From open data to marine knowledge: A service for augmented data access and reproducible data analysis

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Overview

The Marine-Analyst.eu is a novel platform for searching, viewing, processing, transferring, advertising and disseminating marine spatial data from numerous data sources. Launched in October 2020, it is powered by the WEkEO data and information access service (DIAS). The Marine-Analyst.eu provides users with access to data and key analyses for the location of their choice. It offers a personal dashboard where each user can collate the reports created for the chosen datasets [See: Single data access and analysis]. By generating on-demand data analyses for any location, the platform is able to address multidisciplinary challenges, for example:

• Maritime spatial planning: It represents a solution for coordinating decision-making when allocating identified areas to specific activities, by considering and partitioning a basin as a whole, including its ecological functioning and the activities it supports. (for example: zonation based on essential biophysical ocean parameters (such as Chl-a and Kd) (Marine Copernicus), human activities inventory (EMODnet) etc. (Ref: MSP challenge at the Ocean

Hackathon Brest 2020)

• Climate change: Addressing climate change not only requires better science; it is also crucial to inform journalists, interested citizens and the wider public. The Marine-Analyst facilitates access to information and transparent analyses. (for example: sea surface temperature trends and anomalies. (Marine Copernicus), Coastal erosion (EMODnet) (Ref: Climate change at my Beach challenge at the Hack the Ocean Hackathon November 2019).

• Marine protected areas: Park managers benefit from simplified access to various bulletins comprising key information for the management of their MPA (for example: MPA bulletins, (Marine Copernicus forecast), Vessel density hierarchical clustering and statistical analysis. (EMODnet) (Ref: Environmental impact of Shipping traffic at the Blue Innovation Hackathon April 2021)

• Other topics will follow… [See topics]

Products used

Copernicus Marine forecast, real time and multiyear Blue, White and Green global ocean products.

EMODnet thematic portals: Bathymetry, Geology, Human activities, etc.

Benefits for users

The Marine-Analyst platform provides access to data from a number of major marine data providers. It is aimed at: • Research institutes. • Public authorities. • Private companies. • Environmental organisations. • Journalists. • Interested citizens. • Students. It does not require any programming skills.It is an “open web platform for the achievement of accessible, reproducible and transparent environmental science” (i.e., the platform embodies the FAIR principles of open environmental science). All of its sources* are available in a Github repository for execution in a virtual Binder environment, allowing expert users to tailor any available analyses to their needs. • Marine Analyst Official Website • EMODnet