MINKE will integrate key European marine metrology research infrastructures, to coordinate their use and development and propose an innovative framework of “quality of oceanographic data” for the different European actors in charge of monitoring and managing the marine ecosystems. MINKE proposes a new vision in the design of marine monitoring networks considering two dimensions of data quality, accuracy and completeness, as the driving components of the quality in data acquisition. This new vision will be framed in a quintuple helix model of innovation, incorporating all the elements involved in the monitoring network design: ● the context (ocean health), identifying the Essential Ocean variables (EOVs) as the key parameters to monitor ● the civil society (NGO, Makers community, Social media and Citizen Science platforms) as the key actors to ensure data completeness ● the academia researching new methods to ensure the accuracy and the global quality of the final products, developing tools for integrating the information of top-qualified oceanographic instruments and low-cost instrumentation. ● the industry improving the performance of the observations with new instrumentation, data-transmission systems and cost-effective technologies ● the governments that provide the legal and socio-economic frameworks to develop the proposed network The present proposal, through the different Integration Activities (Networking, Transnational-Virtual Access and Joint Research), aims to lay the groundwork for creating the necessary synergies among the different involved actors in the quintuple helix model of innovation, creating a new community with complementary capabilities for Ocean & Coastal Observation, that will facilitate the transition towards a blue growth socio-economic system.

The SeaDataNet pan-European infrastructure has been developed by NODCs and major research institutes from 34 countries. Over 100 marine data centres are connected and provide discovery and access to data resources for all European researchers. Moreover, SeaDataNet is a key infrastructure driving several portals of the European Marine Observation and Data network (EMODnet), initiated by EU DG-MARE for Marine Knowledge, MSFD, and Blue Growth. SeaDataNet complements the Copernicus Marine Environmental Monitoring Service (CMEMS), coordinated by EU DG-GROW. However, more effective and convenient access is needed to better support European researchers. The standards, tools and services developed must be reviewed and upgraded to keep pace with demand, such as developments of new sensors, and international and IT standards. Also EMODnet and Copernicus pose extra challenges to boost performance and foster INSPIRE compliance. More data from more data providers must be made available, from European and international research projects and observing programmes. SeaDataCloud aims at considerably advancing SeaDataNet services and increasing their usage, adopting cloud and HPC technology for better performance. More users will be engaged and for longer sessions by including advanced services in a Virtual Research Environment. Researchers will be empowered with a collection of services and tools, tailored to their specific needs, supporting marine research and enabling generation of added-value products. Data concern the wide range of in situ observations and remote sensing data. To have access to the latest cloud technology and facilities, SeaDataNet will cooperate with EUDAT, a network of computing infrastructures that develop and operate a common framework for managing scientific data across Europe. SeaDataCloud will improve services to users and data providers, optimise connecting data centres and streams, and interoperate with other European and international networks.