On 14 and 15 June 2023, the European Commission hosted the Digital Ocean Forum 2023, in cooperation with Mercator Ocean International and the Flanders Marine Institute.
The hybrid Digital Ocean Forum 2023 brought together more than 200 experts, stakeholders, researchers, policymakers and interested citizens to discuss and shape the future of the European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO).
The purpose of the EU DTO, a main deliverable of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters, is to provide Ocean communities with actionable knowledge and to support them in their daily decisions and planning, to ensure a healthy and sustainable Ocean.
Attendees explored opportunities for the EU DTO to be a game changer and address challenges such as the marine implications of climate change and biodiversity loss. Participants discussed how EU DTO could aid policy and decision-making to promote a sustainable blue economy in sectors such as fisheries, aquaculture, and offshore renewables, and examined how ethical and societal considerations should be best addressed.
On 14 June, the Forum was preceded by an in-person workshop which gathered around 60 experts from over 50 different research projects to share their views on the development of the EU DTO, the services that it should provide, and how they could contribute to it.
Background
The European Digital Twin of the Ocean (EU DTO), announced by President von der Leyen at the One Ocean Summit in Brest, will be a key deliverable of the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. Its purpose is to provide Ocean communities with actionable knowledge and to support them in their daily decisions and planning, to ensure a healthy and sustainable Ocean.
More information
European Digital Twin of the Ocean (European DTO)
The Digital Twin Ocean infographic
Details
- Publication date
- 16 June 2023
- Author
- Directorate-General for Research and Innovation