EMODnet Sea-Basin Checkpoints Stakeholder Conference

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The EMODnet Checkpoint Stakeholder Conference will take place over two days, 14^th and 15^th of February 2017, at the Royal Flemish Academy of Belgium for Science and the Arts in Brussels, Belgium.

Final Programme - download pdf

Meeting Chair: Phil Weaver (Chair of the EMODnet Steering Committee)

14 February 2017

09:00 - 12:30 Plenary Opening: Stress-Testing European marine data – the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints

• Welcome and setting the scene – 10’
  • Jan-Bart Calewaert (Head of the EMODnet Secretariat)
• Importance of data and information for users of ocean and coastal space and the role of industry as users and providers of marine data – 30’
  • Keynote by Val Cummins (Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster)
• Concept and Challenges of the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints – 20’
  • Iain Shepherd (European Commission, Directorate-General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries)

10.00 - 10.30 Coffee break

• Results of the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints to date (North Sea, MedSea, Atlantic, Baltic, Black Sea & Arctic) – 90’
  • Jun She (Baltic), Nadia Pinardi (MedSea), Quillon Harpham (North Sea), Mikaël Vasquez (Atlantic), Atanas Palazov (Black Sea), Belinda Kater (Arctic)

12:00 -13:30 Lunch

13:30 - 17:00 Breakout session with 6 regional Sea-basin stakeholder workshops (in parallel)

• Evening reception with food from 17:30 until 20:00

15 February 2017

9:00 - 12:30 Plenary Closing: ImprovingEurope's Marine Observation Capacity

• Outputs and recommendations from the Sea-basin Stakeholder Workshops – 90’
  • Jun She (Baltic), Nadia Pinardi (MedSea), Quillon Harpham (North Sea), Mikaël Vasquez (Atlantic), Atanas Palazov (Black Sea), Belinda Kater (Arctic) - 10’ updates + 30 minute discussion

10:30 - 11:00 Coffee break

• Outcome of the Consultation on establishing an European Ocean Observing System (EOOS) – 15’
  • Glenn Nolan (EuroGOOS)
• Marine data and observations for storm surge forecasting and other Met Office ocean modelling - 30'
  • Keynote by Clare O'Neill (Ocean Modelling Scientist, UK Met Office)
• Concluding panel discussion: Towards improved data collection and open access -Synthesis of findings from the Conference – 60’
  • Bernhard Friess (European Commission, Directorate-General Maritime Affairs and Fisheries), Niall McDonough (European Marine Board), Simon Jennings (ICES), Samantha Burgess (WWF), Val Cummins (Irish Maritime and Energy Resource Cluster)

Lunch from 12:30 – until 14:00

14:00 - 18:00 EMODnet Steering Committee Meeting (closed meeting)

About the Conference

The Conference aims to mobilise a wide group of interested stakeholders to consider joint issues, present common findings as well as highlighting differences between the Sea-basins as identified by the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints in terms of existing and future monitoring and observation activities, data availability and usefulness to address real problems.

The main objectives of the EMODnet Checkpoints Stakeholder Conference are to:

• Inform interested stakeholders about the outputs and findings of the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints;
• Consider how to improve future data adequacy assessments and outputs by seeking input from stakeholders’ needs and identification of gaps.
• Look forward with Stakeholders from science, policy, industry and civil society on how marine monitoring and observation activities could be improved and better coordinated in Europe.

EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints assess the quality of the current observation monitoring data at the level of the regional sea-basins. By testing the data against specific end-user challenges, the checkpoints aim to demonstrate how well the current monitoring systems and data collection frameworks provides data to meet the needs of users. In doing so, data gaps and duplications as well as significant bottlenecks are being highlighted.

Six sea basin checkpoints are in operation. The first two checkpoints were initiated in the Mediterranean Sea and the North Sea in 2013. Four other Checkpoints covering the Arctic, Atlantic, Baltic and Black Sea were launched mid-2015.

• For more information about the EMODnet Sea-basin Checkpoints, consult the EMODnet central portal information pages at http://www.emodnet.eu/checkpoints
• More information about EMODnet in general can be found on the information pages of the central portal www.emodnet.eu.