EMODnet Geology updates seabed maps for EU and Caribbean
EMODnet Geology is extending its offer with new and updated data products on seabed substrate maps for EU waters and the Caribbean Sea and seabed erosion.
The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) programme is designed to assemble existing but fragmented and partly inaccessible marine data and to create contiguous and publicly available information layers that are interoperable and free of restrictions on use, encompassing whole marine basins. EMODnet Geology compiles marine geological information primarily held by the project partners, most of them EuroGeoSurveys members, with some additional datasets from other publicly available sources.
During the last phase, the project delivered data products at a scale of 1:100,000 or finer where the underlying data permitted, using the standards developed during the previous phases of the project. The main objective of the phase was to centralize the different thematic data portals into a single EMODnet Central Portal. This was achieved in January 2023 when data and data products from all seven thematic projects were released on the EMODnet Central Portal.
Renewal and Caribbean focus
By late September 2023, EMODnet Geology had finalized the centralization phase contract, with completely new as well as updated data products uploaded on the central portal. All data collected during the previous two-year period was used either to update available data layers in already covered areas or to cover new sea areas. The greatest extension in areal coverage was gained with a new seabed substrate map added for a new sea area, the Caribbean Sea. This new map covers some 2,700,000km2, in practice the whole Caribbean Sea. A completely new data product was also added to the portal, seabed erosion, that includes available seabed erosion studies and related background information.
By the end of the original contract period, EMODnet Geology had started a two-year renewal period of the contract. During this contract renewal period, the project will follow the original technical tender, but all work packages have decided upon main focus points of activities which were communicated to all partners during the thematic geology meeting at the EMODnet Jamboree at the end of November 2023.
“Now that the EMODnet centralization phase is over, EMODnet Geology is putting effort into the collection and inclusion of Caribbean Sea data in the geology data layers on the EMODnet Central Portal. This was promoted by an invited delegate from the Caribbean network who attended the EMODnet events in Brussels and introduced the Caribbean theme for all EMODnet Geology delegates and Conference participants,” said Henry Vallius, EMODnet Geology coordinator.
