DTO-BioFlow

Mission

DTO-BioFlow focuses on unlocking access to previously underused marine biodiversity data and supporting the sustainable integration of both existing and newly generated datasets from different sources. The project contributes to the development of the biological component of the European Digital Twin Ocean through the integration of data flows, models, and algorithms.

Collaboration with Blue-Cloud

Blue-Cloud and DTO-BioFlow share a strong foundation for collaboration, built on complementary activities and a common scientific vision.

A key area of joint work involves improving data flows from EcoTaxa to EurOBIS and EMODnet, alongside the development of biogeographic plankton distribution maps to support global assessments of plankton biodiversity and functional type biomass. These activities, carried out within Blue-Cloud 2026 Workbench 3 (WB3), directly connect with DTO-BioFlow's objectives in biodiversity data integration.

Collaboration opportunities have also been identified around carbon-plankton dynamics, where Blue-Cloud 2026 VLab 3 and DTO-BioFlow's use of VLIZ LifeWatch data products show strong complementarity.

Further links have emerged from work on Ecosystem-level Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), particularly through the development of a generic extrapolation tool for map production. This tool shows significant potential for habitat distribution and abundance mapping - a core activity within DTO-BioFlow.