February 12thFebruary 13th

European Digital Ocean Systems

Shaping the future of the Copernicus Marine Service & the European Digital Twin Ocean

By invitation only

Mercator Ocean International and BSH, the German Federal Maritime and Hydrographic Agency, are organising a workshop to address the European Digital Ocean Systems Evolution 2028–2034, to be held on 12–13 February 2026 at BSH in Hamburg, Germany.
Organised in collaboration with the EMODnet Secretariat, this event will offer a forum for our marine and digital community to begin co-designing the future of the European infrastructure for Digital Ocean Systems, understood as a coherent ecosystem of capabilities, services, interfaces and governance frameworks, including the Copernicus Marine Service and the EU Digital Twin Ocean in view of the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework. 


CONTEXT

The workshop will focus not on internal technical architectures but on how Europe’s Digital Ocean Systems interact with their broader ecosystem, including national and downstream applications, services and users, upstream observations and data inputs, science and technology innovation, and European Commission governance and policy frameworks.

Over 1.5 days, participants will explore how Copernicus Marine and Digital Ocean Systems can evolve using the European Digital Twin Ocean infrastructure, identify the services this infrastructure should deliver, and clarify how different components of the European ecosystem can contribute according to their roles. Targeting EU Ocean Pact priorities, discussions will cover observation needs, innovative ocean modelling, and artificial intelligence to improve information accessibility, stronger links between local, national, and global applications, enhanced engagement at the science–policy interface, and governance expectations within the 2028–2034 Multiannual Financial Framework.
The objective is to produce a shared functional cartography of Europe’s Digital Ocean Systems, describing the system through its inputs, outputs, interfaces and innovation dynamics. This cartography will clarify where and how stakeholders can act, collaborate and add value, and will help define strategic directions and priority actions to inform future programme design, coordination mechanisms and investment choices to support Europe’s digital ocean capabilities and the EU Ocean Pact. 

 Attendance at the workshop is by invitation only.

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