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The AtlantECO GeoNode, available at atlanteco-geonode.eu, is an advanced geospatial web platform that will allow project partners and stakeholders to search for, visualise, download and share the AtlantECO MAPS produced by the project. In addition, it will offer a catalogue to search and download the AtlantECO BASE datasets used to create these maps. This deliverable describes in detail the architecture of the AtlantECO GeoNode as well as the functionalities that it provides and the metrics that can be derived from it. Furthermore, it documents the workflows that we will adopt to populate the GeoNode platform with the AtlantECO MAPS and BASE data products. Finally, it highlights how the AtlantECO GeoNode enables the dissemination of the project's research outputs through the platform itself, to the European Atlas of the Seas and to the European Marine Observation and Data network (EMODnet).

ATLAS has published a total of 462 research outputs in 2016-2020, and an additional 96 are currently in preparation. They consist of scientific articles (9%), data sets (17%), data products such as georeferenced maps (31%), and various “other” outputs (42%) that include project deliverables, cruise reports, presentations and posters (Figure 1). The latter are available at Zenodo, whereas scientific articles were published in peer-reviewed journals. The proportion of research outputs belonging to these four types is consistent with the research life cycle of a scientific consortium, where ideas are communicated and developed among peers through presentations and progress reports, leading to a relatively smaller number of articles that contribute to the wider scientific community. Also consistent with the life cycle of scientific knowledge, data sets and data products were published towards the end of the project, leading to data re-use and increased scientific impact beyond the life-time of the project. Together, data sets and products dominate the overall number of research outputs (48%). The present report provides a synthetic, but exhaustive overview of data sets and data products generated by ATLAS.

29 November 2022 - Final deliverable pending approval Executive summary intended as supporting material to inform Blue-Cloud Final Conference. The Blue-Cloud project has piloted a digital platform and services showcasing how web-based Open Science can enhance the marine knowledge value chain in support of greater societal objectives, namely those seeking to address Ocean challenges and opportunities associated with the delivery of the EU Green Deal and UN Agenda 2030. It has proved how providing researchers with cloud-based analytical tools and computing resources, coupled with access to marine data openly available across different, existing European data services and research infrastructures, can shorten the research-to-innovation cycle, enabling them to harness artificial intelligence (AI) to improve the transformation of marine data to products, progress more efficient modelling of ocean variables, support environmental analytical data services, inspire and accelerate community-driven innovation and collaborate at a global scale. Blue-Cloud has further showcased the specific applications that these improved capabilities can deliver, advancing solutions towards e.g., monitoring biodiversity; predicting changes in ecosystems; producing marine environmental indicators; or managing fisheries and aquaculture. Blue-Cloud Vision 2030 “To contribute to a European cloud-based knowledge system that provides access to a diverse and dynamic portfolio of analytical, prediction & visualisation capabilities underpinned by seamless access to a wealth of FAIR, transdisciplinary Ocean & freshwater observation data, enabling Open Science to deliver knowledge -including hindcast & forecast simulations-, and to drive innovation -notably through artificial intelligence-, science-based policies and public awareness for a safe, healthy and sustainably productive Ocean, in support of the EU Green Deal & UN Agenda 2030”.

Blue-Cloud is the thematic EOSC for the marine domain supporting FAIR and Open Science by developing a web-based environment that will provide scientists & researchers with enhanced analytical capabilities and cloud-computing resources, underpinned by simplified access to a wealth of multidisciplinary and interoperable marine data services. The project builds on existing European marine data infrastructures and e-infrastructures federating their services within the Blue-Cloud framework, enabling researchers to find, access, share, combine and reuse quality data across disciplines and countries. The federation is taking place at the levels of (meta)data resources, computing resources and analytical service resources, driven by collaboration across research, data and e-infrastructures. A Blue-Cloud Data Discovery and Access Service (DDAS) is being developed to facilitate access to multi-disciplinary datasets. A Blue Cloud-Virtual Research Environment (VRE) has been established to enable collaborative research, allowing users to share analytical processes and resulting outputs, including data products and services for specific applications. This innovation potential is explored and unlocked by five real-life demonstrators addressing societal challenges in the domains of genomics, fishery, aquaculture, biodiversity and environment. The demonstrators are showcasing how Blue-Cloud can enhance collaborative research in support of the EU Green Deal and key international initiatives, such as the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development. In addition, Blue-Cloud is developing a Strategic Roadmap to 2030 in collaboration with the wider marine science & research community, as a policy document guiding the evolution of Blue-Cloud into the future aligning with wider developments, such as EOSC and initiatives related to the EU Digital Strategy e.g. the pilot Digital Twin of the Ocean and Destination Earth. The presentation describes the vision and overarching technical framework of Blue-Cloud and the project’s role in supporting EOSC and the uptake of Open Science principles across the marine research community.

