CAPARDUS is a Coordination and Support Action with focus on capacity-building to develop guidelines, standards and best practices related to exploitation of new technologies and utilization of data to support sustainable development in the Arctic. The capacity-building involve scientists, students, technology providers, economic actors, local communities, regulators and their organisations, who will participate in a series of workshops and research schools. These events will be used as part of case studies in local communities in different regions, showing how the social-environmental systems are changing Arctic communities and what are the drivers for these changes. The climate change and its consequences in the Arctic leads to improved access to the Arctic and its resources, offering new opportunities for communities and for economic development related to exploration of natural resources, tourism, transport, and other industries. This presents extraordinary requirements for planning and decision-making based on scientific and economic data, assessments and predictions. A prerequisite for good planning is access to data and information of relevance to the operators in the Arctic. The project will develop a Comprehensive Framework Model for Arctic Standard and Best Practices as a collaborative effort between scientists, local communities and other stakeholder groups, including economic actors who are interested in business development in the Arctic. Towards the end of the project CAPARDUS will provide a roadmap for implementation of the comprehensive framework for sustainable economic development in the Arctic, to the benefit of both local communities and other operators. CAPARDUS will thereby contribute to EU’s Arctic policy, the Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) and the Paris Agreement.

ConnectinGEO’s primary goal is to link existing coordinated Earth Observation networks with science and technology (S&T) communities, the industry sector and the GEOSS and Copernicus stakeholders. The aim is to facilitate a broader and more accessible knowledge base to support the needs of the GEO Societal Benefit Areas (SBAs) and their users. A broad range of subjects from climate, natural resources and raw materials, to the emerging UN Sustainable Development Goals (SDGs) will be addressed. A tangible outcome of the project will be a prioritized list of critical gaps within the European Union in observations and the models that translate observations into practice-relevant knowledge. The prioritized list will include the research activities required to address these gaps. Ultimately, this will increase coherency of European observation networks, increase the use of Earth observations for assessments and forecasts and inform the planning for future observation systems through a sustainable approach that will survive beyond the end of this project. ConnectinGEO has 4 major objectives: a) Enable a European Network of Earth Observation Networks (ENEON) including space-based, airborne and in-situ observations networks. b) Provide a methodology to convert the knowledge needs into a coherent observation and measurement compendium for ENEON strategy and development. c) Apply the ConnectinGEO methodology to identify and assess the priority of gaps. d) Open the results of the project and exploit them beyond the project end.

CS-MACH1 aims to overcome existing barriers to citizen science empowerment, such as accessibility, recognition, trust, and sharing of marine citizen science data, by establishing and managing a Marine Citizen Science Data Network (MCSDN) of and for citizen science initiatives, community representatives, cost-efficient technology developers, data management experts, and scientists. To support the production of FAIR data and the integration of citizen science data into EU platforms like EMODnet, CS-MACH1 will produce standards, best practices for deployment and data management, observation protocols for using cost-effective devices, and training materials to guide citizen science coordinators in managing their data flow. The value chain of the MCSDN will be demonstrated by addressing local challenges in real-world use-cases, co-designed with end-users and used for beta testing innovations and the proposed data flow. The scientific and societal impacts of the MCSDN will be demonstrated through the validation of Digital Twin Ocean models, policy workshops, and extended dissemination of results to attract and empower a larger number of marine citizen science actors and citizen scientists. A roadmap outlining strategies for a continuous workflow will ensure the sustainability of the project's outcomes and the legacy of the network.

Changes and variability in ocean biogeochemistry are poorly observed despite its profound impacts on ocean ecosystems and associated services, and sensitivity to and for climate. The overall aim of BioGeoSea is to significantly close the research and knowledge gaps on biogeochemical Essential Ocean Variables (BGC EOVs), validate them in-situ and in models, and use them to feed ocean metrics in the form of indicators and data products that reflect their relevance to the society. This aim includes updating EOVs requirements and specifications to enhance their usefulness in providing ocean biogeochemistry indicators, which BioGeoSea will develop and deliver. These indicators will reflect different spatial and temporal scales, and be focused around: 1) ocean acidification; 2) ocean deoxygenation 3) the biological carbon pump; and 4) greenhouse gas fluxes. BioGeoSea will: 1) improve the requirement setting of BGC EOVs; 2) Improve the observational capability of BGC EOVs over a large range of temporal and spatial scales; 3) Provide better representation of biogeochemical processes in models and more accurate predictions; 4) Improve ocean BGC data products that are invaluable to understand complex ocean phenomena; 5) Deliver ocean BGC indicators and engage actively with stakeholders. Key results will be communicated to international networks and entities for endorsement, approval and efficient dissemination of the outcomes. This project will help to better observe and deliver biogeochemical ocean data and information, and ultimately advance our understanding about ocean health and its role in climate regulation. BioGeoSea will demonstrate the importance of long-term observations of the ocean, focusing on BGC EOVs. The quality of information from all BGC EOVs will be improved, and four innovative BGC indicators will be delivered, at a technological readiness level that responds to the needs of an economically viable and healthy society.

The Ocean Data Interoperability Platform project is promoting the development of a common global framework for marine data management by developing interoperability between existing regional e-infrastructures. Through a series of international workshops attracting relevant domain experts a number of prototype interoperability solutions will be developed which will be implemented by the regional data infrastructures to provide users with open access to good quality multidisciplinary data and associated services. Improved access to a range of marine data will facilitate re-use of the data and support researchers in addressing grand challenges such as climate change and conservation of marine resources.