Access to marine data is of vital importance for marine research and a key issue for various studies, from the climate change prediction to off shore engineering.
The marine observing system is highly fragmented: in the countries bordering the European seas of the partnership, more than 600 scientific data collecting laboratories from governmental organisations and private industry have been identified. They collect data by using various sensors on board of research vessels, submarines, fixed and drifting platforms, airplanes and satellites, to measure physical, geophysical, geological, biological and chemical parameters, biological species etc. The collected data are neither easily accessible, nor standardized. They are not always validated and their security and availability have to be insure in the future.
Therefore SeaDataNet objective is to construct a standardized system for managing the large and diverse data sets collected by the oceanographic fleets and the new automatic observation systems. The objective is to network and enhance the currently existing infrastructures, which are the national oceanographic data centres and satellite data centres of 35 countries, active in data collection. The networking of these professional data centres, in a unique virtual data management system will provide integrated integrated data sets of standardized quality on-line.
SeaDataNet - 026212 is an Integrated Infrastructure Initiative of the EU Sixth Framework Programme coordinated by IFREMER (Institut Français de Recherche pour l'Exploitation de la Mer) and bringing together 49 partners of major scientific marine research institutes.
As a research infrastructure, SeaDataNet contributes to build research excellence in Europe.