Ocean science data is critical to a healthy ocean and a sustainable ocean economy. Supplied by Fugro.
The Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group — co-chaired by Fugro and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of the United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organisation (IOC/UNESCO) — has been officially launched.
Organised in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, the working group is focused on creating frameworks and mechanisms to make privately owned ocean science data publicly available for the benefit of humanity.
Joining the group as founding members are five private-sector companies representing a diverse range of industries: Alcatel Submarine Networks, Ava Ocean, CGG, Equinor and Ørsted.
Discussions are ongoing with other industry-leading companies who are expected to join the group at a later stage.
Members will explore data sharing challenges and opportunities to develop solutions and best practices for making private-sector ocean data publicly available.
“We are delighted to officially launch this working group to establish ways to unlock the huge potential of industrial ocean data that is currently inaccessible to science,” said Dr. Vladimir Ryabinin, IOC/UNESCO Executive Secretary.
“Such collaborations amongst science, industry and governments are transformative in enhancing ocean knowledge and information… I am very grateful to the founding members of this group for engaging proactively with us in this movement and I know they will inspire many others to join.”
