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Map of the Week – Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet)

This map shows Mission Actions under the Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. 

Theme
  • European Atlas of the Seas
Created on
28 November 2025
This map shows Mission Actions under the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. Actions are spread across Europe, both in coastal regions and inland.

Marine Knowledge Week 2025 took place in Brussels (Belgium) this week. Two conferences were held back-to-back, bringing together experts, partners, stakeholders and the marine and maritime community across Europe: the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) Open Conference and the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF). The focus was on the European Ocean Pact and the European Digital Twin of the Ocean.

The EMODnet Open Conference 2025 held on 25-26 November 2025 showcased EMODnet’s central role in the European Union (EU) Marine Knowledge Landscape, from supporting EU Policy to driving a more competitive, green, and restorative Blue Economy. [1]  It was followed by the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) 2025 where discussions were held on further co-constructing the EU Digital Ocean Platform in the frame of the EDITO project.[2] 

Did you know that EMODnet powers the European Atlas of the Seas? The European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet) provides marine data for over half of the map layers of the European Atlas of the Seas. EMODnet is a European Union data service that provides policy makers, researchers, industry and society with in-situ marine environmental and human activities data.[3] In situ-data is data that is collected locally, on-site or in-position through observations (weather stations, buoys,...) or as geospatial data (land cover, transport networks,...).[4] Have a look at our previous Map of the Week on Satellite and In Situ Observations for Advancing Ocean Monitoring to learn more about in-situ data. EMODnet offers data through the EMODnet Portal across seven disciplinary themes: geology, bathymetry, physics, chemistry, biology, seabed habitats and human activities.[1]

Together with the Copernicus Marine Service, EMODnet contributes to the European Digital Twin of the Ocean through the EDITO project..[5] In the EDITO project, these two marine services collaborate to build an infrastructure that allows high speed data access for users who are building digital twins.[5] Digital twins are virtual replicas of physical objects, systems or processes.[6] They are used for gaining insights that can be applied back to the ‘original’.[6] In that way, a digital twin of the ocean helps society understand ocean events and democratises access to policy choices.[6] 

In the context of the Marine Knowledge Week 2025, this week’s Map of the week focuses on the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters which sets targets to increase marine knowledge and citizen engagement. A key action of the mission is to develop a European Digital Twin of the Ocean to ensure fit-for -purpose resources management and sound ocean governance.[6] The map layer shows actions under the EU Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters. These actions are the joint effort towards achieving three objectives:

  1. Protect and restore marine and freshwater ecosystems and biodiversity, in line with the EU Biodiversity Strategy 2030;
  2. Prevent and eliminate pollution of our ocean, seas and waters, in line with the EU Action Plan Towards Zero Pollution for Air, Water and Soil;
  3. Make the sustainable blue economy carbon-neutral and circular, in line with the proposed European Climate Law and the holistic vision enshrined in the Sustainable Blue Economy Strategy.

Would you like to learn more about marine data and its applications? Would you like to learn more about EMODnet and EDITO? Have a look at the following resources!

Access the map

The data in the map is provided by EMODnet.

[1]https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/emodnet-open-conference-2025-full-programme-available

[2] https://datalab.dive.edito.eu/

[3] https://emodnet.ec.europa.eu/en/about_emodnet

[4] https://events.edito.eu/2025-digital-ocean-forum

[4] https://insitu.copernicus.eu/about/what-is-in-situ-data

[5]https://www.edito.eu/about-edito/how-does-the-european-digital-twin-ocean-help-us-respond-to-challenges-and-take-action/

[6] https://www.edito.eu/about-edito/what-is-the-european-digital-twin-of-the-ocean/