1. OceanTeacher OBIS Nodes Technical Training Course Ward Appeltans UNESCO, Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC-UNESCO) International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) Ocean Biogeographic Information System (OBIS)

2. The IOC of UNESCO: Building knowledge and capacity for sustainable ocean management
Established in 1960
International Indian Ocean Expedition ( )
Our mission is to promote international cooperation and to build knowledge and capacity for sustainable ocean management.
We are established in 1960, in response to what was one of the greatest early international inter-disciplinary oceanographic research efforts “the International Indian Ocean Expedition”, where 45 research vessels, under 14 different flags, explored, through pioneering voyages of discovery, the ecological mysteries of the Indian Ocean.
A second expedition, expected to run between 2016 and 2020, is currently in preparation, coordinated by our IOC office in Perth.
Sampling stations in OBIS

3. The IOC of UNESCO: Building knowledge and capacity for sustainable ocean management
Established in 1960
Functional autonomy in UNESCO
147 Member States
UN focal point for ocean science, ocean observations and services, data and information exchange and capacity building
UNCLOS: IOC = competent international organization for Marine Science and Transfer of Marine Technology
IOC has functional autonomy in UNESCO. We have our own 146 Member States.
Within the UN system, the IOC serves as the focal point for ocean science, ocean observations and services and data and information exchange.
And the UN Convention on the Law of the Sea considers IOC to be the competent international organization for marine scientific research.
Since IOC often has its own accreditation within meetings such as those of the UNFCCC, CBD and Rio+20, this give UNESCO 2 seats at the table and two voices, which is advantageous.

4. The IOC of UNESCO: Building knowledge and capacity for sustainable ocean management
At Rio+20, the High-Level Political Forum, recognized IOC/UNESCO’s role in the UN wide system for:
UN World Ocean Assessment
UN Biodiversity in ABNJ
Ocean Acidification
SIDS
OWG SDG
GEOSS
Capacity Building for ocean management
Building Global Capacity for Marine Sciences, Observation and Transfer of Marine Technology
At the United Nations Conference on Sustainable Development (Rio+20), the High-Level Political Forum recognized IOC’s role to support UN activities in the World Ocean Assessment, the UN working group on the conservation and sustainable use of marine biodiversity in areas beyond national jurisdiction, Small Island and Developing States, the Open-ended Working group on Sustainable Development Goal, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems, and in terms of Capacity Building for ocean management, the IOC made a voluntary Commitment at the Rio+20 Conference on 'Building Global Capacity for Marine Sciences, Observation and Transfer of Marine Technology’.

5. From vision to execution
IOC focuses on the broad areas shown on the left from bottom to top of:
- strengthening scientific knowledge of the ocean and human impact on it,
- applying that knowledge for societal benefit, and
- building institutional capacities for sound management and governance
And we’ve described six key functions if IOC corresponding broadly to the IOC programmes. Today, we will focus mostly on Ocean Observing Systems and Data Management.

6. Major IOC Programmes Ocean Observations and Services
Global Ocean Observing System. GOOS is a permanent global system for observations, modelling and analysis of marine and ocean variables to support operational ocean services worldwide. (and JCOMM) International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange. IODE facilitates the exchange of oceanographic data and information between participating Member States, and serves the needs of users for data and information products.
These are GOOS. The Global Ocean Observing System, which builds a global framework for ocean observation, by identifying global emerging scientific issues, selecting essential ocean variables and starting up pilot projects to increase readiness of new technologies.
IODE, the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange programme of IOC is the oldest programme of IOC (since 1961). IODE is established to promote and facilitate the exchange of data and information, to guide the development of standards and best practices, and to ensure the highest quality of data to serve the needs of users for data and information products.
Through support from the Flanders Government, IOC could set up a project office for IODE here in Ostend, in the same building. This happened in 2005 and was the first international organisation hosted under the same roof with the Flanders Marine Institute.

7. Foundation: Data Policy (2003)
Clause 1: Member States shall provide timely, free and unrestricted access to all data, associated metadata and products generated under the auspices of IOC programmes. .

8. Objectives – activities (1)
To facilitate and promote the discovery, exchange of, and access to, marine data and information including metadata, products and information in real-time, near real time and delayed mode, through the use of international standards, and in compliance with the IOC Oceanographic Data Exchange Policy for the ocean research and observation community and other stakeholders;
Global projects: ASFA, IODE Ocean Data Portal, OBIS, OceanData Standards and best practices, GODAR, GOSUD, GTSPP, OceanDocs, OceanExpert, …
GOSUD: Global Ocean Surface Underway Data Pilot Project
ASFA: Aquatic Sciences and Fisheries Abstracts

9. Objectives – activities (2)
To encourage the long term archival, preservation, documentation, management and services of all marine data, data products, and information;
World Ocean Database, OceanDocs, GOSUD, OBIS, Data citation project, ICAN,…
GOSUD: Global Ocean Surface Underway Data Pilot Project

10. Objectives – activities (3)
To develop or use existing best practices for the discovery, management, exchange of, and access to marine data and information, including international standards, quality control and appropriate information technology;
Ocean Data Standards and Best Practices project, IODE Manuals and Guides, OceanTeacher Digital Library,…

11. Objectives – activities (4)
To assist Member States to acquire the necessary capacity to manage marine research and observation data and information and become partners in the IODE network;
Ocean Data and Information Networks (ODINs), OceanTeacher & OceanTeacher Global Academy

12. The IODE plumbing (<IODE-XXII)

13. Building blocks NATIONAL IODE Associate Data Units (ADU) (>2013)
IODE National Oceanographic Data Centre
IODE national coordinator for data management
Marine Libraries
IODE national coordinator for marine information management
OBIS nodes (>2010)
REGIONAL
Ocean Data and Information Network (ODIN)
IODE regional coordinators
GLOBAL
World Data System (ICSU): World Data Centres Oceanography
iOBIS

14. NODCs 1961
Its purpose is  to facilitate the exchange of oceanographic data and information among participating Member States, and to meet the needs of users for data and information products.