The Horizon 2020 Blue-Cloud (B-C) project launched in October 2019, aiming to demonstrate the potential of web-based Open Science in the marine domain. To deliver on this objective, it is piloting the development of a web-based cyber platform that will provide marine scientists with enhanced analytical capabilities. It will facilitate their engagement in collaborative research and will provide them with access to powerful cloud-computing resources, a range of analytical tools and simplified access to multi-disciplinary data from in situ and satellite-derived observations to model outputs. B-C is co-designed by, and builds on, existing European capability, including trusted data services EMODnet, CMEMS and other key research and data infrastructures and e-infrastructures. In the short-term, the project is building this cyber platform by means of a smart federation of selected, multidisciplinary data repositories, analytical tools and computing facilities. The added-value of web-based Open Science will be demonstrated by five specific, multidisciplinary "demonstrators" or use-cases. In the medium- and long-term future, B-C aspires to upscale this cyber platform, its resources, services and applications, together with a thriving community of Open Science service providers and users. B-C will evolve to further align with wider developments at European level to catalyse transformative solutions to priority societal challenges and unravel new opportunities for innovation, in support of the EU Green Deal and UN Agenda 2030. To guide the long-term capitalization and further development of this ambition into the future, the Blue-Cloud Project is producing a roadmap to 2030, which is being developed as a co-designed, community-oriented policy document with substantial stakeholder consultation and input. This document is a first draft Blue-Cloud Roadmap to 2030, that will be further updated and summarised in Spring 2021, ready for public consultation in June 2021. For this reason, this document should not be seen as a preliminary blueprint, but rather as an intermediary step towards gathering input, feedback and insight from the B-C Community towards its evolution and grounding, benefiting from wide stakeholder consultation. Sections 1 and 2 introduce the process followed towards the development of the roadmap, as well as the policy context, opportunities and challenges that motivate the Blue-Cloud's efforts, exploring the emergence of Open Science in the context of the digital age and how it can contribute to support the European Green Deal and the United Nations Agenda 2030 for Sustainable Development. It analyses relevant developments shaping Europe's marine knowledge value chain and reflects on some of the outstanding challenges currently hindering its potential to leverage on Open Science to deliver on the objectives of these policy frameworks. Section 3 describes the added value that Blue-Cloud will bring to this landscape by 2022, and the overarching, strategic objectives guiding its realization. Sections 4 and 5 look deeper into the practical, technological and demonstrative assets that the project will deliver. Section 6 reflects on the community of "early practitioners" of Open Science that is emerging around these efforts in the marine domain, as another key asset into the future. Section 7 reflects on the overarching vision that could guide the future capitalization and further development of these results, as well as strategic, high-level actions towards achieving a shared vision. As the first early draft "roadmap", this document is extensive and does not yet include policy recommendations, which will be the core content of the final roadmap. The final version of the B-C Roadmap to 2030 (see box below) will be more concise, focusing on translating the road ahead in practical terms of policy actions and recommendations, bringing its key messages forward. This current format is used for a better understanding of the Blue-Cloud efforts, inviting feedback and contributions from the B-C Project Consortium, the B-C External Stakeholder Expert Board, the myriad of related projects and initiatives with whom the project is in dialogue, but also from organizations and professionals not yet directly engaged in its efforts, but who could be interested in joining in the future. The policy recommendations for the final B-C Roadmap to 2030 will be drafted from community responses to the public consultation, in particular to the following key questions: How should Blue-Cloud evolve to support a thriving environment for web-based Open Science and Open data in the marine domain? What governance mechanisms are most appropriate and desirable to ensure broad engagement of the marine community and to ensure widely accepted rules of participation? What applications of Open Science in the marine domain could have a higher probability of success, given current availability of data, models and actors willing to engage in collaborative science, across a broad range of topics? Which of such applications should be prioritized towards addressing current user needs and delivering highest societal impact? How should B-C's Open Science environment and services evolve to be fit-for-use not only for scientists, but also for other Open Science users such as policy makers and blue economy SMEs and industry? What needs do these users have that B-C could evolve to address? What incentives can contribute to bring Open Science practitioners on board? How can B-C evolve to further connect with marine data infrastructures and research infrastructures to deliver full interoperability of marine data through the B-C Data Discovery & Access Service, aligning and in collaboration with other international efforts? What actions would be required to enable B-C's Catalogue of analytical methods, algorithms and applications to be deployed in EOSC, but also in other infrastructures -closer to data- or across supercomputing platforms in Europe? How should B-C's assets evolve to align with future EU pilot DTO and DestinE developments?

