Santa Marta, 10.3.2025.
The third edition of the International Ocean Data Conference (IODC-3) kicked off today at the Institute for Marine and Coastal Research (INVEMAR) in Santa Marta, Colombia. Spanning over two days, the event is a crucial meeting point for world-renowned marine biodiversity data experts to discuss pressing issues, celebrate achievements and bring hope to a world where the Ocean is under threat.
“In a planet under the pressure of climate change, where the ocean is the great stabilizer of the world’s climate, never before has it been so important to have oceanographic data and information to make the best decisions to respond to the urgencies towards mitigation and adaptation to the challenges of climate change,” said Francisco Arias, INVEMAR Director General, in his opening speech, setting the tone of the day.
Echoing this call to action, the first day of IODC-3 was loaded with ways and means to improve data mobilization and actionability–especially in support of the needs of the United Nations Agreement on the Conservation and Sustainable Use of Marine Biological Diversity of Areas Beyond National Jurisdiction (BBNJ) and the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (GBF)–and addressed how to leverage capacity development to facilitate data, information, and knowledge exchange.
This first day of the IODC-3 conference stressed one fundamental insight: ocean data is as powerful as the capacity to trust, access, share, and use it effectively and equitably. Robust data infrastructures and harmonized processes, new technologies, better visualization tools, and capacity development are among the drivers for a streamlined and actionable marine biodiversity data value chain. Without forgetting the people behind the data and sustainable funding. “Despite the ocean covering 70% of the Earth, governments allocate only 0.1% to 5% of their science budgets to marine science, a stark contrast to the importance of the Ocean,” said Ms Daniela Castillo Bernal, Colombian Ocean Commission, during her opening remarks.
Robust data infrastructures, harmonized processes and best practices
Data pipelines, repositories, and databases from local to global levels are all converging towards shared strategies, integrating the FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and Open Science principles to increase the transparency, quality, and reliability of the collected data. Chris Moulton (OSPAR Commission) discussed how structured FAIR data pipelines revolutionize marine biodiversity monitoring across the North-East Atlantic, noting the “strong correlation between data pipelines and streams’ FAIRness and their usability.” Similarly, Gwenaëlle Moncoiffé (British Oceanographic Data Centre) emphasized the need for harmonizing legacy datasets with consistent, modern biodiversity standards and controlled vocabularies, highlighting the importance of structured workflows to ensure marine data’s long-term relevancy and usability.
A similar effort was showcased by Catalina Reyes (OGS, Italy), who presented Blue-Cloud 2026, a European initiative developing a FAIR and open-access research ecosystem for ocean science. “We are building a thematic marine extension to EOSC (European Open Science Cloud) for open web-based science, serving the needs of the EU Blue Economy, Marine Environment and Marine Knowledge agendas,” she explained. Ana Carolina Peralta (College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida) expanded on the theme, highlighting the importance of integrating deep-sea biodiversity data into global repositories, ensuring that robust, openly accessible datasets support scientific exploration and conservation efforts in this critical marine region. Abiding by these FAIR and Open Science strategies reinforces the data pipelines, making it possible for local, historical and complex datasets that include multiple essential variables to be integrated into global repositories such as the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (OBIS), potentially contributing to the needs of BBNJ and GBF.
Wenwen Lyu (University of Vienna) provided a broader governance perspective, mapping data use practices in the High Seas to identify data needs under the BBNJ Agreement and work toward a more equitable data governance structure. She highlighted political disparities in how nations approach marine biodiversity data. While the Global North tends to focus on Marine Protected Areas (MPAs) and Environmental Impact Assessments (EIAs), the Global South prioritizes Marine Genetic Resources (MGRs) as economic assets. She also raised the risk of low-quality, unreliable data leading to wrong decisions from policymakers.
Breaking silos to unlock data access is another shared strategy towards improving the delivery of fit-for-purpose marine data. Edward Salazar Ortiz (Servicio Geológico Colombiano) introduced the Caribbean component of the EU-funded EMODnet-Geology Project, aiming to standardize geological data across the Caribbean Sea. “We worked across borders to unify methodologies and vocabularies to produce harmonized, regional-scale datasets that are publicly available and accessible to all,” he stated, including harmonizing geological terminology between Spanish-speaking countries, a historical achievement.
Thierry Carval (Ifremer, France) explained that a robust and operational data policy can also be a powerful driver for harmonization and integration. “EuroGOOS data policy aligns with global frameworks (WMO, IOC, GOOS, ICES, SOOS) and the Ocean Decade’s vision to promote cohesive global ocean data accessibility,” he said, “resulting in numerous benefits, from maritime safety and climate modelling to sustaining the blue economy.”
Finally, Patricia Martin Cabrera (OBPS) reminded us that developing and, most importantly, implementing best practices is crucial to enabling data integration into platforms like OBIS, EMODnet Biology, and the Digital Twin of the Ocean. “Linking datasets to best practices optimizes interoperability, and encouraging broader adoption of best practices enriches data repositories,” she explained.
New technologies, new challenges
eDNA is a powerful drive to increase our Ocean knowledge. Vanessa Yepes Narváez (INVEMAR, Colombia) highlighted that this observation technology allows for successfully surveying remote areas at a fraction of the cost of traditional methods. She explained how genetic data directly contributed to the designation of two new MPAs in Colombia. “By analyzing DNA traces left by marine organisms, we can detect species without needing physical specimens, allowing for more efficient biodiversity assessments in remote areas,” Vanessa Yepes Narváez explained.
However, eDNA comes with its own challenges, one of them being the data integration into existing global repositories. To address this issue, Pier Luigi Buttigieg (AWI) presented the OBON (Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network) efforts to federate biomolecular data into existing ocean data infrastructures, such as OBIS and INSDC while expanding to new biomolecular data themes to reach new hubs and contribute to close data gaps.