15. NODCs 2013

16. Services - Data Access

17. Africa Priority
In terms of Capacity Building for ocean management, the IOC made a voluntary Commitment at the Rio+20 Conference (Brazil, June 2012) on 'Building Global Capacity for Marine Sciences, Observation and Transfer of Marine Technology’
Following the above commitment, a survey was carried out in a sample of twenty Member States representing developing countries with low income, low-middle income and upper middle income and SIDS. Consideration was also given to geographical balance in relation to IOC electoral groups. The survey was completed and presented at IOCs 27th Assembly in June.
The results will form the basis for a new IOC capacity development (CD) strategy which will be formulated by an inter-sessional working group, based on the need to strengthen national institutions, individual skills and knowledge and national science-policy frameworks in the short and long term.
A complement to both the strategy and the WOA will be the IOC Global Ocean science Report which aims to assess global capacity and investments in marine scientific research.
IOC/IODE’s ODINAFRICA : 25 years of collaboration and capacity development in Africa

18. IODE Capacity Development Strategy: Ocean Data and Information Network (ODIN’s)
ODIN regional networks
ODINAFRICA: African region
ODINCARSA: Latin America and Caribbean
ODINCINDIO: Central Indian Ocean
ODINWESTPAC: Western Pacific region
ODINBlackSea: Black Sea region
ODINECET: European Countries in Economic Transition
ODIN-PIMRIS: Small Island Pacific States
Since the late 1990s IODE designed a new way to build capacity in developing member states. This innovative strategic approach is known as ODIN (Ocean Data and Information Network) strategy and has been used since 1997.
This strategy is based upon four elements:
providing equipment
providing training
providing seed funding for operational activities for newly created data centres and marine libraries
work in a regional context, addressing common (regional) as well as individual (national) goals
This new strategic approach was first applied in Africa which led to the development and implementation of ODINAFRICA and it has been adopted by other regions including:
ODINCARSA for the Caribbean and South America,
ODINCINDIO for countries in the Indian Ocean region
ODIN-WESTPAC for Western Pacific countries
ODIN-BlackSea for the Black Sea region,
ODINECET for European Countries in Economic Transition
ODIN-PIMRIS for small Island Pacific States.
ODIN is based upon four elements:
work in a regional context, addressing common as well as national goals

19. OceanTeacher IODE’s Capacity Development Tool
OT Learning Platform consist of:
OceanTeacher Courses
OceanTeacher Digital Library
Videos of Lectures
Contents freely and openly available
Web-based training platform that supports:
Classroom training (face-to-face)
Blended training, online tutoring
online self-learning.
how to retrieve datasets from global data systems
how to manage and identify good quality data, discard what is bad
create products, like maps
how to set up e-repositories
identification of HAB species, monitor and report water quality
Marine and Maritime Spatial Planning (video's from Charles Ehlers)

20. Ocean Teacher Facts & Figures Nr of trainees 2005-13:
~1300 trainees on Ostend site
from ~120 countries
6-8 courses/year
Training Courses:
> USD/course
~ 3000 USD/student
~ 15 sponsored students/course
Co-sponsoring
Nr of trainees

21. OceanTeacher Global Academy
From centralized => worldwide training facility
Regional Training Centres (RTCs)
Local lecturers
Local use cases
Local language
OceanTeacher Global Academy
Europe & North America
Africa
Indian Ocean
Western Pacific
Latin America & Caribbean
Training courses related to IOC programmes, EU projects and relevant to Member States in the regions.
The OceanTeacher Global Academy Project will develop a global training centre network and use this network to increase national capacity in coastal and marine knowledge and management.
The OceanTeacher Global Academy will change training from a “north to south” culture to north-south, south-south, and south-north model.
Until now, training was traditionally based on experts from developed regions to visit and teach developing country students, the OceanTeacher Global Academy will promote the expertise already available in many developing regions.
Specifically, the OceanTeacher Global Academy will:
(i) Promote the establishment, and assist with the start-up, of Regional Training Centres that will plan, organize and implement training courses that are of relevance and serve needs within their region;
(ii) Promote the use of local experts as lecturers and training assistants by the Regional Training Centres;
(iii) Promote the collaboration between and amongst the Regional Training Centres by enabling lecturers from multiple regions to contribute lectures; while making these available to more than one RTC at the same time (through advanced information technology)
(iv) Further develop the OceanTeacher Learning Management System to cover multiple IOC (and associate) programmes.

22. Major objectives of this series of training courses
IODE: technical training in data management (access, processing, QC, standardization, documentation, storage, publication and sharing)
GOOS: What to measure and how? Ocean Observation framework to identify essential ocean variables to improve governance and management of the ocean
More attention to the value of biodiversity, and its link with ecosystem functioning and ecosystem services.
Strengthen the Observation and Data Management community and build a strong collaborative network

23. This training course
Getting familiar with OBIS (how to access/use OBIS)
Getting familiar with the OBIS data management procedures, data-, meta- and taxonomic standards, quality control tools, data transfer (IPT)
Improve current practices (OBIS Scheme, Vocabularies, Data enhancements, Data flows) (including question and answer sessions).

24. This training course Practical sessions:
Access data using webportal and webservices
Working with own datasets
Demonstrations on OBIS use cases
Friday: wrap-up, summary of sessions presented by session leaders