focused on FAIR and open data principles and on the practical steps required to transform Excel-based marine biodiversity datasets into structured, standardised and well-documented resources for future publication in EMODnet Biology through MedOBIS IPT.
Within the framework of the collaboration between IMBBC-HCMR and the University of Pavia, a marine biodiversity data management seminar entitled “From scattered data to a publication-ready dataset” was delivered by Ioannis Rallis on 23 June 2026 at the Aquatic Ecology Laboratory of the Department of Earth and Environmental Sciences, University of Pavia. The seminar was attended by six PhD students and postdoctoral researchers working with marine and environmental biodiversity data, including non-indigenous species and bioacoustic datasets from hydrophone-based monitoring.
The seminar introduced the main principles of FAIR and open data and focused on the practical workflow required to move from raw or partially structured Excel files to a controlled, publication-oriented dataset package. Emphasis was placed on best practices for raw data collection, the definition of observational units, the separation of information into Event, Occurrence and extendedMeasurementOrFact tables, the creation of stable identifiers, the mapping of source fields to Darwin Core terms, metadata documentation, and the identification of standardisation actions required before publication to MedOBIS.
As an EMODnet Biology partner, IMBBC-HCMR contributes to the mobilisation, standardisation and publication of marine biodiversity data through MedOBIS and related data infrastructures. In this context, the training supported data mobilisation by helping participants understand how local research datasets can be made more findable, accessible, interoperable and reusable through public biodiversity data systems. It also contributed to capacity building for future dataset preparation, review and publication through MedOBIS, EMODnet Biology and related marine data platforms and networks.
Well-structured metadata and standardised Darwin Core mappings are essential steps for turning local marine observations into reusable biodiversity data.
Ioannis Rallis, Marine Biologist | Data Manager / IMBBC-HCMR
