News

26 march 2024: vacancy consultant OTGA 2 Project Manager

2024-03-26T16:37:55+01:00

The IODE Programme Component, OceanTeacher Global Academy is seeking a consultant for 8 months

Please find the requirements here

This contract would run from 15 April until 15 December 2024.

Deadline to apply is 31st March 2024 Extended till 7 April 2024- contact point: Mr Peter Pissierssens (p.pissierssens@unesco.org) and info@iode.org

19 March 2023: OBIS secretariat now has two experts in eDNA

2024-03-26T16:20:13+01:00

OBIS has a key role in several new projects that use eDNA or aim to further improve this technology for biological monitoring and we are glad to announce that we now have two knowledgeable staff members in our OBIS secretariat who are experts in eDNA: Dr Emilie Boulanger (consultant) and Dr Saara Suominen (project appointment).

Dr Saara Sumominen, after more than 3 years working as a consultant for us with projects like PacMAN and eDNA expeditions, now joined the OBIS secretariat on a project appointment contract basis to help implement 3 Horizon Europe projects (Marco-Bolo, eDNAquaPlan and DTO-BioFlow), coordinate the final scientific report of eDNA expeditions in UNESCO marine world heritage sites, and further develop the capacity to manage eDNA projects at OBIS.

Saara can be reached by email at s.suominen@unesco.org

More information on Saara's background see: https://obis.org/2020/09/15/saara/

Dr Emilie Boulanger joined us as a consultant and will support us with implementing two Horizon Europe projects: Marco-Bolo and eDNAquaPlan. Some of these tasks include (i) reviewing protocols and SOPs utilized for eDNA monitoring, (ii) testing bioinformatic workflows and comparing outputs across marker and taxonomic types, (iii) establish standards for genetic reference libraries and eDNA data repositories, (iv) aligning databases for enhanced interoperability, and (v) addressing the infrastructure and services for aquatic biodiversity monitoring using eDNA.

Emilie has a background in biodiversity conservation and marine molecular ecology. For her PhD at the University of Montpellier, her work focused on applying molecular methods to study the genetic and species diversity of fish populations and communities in the Mediterranean Sea. During her following PostDoc experience at the Aix-Marseille University, she applied her research experience towards teaching as well as developing monitoring projects coupling environmental DNA metabarcoding with direct species observations. She is passionate about the ocean, knowledge dissemination and projects that bridge scientific innovation with environmental conservation and policy.

Emilie can be reached by email at e.boulanger@unesco.org

20/4/2024: Former IODE Chair Dr J.R. (Ron) Wilson passed away

2024-03-20T08:51:48+01:00

We received the news that Dr J.R. Wilson (Ron) has passed away.

Dr J.R. Wilson was Director of the Marine Environmental Data Service of the Canadian Department of Fisheries and Oceans. He was IODE Chair between 1992 and 1996 and chaired the 15th Session of the IODE Committee held in Athens, Greece. Dr Wilson was also GTSPP Project Leader and MEDS hosted the RNODC for drifting buoy data. Many of us remember Ron as a kind and very experienced colleague, always ready to advise and assist.

We offer our condolences to Ron's family.

(picture of the IODE-XV Session with Ron behind the Chairman IODE sign)

22 February 2024: Meeting of the IODE Management Group

2024-02-22T15:21:57+01:00

The IODE management group meeting took place in Oostende, Belgium from 5-7 February 2024. The Summary Report is now available : https://oceanexpert.org/document/33860

background documents and presentations are available on https://oceanexpert.org/event/3991#overview

The following items were discussed during this 2.5 days meeting: the action points of the XVII meeting, the status of the IODE network , the restructuring of the IODE elements , the IODE Quality Management Framework, the different Programme elements achievements in the past year , the collaboration with other entities, IODE role in the UN Decade and new possible initiatives to come.

09 February 2024: Individual consultant ‘Stakeholder Engagement and Community Integration’ for the Marco Bolo project

2024-02-09T15:16:25+01:00

OBIS is taking part in an EU-funded project, MARCO-BOLO (MARine COastal BiOdiversity Long-term Observations) which aims to structure and strengthen European coastal and marine biodiversity observation capabilities.

