1. Third meeting of ur-EMODNET thematic assembly groups
Audrey Baconnais-Rosez OSPAR Commission Secretariat Brussels, 29 November 2010

2. General observations about EMODNET
Progress
Coordinated effort to bring together existing data will be of benefit of the marine community
Gap analysis and confidence maps will prove to be very useful
Will help the implementation of the ecosystem approach

3. Comments
Biology lot: user friendly and logical, data and metadata clearly presented
Integration of other EMODNET layers
Use of webGIS for user without desktop GIS
Some slower and frustrating webportals
Complements the European Atlas of the Seas
Ability to absorb new data
Data ownership clearly understood and identified
Inconsistency of standards and formats for terms and conditions (eg data ownership)

4. Areas to consider
Connection of the lots through an overarching webportal that introduces the project and provides sitemap and links to documentation and each lot
Needs to be some consistency of functionality, portal and catalogues
Ensure Integration of data between different lots
Standard presentation and access to terms and conditions
Identify data which is known to exist but not incorporated

5. OSPAR perspective
Has potential for OSPAR’s assessments (for example Utrecht workshop), MSFD assessments and global assessment
Utility relies on :
Geographical extend across all OSPAR areas (some OSPAR Contracting Parties are not EU members)
Longevity of the project
Management of EMODNET
Resourced and maintained
Integration with data relating to human activities
Stakeholder/community endorsement and use

6. Contact
OSPAR Commission New Court 48 Carey Street London WC2A 2JQ / UK Tel: +44 (0) Fax: +44 (0) address: Website: