Blue-Cloud: Demonstrating the potential of Open Science for the ocean through a thematic EOSC

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.