As part of the EU H2020 Blue-Cloud project activities are undertaken for developing and deploying a Blue-Cloud cyber infrastructure with smart federation of multidisciplinary data repositories, analytical tools, and computing facilities. This infrastructure will facilitate exploration and demonstration of the potential of cloud based open science, supporting research for understanding and better managing the many aspects of ocean sustainability, ranging from sustainable fisheries to ecosystem health to pollution, in support of the EU Green Deal and also in connection with UN Decade of the Oceans and G7 Future of the Oceans initiatives. This document provides an initial version and guidance towards the delivery of a final Blue-Cloud Service Exploitation and Sustainability Plan for the Blue-Cloud assets. While these Blue-Cloud assets are still under development, the process of defining the way forward for their future exploitation after Project end (2022) will benefit from an early consideration and discussion, engaging all Project Partners. Also, additional input from external stakeholder dialogue and consultations as being undertaken in the framework of the Blue-Cloud Roadmap to 2030 development needs to be taken into account. The Roadmap analyses will provide recommendations for the future capitalization and further development of the results of the Blue-Cloud Project in the medium (2025) and long-term (2030). This document is the first release of the Blue-Cloud Service Exploitation and Sustainability Plan and it gives present understanding as well as will serve as guiding framework for further analyses, discussion, and identifying the key elements that will need to be addressed during the remainder of the Project with input and feedback from all Partners. This process should deliver the 2nd and final release of the Blue-Cloud Service Exploitation and Sustainability Plan by July 2022. The goal of the final Blue-Cloud Service Exploitation and Sustainability Plan is at one hand, to define an exploitation model and to secure with partners the operation and exploitation of the Blue-Cloud results in the 3 years following the project end, and on the other hand, to explore and pave the way to longer sustainability, supported by major stakeholders. For the latter there is clear synergy and interaction with the Blue-Cloud Roadmap 2030 development. Moreover, sustainability perspectives will motivate partners to ensure and commit to the planned short-term operation and exploitation. The path to definition of the Blue-Cloud sustainability model is a process founded on 3 main pillars, supported by the project outcomes and research results and obtained with a consortium-wide commitment: Pillar 1: problem/solution fit and vision/solution fit of the Blue-Cloud framework – demonstrating ability to solve needs of target end-users, moving up the MRL (Market Readiness Level) scale to show proof of traction. This pillar is equivalent to MRL 5 and 6 ("open beta with pipeline customers" and "market traction"). Pillar 2: demonstrating customer understanding of Blue-Cloud, gathering evidence of satisfaction through validation scoring and marketing evidence of concrete benefits gained (e.g. testimonials from pilots and their users; subsequently through the open pilot stream). Equivalent to MRL 7 ("proof of satisfaction: both for customers and within the team"). Pillar 3: Proof of scalability with evidence of satisfied market needs and evidence of willingness to cover resources needed for a post-project continuation of services. Equivalent to MRL8 ("proof of scalability") demonstrated through the Blue-Cloud joint exploitation plan. Throughout its duration, Blue-Cloud will seek for demonstration of early market traction, which it will subsequently transform into a business plan. For this purpose, the current workplan of the Blue-Cloud project includes not only scientific and technical developments on the planned Blue-Cloud services, but also extensive activities for marketing and promotion of the Blue-Cloud assets to all major stakeholders, from project partners, targeted users, and potential funders. This includes activities for evaluating the defined MRL through KPIs (Key Performance Indicators) on the market penetration and the fitness of the market model for establishing a stable position, demonstrating incremental growth and anticipated added-values and impacts. Therefore, this initial Blue-Cloud