The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), is the European Union’s in situ marine data service, managed by the European Commission DG MARE, offering standardised in situ marine data and data products on the marine and coastal environment and human activities at sea, harmonised at European scale and beyond. EMODnet addresses the fragmentation of European marine data, making it more accessible, and serves as the backbone marine data service of the in situ ocean observation, data and marine knowledge value chain. EMODnet is used by a diverse and expanding user community with over 160,000 users that span research and academia, national administration and policy, the Blue Economy and private sector, non-governmental organisations and society. EMODnet is an essential marine data service for the European Ocean Pact, EU Ocean Observation Initiative and European Digital Twin Ocean.
Operating with 133 partners, EMODnet creates Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable (FAIR) pan-European data layers. EMODnet’s mandate is to assemble, harmonise and standardise in situ ocean observation and data collection efforts from Europe and beyond, and to produce integrated data layers and added value data products at pan-European scale that are open and free for public use. Many of these products are unique to EMODnet, including the Seabed Habitats EUSeaMap, the Bathymetry Digital Terrain Model, the EU Marine Litter Database, and Vessel Density composite maps.
VLIZ is a long-standing partner in EMODnet, hosting the EMODnet Portal (emodnet.ec.europa.eu) and coordinating the Biology thematic while contributing to other EMODnet components such as the Chemistry thematic. The joint location of VLIZ and the EMODnet Secretariat (administered by Seascape Belgium) at the InnovOcean site (Ostend, Belgium) strengthens collaboration at an operational level, including for the EMODnet Central Portal Technical Team and on EMODnet’s key contribution to EDITO, the long-term infrastructure of the European Digital Twin Ocean. In 2025, VLIZ, Seascape Belgium (EMODnet Secretariat) and EMODnet partners continued to jointly deliver EMODnet’s contribution to EDITO, including a Data Lake where all of EMODnet’s marine data offer is made available together with data from Copernicus Marine Service. VLIZ, the EMODnet Secretariat, EMODnet Coordinators and partners also promoted EMODnet’s role in EDITO and the wider European Digital Twin Ocean at the UN Ocean Conference in Nice, France in June 2025 and at the 2025 Digital Ocean Forum in Brussels (27-28 November 2025), co-organised by Seascape Belgium and VLIZ, together with Mercator Ocean International (MOi) and the European Commission.
Throughout 2025, EMODnet and VLIZ actively engaged in numerous events, including ones held at the InnovOcean campus, Ostend, ranging from a visit of Costas Kadis, Commissioner for Fisheries and Oceans and co-hosting and presenting EMODnet to delegations of EC DG MARE, government representatives of the UK and Ireland, Quebec IOC / UNESCO and presenting EMODnet at InnovOcean seminars, among others.
The EMODnet Secretariat and VLIZ showcased EMODnet at the VLIZ Marine Science Day and took part of the EMBRC FAIR training course, while VLIZ collaborated in the fourth edition of the EMODnet Open Sea Lab Hackathon, and represented EMODnet at external events including the UN Ocean Decade Conference 2025 Conference, Living Data 2025 Conference and European Maritime Day 2025. VLIZ also played a prominent role in the EMODnet Open Conference 2025, contributing to panel discussions and co-chairing breakout sessions. Additionally, VLIZ co-authored an EMODnet technical blog on GeoNetwork in June, and were members of the EMODnet Vision Drafting Group that spear-headed the EMODnet VISION 2035, launched in November 2025 as a community vision for EMODnet’s service evolution to 2035.