Marine Data Portals And Repositories And Their Role In Knowledge Transfer To Support Blue Growth

Marine knowledge is generated, to a large extent, through monitoring and observation of our seas and oceans. Marine monitoring and observation activities generate raw data, this data can be assembled and contextualised, creating data products and information that ultimately contribute to our knowledge of the marine environment and the extent and impact of human activities therein. However, data generated via marine observation and monitoring activities can only be used in the creation and application of marine knowledge if it can be found, accessed and used. Marine data portals and repositories provide users with access to data, metadata and derived data-products. In addition, these data and information systems are also important users of knowledge outputs from research projects. As such, they play a crucial role in marine knowledge creation and application, contributing to open innovation and delivering growth in the blue economy. In Europe there are many local, national and regional marine data repositories, together with over-arching portals and repositories at regional and European level including; EMODnet, COPERNICUS Marine Environment and Monitoring Service (CMEMS), SeaDataNet, PANGAEA and the European Atlas of the Sea. Numerous research projects have contributed to the architecture and data content, products and services of these data portals and repositories. These are very valuable initiatives and are collating and making available data and/or products for users. Whilst this is a very important step in the open innovation value chain, it is the uptake and application of these resources that will demonstrate real value creation. This report represents the first time that a number of the key European  marine observations data and information sharing platforms have been screened and the applicability of their resources considered; in the context of Blue Growth,  the implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive and the Maritime Spatial Planning Directive.