The third edition of the Digital Ocean Forum (DOF) was held in Brussels (Belgium) on 12-13 June 2024. A flagship event for the European Digital Twin of the Ocean, DOF 2024 gathered over 200 participants from the marine science community, the European Commission, national governments and other stakeholders to unveil the pre-operational European Digital Twin Ocean core infrastructure (EDITO), its capabilities, applications, long-term perspectives and collect feedback and requirements to establish priorities for future development.
The first day started with a Scientific & Technical Workshop, a vibrant networking session attended by representatives of more than 60 EU research projects and digital twinning initiatives, setting the stage for collaboration. Key speakers from the European Commission, EDITO team and national and EU research projects provided opening remarks, followed by diverse and interactive sessions throughout the day.
Day 2 opened up with a High-Level Public Event, showcasing the European DTO to a wider audience. Highlights included High-Level Interventions, a compelling video titled "European Digital Twin Ocean: A game changer for policymakers, coastal communities & society" that showcased real-world environmental challenges faced by coastal communities and how the DTO will provide data-driven solutions, and the highly anticipated reveal of the European DTO Prototype.
During Day 2, Sara Pittonet Gaiarin – Blue-Cloud 2026 project coordinator – gave a live demo during the High-Level Event, of how Blue-Cloud Zoo and Phytoplankton EOV demonstrator was used by a team of researchers during the Blue-Cloud Hackathon 2022 to develop an application for the real time assessment of marine megafauna in Marine Protected Areas in the North Atlantic. Her presentation, titled "Unraveling Marine Food Webs: Supporting marine biodiversity conservation through Advanced Data Analysis" is now available to watch on YouTube.
Watch the recording
The forum concluded with discussions on the long-term vision for the European DTO. Key topics included:
- Involvement of Early Career Ocean Professionals and Citizen Initiatives
- Societal and Ethical Considerations
- What Will the Future Look Like? Forward-looking presentations on the EU DTO's potential impact on marine science, policy, and community engagement.