Service Exploitation and Sustainability Plan identifies and describes all elements which are considered relevant. Also, it identifies where further activities are needed to provide firm answers and decisions. The document starts with describing the overall methodology and process that have been followed to prepare this plan, making optimal use of the Horizon Result Booster (HRB) instrument of the EU and provided business consultancy services, while engaging all Blue-Cloud beneficiaries in the process. It continues with sketching the European marine data landscape and the foreseen position of the Blue-Cloud platform and its services. The overall aims and concept are formulated, and a description is given of the planned Blue-Cloud services, the so-called Key Exploitable Results (KER). Next, an initial market analysis is worked out, reporting on the results of a Joint Workshop with Blue-Cloud beneficiaries to draft a Lean Canvas Business Model, and identifying different Blue-Cloud stakeholders and their interest and potential benefits. This is followed by giving an overview of the Marketing Media Mix (MMM), an extensive portfolio of marketing and promotion activities, which is applied in the Blue-Cloud project, since its start, to reach out to potential stakeholders and to make them aware and informed about the Blue-Cloud developments and resulting services and to collect KPIs relevant for the three pillars (see above). The next chapter looks into the organization of management and operation of each of the planned Blue-Cloud services and the associated roles and Intellectual Property Rights (IPR) of beneficiaries. Although this is still premature, since the majority of Blue-Cloud services are under development, whereby the organisation of their exploitation is still to be determined. Next, categories of costs for the exploitation phase are explored, followed by assessing the expected added-values and impacts of the Blue-Cloud services for different stakeholders and considering ways for measuring these as KPIs. Overall, the Blue-Cloud philosophy is not to aim for commercial services, but for public services, which are valued and appreciated by authorities, such as EU and Member States as major stakeholders, in a positive balance. This requires achieving success towards potential users and collecting convincing evidence of usage and impacts (see three pillars above). Aligned with this, another interactive Joint Workshop with all Blue-Cloud beneficiaries was held to brainstorm about these added-values and impacts and ways for monitoring. Finally, a draft is given of the initial exploitation and sustainability strategy and a summary of actions, which need to be deployed in the remaining project period in order to provide further answers and insights. This initial Services Exploitation and Sustainability Plan makes use of a number of already available Blue-Cloud deliverables [1], [2], [3], and [4], and the insights that these provide. Also use is made of the discussions between Blue-Cloud WP6 core partners in their regular WP6 meetings. And a lot of synergy is found in the activities and discussions for formulating a Blue-Cloud Roadmap 2030 with ambitions for the medium and long term, and organising input and engagement from major stakeholders for a future upscaling and funding of the Blue-Cloud services, aiming for a long-term sustainability and expansion of the Blue-Cloud initiative, e.g. by means of a portfolio of EU funded projects and synergies with other projects and initiatives. Complementary, the Blue-Cloud exploitation and sustainability plan is aiming for making arrangements for securing the short term (3 years after the project) with an outlook to the medium term. For that reason, the Blue-Cloud Service Exploitation and Sustainability Plan aims for developing a set of agreements between the respective Blue Cloud operators, in which they will guarantee that each of the Blue-Cloud services will be kept operational and available for use by researchers for at least 3 years after the Blue-Cloud project end, under prevailing conditions. However, currently there are still a number of questions which need to be answered as part of planned project activities. These should give sufficient input for completing the exploitation and sustainability insights and upgrading this initial plan into a final plan, Deliverable D6.5, as planned later near the end of the Blue-Cloud project.

