The OCEANIDS project was represented at EUMETSAT’s Marine User Days, held on November 5–6, 2024, in Lisbon, Portugal. This annual event brings together stakeholders across the marine user community, including representatives from the European Commission, European Space Agency (ESA), European Centre for Medium-Range Weather Forecasts (ECMWF), Mercator Ocean International, and the Copernicus Marine Service. Participants had the opportunity to exchange insights on the application of data in marine and maritime domains, exploring both current use cases and future requirements.
Tanya Walker from the European Association of Remote Sensing Companies (EARSC) presented the OCEANIDS Project at the “Maritime Operations” session. Her presentation outlined the project’s advancements in supporting marine stakeholders through Earth Observation (EO) services, demonstrating how OCEANIDS contributes to sustainable maritime operations and marine environment management.
As part of the event’s closing panel, Tanya joined representatives from EUMETSAT, Copernicus Marine Service, and ESA to discuss the evolving data needs of the marine sector, the challenges faced, and the potential for EO services to support new applications. Tanya emphasized the importance of including “end” users in the design of marine solutions, advocating for a collaborative approach that enhances the relevance and utility of EO data for diverse user communities. She also highlighted EARSC’s role in bridging connections across institutional stakeholders, academia, industry, and various end-user communities, reinforcing the organization’s commitment to supporting the uptake of EO services across marine sectors.
The Marine User Days also served as a platform for networking and collaboration, offering stakeholders the chance to discuss user needs, present their use cases, and engage with Copernicus and EUMETSAT representatives. For EARSC members involved in providing marine sector services, the event underscored the importance of collaborative initiatives like OCEANIDS, which seek to advance EO-driven solutions that address environmental challenges in the marine space.
As a call to action, EARSC invites its members to participate in an internal survey on the association’s portal, aiming to capture the capabilities of marine service providers and to strengthen representation to key stakeholders. This initiative reflects EARSC’s mission to foster partnerships and open new avenues for collaboration in the marine sector.
OCEANIDS extends its gratitude to EUMETSAT for hosting this event and looks forward to ongoing partnerships that will drive the sustainable and impactful use of EO services within the marine and maritime community.
