The third Digital Ocean Forum (DOF 2024) took place in Brussels earlier this summer, marking a significant milestone in the continued development of marine data technology. The event presented a prototype of the European Digital Twin Ocean – a real game-changer in ocean environment management.
The DOF 2024 event showcased many new developments, most notably the launch of the pre-operational European Digital Twin Ocean core infrastructure (EDITO). Mission Ocean and Waters projects EDITO-Infra and EDITO-ModelLab were also part of the event, playing a crucial role in building the operational infrastructure of the European Digital Twin.
During the Forum, experts presented the capabilities of EDITO and how it harmonises different data streams, enables real-time processing and supports predictive modelling. During the event, beta testers shared their input on the platform and participants discussed the platform's data lake, modelling engine and their long-term vision for the European Digital Twin Ocean. "With the launch of this DTO, we're not just turning on a switch on an interesting digital project; we're turning on the lights in the ocean and our future", - said John Bell, Director of Healthy Planet at DG Research & Innovation of the European Commission.
On the second day, the EDITO prototype was presented to a wider audience, with Kęstutis Sadauskas, Deputy Director-General of the European Commission for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries of the European Commission, officially unveiling the European DTO prototype. Practical applications of the platform were demonstrated, such as a marine plastic pollution monitoring platform, a nature-based solution optimisation platform and a food web analysis platform were demonstrated. All these applications show how EDITO can support scientists, environmental managers, and policy officers.
Missed the Digital Ocean Forum? Watch compelling demonstrations of the platform’s capabilities online:
- Monitoring and Forecasting Marine Plastic: Safeguarding our oceans and coastal communities from plastic pollution. Watch the recording here.
- Optimizing Nature-Based Solutions: Utilizing seagrass and other natural solutions to address coastal hazards. Watch the recording here.
- Unraveling Marine Food Webs: Supporting marine biodiversity conservation through advanced data analysis. Watch the recording here.
Key notes and discussions from the event are available online here.