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Blue Data for Blue Growth

GEF/UNDP LME:LEARN

By IW:LEARN

March 1^st, 2018

The EU Blue Growth Strategy needs data

Seas and oceans are drivers for the European economy and have great potential for innovation and growth. However, the Blue Growth Strategy for sustained growth of marine and maritime sectors, has significant data needs that are only partially met. Further efforts in favor of data production, collection and use will be key in informing the Strategy and BlueBRIDGE’s innovative technologies aim to meet these pressing gaps.

The BlueBRIDGE workshop entitled "Supporting Blue Growth with innovative applications based on EU e-infrastructures" presented a selection of BlueBRIDGE data services with the goal to propose these to future adopters. During the event in Brussels, Belgium (14-15 February 2018) the invited experts explained the products and services delivered in specific domains, in particular fisheries and marine protected areas management.

“BlueBRIDGE supports Blue Growth with innovative applications based on e-infrastructures. It has high potential to be used in management of Large Marine Ecosystems (LMEs), in particular through Marine Spatial Planning.” - Ivica Trumbic, Chief Technical Advisor for the GEF LME:LEARN project.

But would potential adopters be keen on relying on such e-infrastructures?

Currently, stakeholders in academia, industry, regional fishery bodies and more can use BlueBRIDGE data services. While big data offers huge potential for marine management and governance, it also calls for a necessary shift in culture that would facilitate and encourage the use of such technologies. The workshop offered a great opportunity to explore fundamental questions and concerns, and to inventory interest for further collaboration with private and public stakeholders. It also highlighted the overall efforts made in the capacity building and educational sector to best benefit from increasingly on-line tools and services, minimizing the risk of mismatch between working cultures and emerging capabilities.

According to Mr. Trumbic, the GEF LME:LEARN project will seek to improve and strengthen its links to the BlueBRIDGE approach in order to benefit from its tools in further developing capacities for regional ocean governance. More specifically, the GEF LME:LEARN project would look to incorporate the climate change forecasts and changes in biodiversity into the Marine Hub.

"Blue Bridge has developed some interesting products that could be linked withLME:LEARN activities, such as PAIM VRE interface, an interactive map viewer that provides visualization of a range seafloor features, or the Aquaculture Atlas Generation VRE, which supports the generation and the review of aquaculture maps for offshore fish farms and coastal ponds." - Ivica Trumbic, Chief Technical Advisor for the GEF LME:LEARN project.