Presentation given at the ATLAS 5th General Assembly onEMODnet: Increasing the long‐termavailability, discovery and impact of H2020ATLAS data for users in Europe, and beyond

Presentation made at the iAtlantic kick-off meeting in Edinburgh, Scotland, June 2019

This presentation was part of the WP8 session, 'Open Science Resources for Stakeholders' during the 4th ATLAS General Assembly.

This paper looks at the marine science-policy landscape and brings together different policy discussions aimed at the development of a European Ocean Observing System, in the context of AtlantOS and how this relates to wider Atlantic and global policy drivers and existing and emerging wider ocean observation coordination. It has a European focus, looking at proposed mechanisms and components for ocean coordination and governance and the potential contribution of existing organizations and initiatives. The report serves as a reference document for, and contribution to, the European Strategy on Atlantic Ocean Observing and international BluePrint for an integrated Atlantic Ocean Observing System.

A report on sustainability issues and long-term implementation plan for IAOOS. National and European plans for long-term implementation (organization, funding, role of the different nations, EU, role and international partners) of the Atlantic observing system will be prepared.

The monograph reviews the recent trends in marine sciences and identifies research priorities that will characterize marine research in Europe in the next decade.

The year 2014 marks the mid-point between the launch of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and the goal of Good Environmental Status (GES) in 2020. Although a lot of progress has been made, the current use of Europe’s seas is not sustainable. In its recent publication called ‘Marine Messages’ (EEA, 2014), the European Environment Agency recommended that “urgent action and protection of the seas and ocean should be top of the EU agenda”. In addition, the European Commission Healthy Oceans – Productive Ecosystems (HOPE) conference declaration1 urged political leaders “…to turn words into action and encourage all stakeholders, including the private sector, to take the measures necessary to deliver “Good Environmental Status” for Europe’s seas and oceans by 2020.” Scientific knowledge is at the heart of successful implementation of the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD), forming a key component of the wider knowledge-base underpinning decision making. However, whilst there has been a high investment in MSFD-relevant research across Europe and at regional and national levels, there remains a significant deficit in the transfer of the knowledge generated through such research to policy makers and wider stakeholders. There is a need for more effective science-policy interfaces that foster knowledge management and stakeholder interaction to harness, communicate, synthesise and evaluate such knowledge to enhance policy decisions. Whilst many structures and initiatives either directly or indirectly support MSFD implementation through knowledge production, knowledge-use and working at the science-policy interface, the European Commission has identified the need for a strategic long-term Science-Policy Interface (SPI) to support implementation of the MSFD. This was addressed in the context of the EU STAGES project 2 (September 2012 – August 2014) which is assessing and recommending ways to improve the structural aspects of transferring knowledge from science to inform policy and decision making in support of MSFD. The aim of this paper is to present a proposal for an effective MSFD SPI with recommendations for step-wise implementation of a SPI that is fit for purpose and that can support MSFD implementation in the long-term. This takes into account stakeholder views and expectations based on an extensive consultation through online surveys, workshops and informal discussions together with assessment of best practice and input of key recommendations from across the STAGES project outputs. Cross-cutting themes for a science-policy interface to support the MSFD The proposal has been developed in the context of five cross-cutting themes that are considered crucial to strengthen the MSFD SPI into the second MSFD cycle and beyond. These include the need for SPI processes that foster bottom-up (science-driven) and top-down (policy-driven) dialogues, the need for relevant and timely interaction with wider stakeholders, and to take into account the geographical scales and cyclical nature of the MSFD implementation process. A summary of cross-cutting themes together with recommendations are presented in Table 1. Further detail is outlined in Section 3 of this report.

A report on sustainability issues and long-term implementation plan for IAOOS. National and European plans for long-term implementation (organization, funding, role of the different nations, EU, role and international partners) of the Atlantic observing system will be prepared.

The Blue-Cloud "Communication, Stakeholders Engagement & Uptake of Blue Cloud VRE & Services" Work Package (WP5) overarching objective is to ensure a consistent and content-rich communication and dissemination of Blue-Cloud results to its relevant stakeholders, by using multiple integrated communication tools, for the roll-out of the Blue-Cloud services and demonstrate impact in the Blue Economy and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). To assure this, an effective and efficient communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement strategy & plan must be defined. This document is the first of two communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement strategy & plans (the second iteration is due by M18, March 2021), with a final report of the overall outcomes of these activities to be delivered by the end of the project (M36, September 2021). The "Communication, Dissemination and Stakeholders Engagement Strategy" of Blue-Cloud is structured around three specific phases that are matching the technical developments of the project. During phase 1 (M1-M14), the main goal is to create awareness about the Blue-Cloud project, its goals, its ambition and the expected services and results that it will deliver. On M14, when a version of the Blue-Cloud demonstrators will be available, the project will start disseminating the Blue-Cloud early results, engaging stakeholders with a twofold purpose: to collect their feedback on the solutions developed and to educate them on the opportunities of the available solutions to stimulate service uptake and further developments. The final phase of the project (M28-M36) will be dedicated to a massive promotion of the project results and to the engagement of potential user communities willing to adopt the developed solutions in the future or willing to be part of the Blue-Cloud framework (e.g. access policies, on boarding procedures for new service providers/users, amongst others). All activities will be performed keeping in mind the variety of stakeholders targeted by Blue-Cloud, spanning from the Blue-Growth area to the ICT sector and science at large, namely data infrastructures & horizontal e-infrastructures, academia & researchers, along with funding bodies, relevant EU projects/initiatives and international organisations. This plan also details the messages that Blue-Cloud will convey to targeted stakeholders, what communication tools and channels, as well as how the overall strategy will be used. The communication, dissemination and stakeholder engagement strategy plan will be continuously aligned with the work from the other Blue-Cloud WPs, and will be adapted due to the dynamic nature of communication and to the rapidly evolving scenario of Blue Growth and e-infrastructures. The implementation of the plan counts with the support of Blue-Cloud partners and it will be monitored through monthly virtual WP meetings. These meetings are organised by the WP leader (Trust-IT) to discuss the activities performed during the last month and brainstorm not only about the next tasks for the following month but also corrective actions that may be necessary. Additional meetings may be schedule at any appropriate time throughout the project duration, if necessary. The success of WP5 is based on the joint and coordinated effort from all Blue-Cloud partners not only on the communication activities but also on the quality of the technical work that will be developed during the project time frame.