OPERATING A NETWORK OF INTEGRATED OBSERVATORY SYSTEMS IN THE MEDITERREANEAN SEA - ODYSSEA
EU funds ODYSSEA in €8.4 million project under Horizon 2020 Blue Growth - ‘Demonstrating an ocean of opportunities’. Democritus University of Thrace (DUTH) will coordinate with a consortium of 29 participants, representing 14 countries from Europe and North Africa.
# ODYSSEA will develop, operate, and demonstrate an interoperable and cost-effective platform that fully integrates networks of observing and forecasting systems across the Mediterreanean basin.
Blue Lobster will have a significant role in the project and be responsible for leading the Front-end Design and Development of the ODYSSEA Platform and the Work Package for Communication, Outreach and Dissemination.
The ODYSSEA Platform will provide a single access web application that homogenises large quantities of data into a common standard. The platform will provide advanced on-demand data services and forecasts to a broad range of users managing and mitigating challenges arising from changes in the water. The platform will be a collaborative technological effort aiming to fully integrate model forecast and observing systems operating and monitoring in the Mediterranean Sea.
Blue Lobster will lead the design and development of the front-end of the ODYSSEA Platform, including Design and Development of the User Interface (UI), Data Visualisation Tools (e.g. GIS, mapping and charts) and end-user products. The team will also be responsible for the Design and Development of a Mobile Application.
In the role of Work Package Leader, Blue Lobster will be responsible for coordinating all dissemination, outreach and communications activities. The team will lead in Branding, Website Design, Development and Maintenance and the production of communication materials for both the ODYSSEA Project and the ODYSSEA Platform.
About ODYSSEA:
ODYSSEA will develop, operate, and demonstrate an interoperable and cost-effective platform that fully integrates networks of observing and forecasting systems across the Mediterreanean basin, addressing both the open sea and the coastal zone. The platform will collect its data from the many databases maintained by agencies, public authorities, and institutions of Mediterreanean EU and non-EU countries, integrating existing earth observation facilities, and networks in the Mediterrean Sea. Building on central initiatives such as Copernicus, GEOSS, GOOS, EMODNet, ESFRI, Lifewatch, Med-OBIS,GBIF, AquaMaps, Marine IBA e-atlas, MAPAMED and others with marine and maritime links.
Through ODYSSEA’s end-user centred approach, in which the various groups and stakeholders, internally and externally to the consortium will be involved from the beginning of the project in the design, development, and operation of the platform. Including, identification of gaps in data collection and accessibility. Spaces of high priority will be completed through multiple approaches that include developing a network of coastal observatories, deploying innovative in-situ sensors at sea (a.o. microplastic sensors), oceanographic modelling, and integrating existing mobile apps for citizen scientist networks.
Applying advanced algorithms to organise, homogenise, and fuse the large quantities of data in common standard type and format as well as other types of formats. The ODYSSEA platform will provide both primary data and on-demand derived data services, including forecasts from all Mediterranean countries through a single public portal to various end-user groups and stakeholders. End-user requirements will drive the creation of secondary data sets which the platform will provide as new and packaged services matching the specialised information needs of users. The project will improve accessibility to existing data as well as increase the temporal and geographic coverage of observational data in the Mediterreanean.
This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 727277. The information and views of this website lie entirely with the authors. The European Commission is not responsible for any use that may be made of the information it contains.