Mark your calendars for the 4th edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab (OSL) Hackathon, happening online from 25 to 27 March 2025. The hackathon builds on the last 3 successful editions, with one key difference: In addition to using EMODnet services, participants will be given unparalleled access to the EMODnet and Copernicus Marine Service offer via the European Digital Twin Ocean infrastructure (EDITO). This is a very exciting time for marine digital services, and we invite all interested stakeholders, from data scientists to IT specialists and from policy makers to researchers and the private sector to join EMODnet in this unique hackathon - Stay tuned for more details, coming soon!

On 10 October 2024, Dick M.A. Schaap –EMODnet Ingestion coordinator -, joined the Ocean Data Action Day as organized by HUB Ocean from Norway, where he gave a presentation on Enriching Open Ocean Data Repositories with Industrial Data. In particular, he encouraged HUB Ocean to become a mediator for EMODnet Ingestion to gather and transform marine data from industry sources towards EMODnet, adopting prevailing metadata and data standards.

On 14 November 2024, Dick M.A. Schaap –,EMODnet Ingestion Coordinator, represented EMODnet on a panel on Hydrospatial-Advancing Blue Economy at the GeoBuiz Summit Europe. Topics included showcasing EMODnet’s data, data products and services that are very relevant for the Blue Economy, and for which EMODnet has a high user-demand.

How does EMODnet Chemistry contribute to the Blue-Cloud 2026 project and vice versa? To answer this question and better illustrate the synergies between EMODnet and this key European project, , the Institute of Oceanography and Applied Geophysics – OGS, which is Coordinator of EMODnet Chemistry and in Blue-Cloud 2026, took part in the three working days on Blue Cloud 2026 in Lisbon (Portugal) from 5 to 7 November. EMODnet Physics, Data Ingestion and the Secretariat also participated.

How can we increase accessibility to land-sea interface data near river mouths? This was the focus of the meeting chaired by EMODnet and +ATLANTIC CoLAB in Lisbon on 8 November. Portugal was chosen as the venue because the Portuguese Environment Agency is a leader in providing river outflow data to EMODnet. One of EMODnet's most important national oceanographic data centres, the Hydrographic Institute of Portugal, is also located there. EMODnet plays a key role in supporting the interoperability and accessibility of data at national level through its capillary network of organisations specialising in data management and through its data infrastructure and services.

From 4-8 November 2024, three EMODnet representatives participated in the 41st GEBCO Guiding Committee Meeting and the 6th Nippon Foundation GEBCO Seabed 2030 Pacific Ocean Mapping Meeting, held in Nadi, Fiji. These prestigious events, hosted by the Fiji Navy Hydrographic Office and opened by the Honorable Filimoni Vosarogo, Minister for Lands and Mineral Resources of Fiji, provided a unique platform to showcase EMODnet’s achievements and to explore potential collaborations with stakeholders in the Pacific region. EMODnet Bathymetry is an active contributor to Seabed 2030.

EMODnet Biology hosted an online workshop on 19-20 November, with more than 40 representatives from EU projects, EU project officers and DG MARE. The focus was on projects that collect biodiversity data or create products based on these data.

EMODnet joined the Ocean Predict Symposium 2024 that took place at the UNESCO headquarters in Paris, France from 18-22 November. EMODnet presented a poster focusing on EMODnet Physics data supporting Copernicus Marine Service and Ocean Prediction, and the EMODnet Secretariat joined a roundtable, bringing EMODnet's regional expertise to a panel discussion on the implementation of the UN Ocean Decade's Ocean Digital Ecosystem.

EMODnet Human Activities Coordinator Alessandro Pititto participated in a roundtable on Innovations in Coastal Monitoring and Forecasting for early warning systems that took place in Rimini, Italy on 6 November, part of a series of events organized by the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience during the Ecomondo green technology expo event. EMODnet offers a diverse range of coastal data, from marine environmental to human activities data.

The EMODnet Geology consortium convened in Trondheim, Norway on 4-8 November 2024, hosted by the Geological Survey of Norway. Bringing together around 50 delegates from over 20 organisations, key discussions included updates on recent and ongoing developments to enhance the existing offer of harmonised marine geological data products, which are critical as stand-alone resources, and as input to cross-thematic products e.g., seabed habitat maps. Other interesting topics included the upcoming coastal resilience data product, geotechnical data, perspectives from producing seamless seabed maps from Norway, and use case stories related to windfarm work in Iceland and the Geological Service for Europe (GSEU) project.