New technology in devices and instruments can also play a vital role in closing some of the marine biodiversity data gaps. Vanessa Yepes Narváez explained in her presentation how eDNA contributed to the development of new fit-for-purpose Underwater Autonomous Vehicles (UAVs). Olivia Pampaloni (BODC, UK) emphasized how newly developed, dedicated autonomous marine gliders combined with remote sensing devices can feed the Digital Twin Ocean (DTO).
New technologies can also help make ocean science accessible to non-specialized audiences. Marcos Zárate (CONICET, Argentina) presented OBISBot, an AI-driven interface that allows natural language to search the OBIS database. “Through large language models and machine learning, we can make data truly accessible to all,” he explained.
Serving the users’ needs
Interface tools, such as indicators, dashboards, or maps, are crucial to improving the decision-makers’ uptake of marine data. Silas Principe (UNESCO/IOC-IODE/OBIS) presented the still-ongoing developments from the EU-funded MPA Europe project, which aims to provide marine planners and decision-makers with a tool supporting them in designing future marine protected areas. The easy-to-use, user-oriented interface hides a complex model-based engine that combines multiple variables with climate change scenarios, species and habitat distribution maps, as well as assessments for potential blue carbon stocks. On a different topic but sharing a similar aim to support decision-making, Paola Sofía Obando Madera (INVEMAR, Colombia) showcased Colombia’s marine and coastal water quality monitoring network, which has gathered over 600,000 records and is a cornerstone for national pollution monitoring efforts.
Fit-for-purpose data can drastically increase user uptake. Laura Marcela Vásquez López (INVEMAR, Colombia) emphasized how improving accessibility to the right oceanographic data for the relevant users could enhance maritime operations and decision-making in Colombia. Similarly, Gesica Canivete (Maputo Port Development Company, Mozambique) showed how hydrographic and oceanographic data served a targeted audience and can support better decision-making in vulnerable coastal areas, improving coastal resilience, sustainable port operations, and urban planning. On different topic, Daniel Alejandro Carrasco Palma (Laboratorio de Toxinas Marinas, Facultad de Medicina, Universidad de Chile) demonstrated how using harmonized methodologies, a system designed to monitor and track microplastic contamination across Latin America and the Caribbean can ensure that data remains valid and comparable across different regions, covering 47 study sites and over 106 monitoring efforts conducted between 2019 and 2024.
Serving the users’ needs also means finding simple tools to achieve capacity. Katrina Exter (VLIZ, Belgium) detailed how the EMO BON Genomics Observation Network used an array of existing, tested, and available resources to achieve a robust and reliable data management flow that provides fair, open, and good-quality data to OBIS. The developed flexible and open-ended system has no financial cost but heavily relies on volunteers.
Improving regional capacity
Encouraging regional collaborations to address similar challenges, such as improving translations or technological capacity, is a strong driver for capacity development. For Erika Montoya Cadavid (INVEMAR, Colombia), Ana Carolina Peralta (College of Marine Science at the University of South Florida) and Carolina Garciá Valencia (INVEMAR, Colombia), regional capacity development will enhance data-sharing and accessibility across the Latin America Caribbean (LAC) region. The six OBIS LAC Nodes (Caribbean OBIS, OBIS Colombia, OBIS Brazil, OBIS Argentina, OBIS Ecuador, and the Tropical and Subtropical Eastern South Pacific OBIS Node) will hold a first informal meeting during the second day of the IODC-3 to initiate a reinforced regional collaboration.
The people behind the data: training, engagement and recognition
Several presenters reminded the audience of a resounding message: people are behind the data. Carlos Francisco Yaipen-Llanos (ORCA, Peru) illustrated how youth engagement in marine conservation radically transformed marine observations in Peru. With over 13,200 young participants, 4,400 trained volunteers in marine animal handling, and close to 122,000 contributors, including adults, spread into seven national marine observation and conservation programmes, Peru has turned the tide on citizen engagement in marine science during the last 25 years.
Training the people behind the data is a steady pillar of capacity development. But, as Adel Heenan (Global Fishing Watch, USA) reminded us, there is more than just doing workshops to build capacity. The training arsenal extends to experimental learning, mentoring, and more. She also reminded us that capacity development can be applied to individuals and institutions with different training strategies, ultimately aiming to enhance data-sharing networks. Greg Reed (UNESCO/IOC-IODE) stressed how the Ocean Training Global Academy (OTGA) self-paced online courses in ocean data management are an essential, cost-effective solution for building a global workforce capable of handling marine biodiversity information. The courses also contribute to implementing the Ocean Decade Data and Information Strategy and the UNESCO-IOC Capacity Development Strategy 2023-2030.
Beyond engagement and training, the involvement of volunteers can be a massive driving force. These unsung heroes of marine science contribute to advancing marine science. Ocean biodiversity initiatives rely on an armada of highly skilled volunteers who passionately contribute to crucial initiatives. Leen Vandepitte (VLIZ, Belgium) explained how 300 volunteers worldwide made possible the development and maintenance of the World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), a global standardized taxonomic backbone used by OBIS, ensuring that all data is integrated at an optimum level, WoRMS manually removes taxonomic mistakes. It guides data providers in matching species names to an authoritative register like WoRMS.
“The last consumer of data is humanity,” said Carlos Francisco Yaipen-Llanos during the Q&A session. As the world faces accelerating climate change and biodiversity loss, ensuring FAIR access to robust ocean knowledge may be one of the greatest priorities of our time. The role of IODE is crucial and has never been more important.