The main objective is to enable a digital framework for coastal and marine biodiversity data streams and data access. This will be done by building on international standards and approaches to establish the biological component of the marine
and coastal Earth observation Infrastructure in Europe. One of Marco-Bolo’s main aims is a more effective knowledge transfer and uptake of data and information products through the establishment of a stakeholder community and close engagement through co-design/co-creation workshops.

UNESCO-IOC is seeking an individual consultant to assist with the coordination of the Marco- Bolo project and more specifically the work related to Work Package 6 “Stakeholder Engagement and Community Integration”.

more information: HERE

Deadline to apply: 23 February 2024 (23: 59 CET)

contract start: 7 March 2024 - 75 %

09 February 2024: CALL EXTENDED

2024-01-29T16:38:06+01:00

The IODE/Ocean Infohub project is seeking a ODIS consultant for 3 months.

More information: HERE

Deadline to apply: 9 February 2024 (23: 59 CET) EXTENDED 16 February 2024

24 January 2024: Training course for the IODE Quality Management System Esentials for NODCs and ADUs

2024-01-24T12:55:54+01:00

The OceanTeacher Global Academy hosted a training course for the IODE Quality Management System Essentials for NODCs and ADUs from 16-18 January 2024. This course introduced the development, implementation and management of a Quality Management System which will assist in the adoption of comprehensive management practices and increased confidence in the quality of their data, products and services.

The IODE Quality Management Framework supports the IODE global network of National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODC) and Associate Data Units (ADU) that provides data and services to support the data access requirements of all IOC programme areas as well as to the wider community. As part of the IODE Quality Management Framework, NODCs and ADUs are encouraged to implement a quality management system and apply for accreditation.

The course was attended by 15 participants representing NODCs and ADUs from 11 member States with lecturers from Australia, United Kingdom, Ireland and Norway.

19 October 2023: OTGA self-paced learning

2023-10-19T10:03:01+02:00

The OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA) is a long-term action that supports the IOC International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Programme and other IOC global and regional initiatives in delivering training and collaborative developing human capacity and skills. OTGA is now delivering a series of self-paced training courses on different topics related to ocean science and data management, which are open and freely available to participants around the world. These self-taught courses include reading material, presentations, references, and exercises designed by Ocean Experts to help learners assess their own learning at their own pace.

The following self-paced training courses are currently available in OTGA e-learning platform:

IOC/OTGA/PacMAN_eDNA: Marine Invasive Species Early Detection: Utilising Molecular Tools
IOC/OTGA/OIH: Implementing the Ocean Data and Information System (ODIS) architecture
IOC/OTGA/OBIS: Contributing and publishing datasets to OBIS
IOC/OTGA/OL: Ocean Literacy self paced training courses
IOC/OTGA/RTC Colombia: The Ocean we want
IOC/OTGA: Biological Data Management

More information on the IODE learning page

12 September 2023: National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK) joins the OBIS Network

2023-09-12T09:40:33+02:00

The National Marine Biodiversity Institute of Korea (MABIK) recently joined the OBIS network and will serve as the national OBIS node for the Republic of Korea (KOBIS).

MABIK was established in 2015 as the national agency responsible for developing the marine economy and creating value using marine bio resources. The overall aim of MABIK is to turn marine biological resources into national assets, contributing to the advancement of marine research, economy, and education.

Amongst other activities, MABIK runs the:

(i) Marine Bio-Resource Information System (MBRIS) which is a spatial information system to manage species occurrence data.
(ii) Marine Genome Information System, which offers genome information on marine organisms.

MABIK joined IODE as an Associate Data Unit and will host the Korean OBIS node (KOBIS). MABIK will share and publish marine biodiversity information from around the Korean Peninsula with OBIS.

KOBIS Node Manager: Dr Yong-Rock AN, Director, MABIK (https://oceanexpert.org/expert/61821)

KOBIS Node page: To be attributed soon.

23 June 2023: new IODE training coordinator

2023-06-23T13:20:29+02:00

We are glad to announce that Ms Ana Carolina Mazzuco (Brazil) joined the IOC Project office for IODE (Belgium) and will be responsible for the activities of the IOC and its IODE capacity development programme.

Ana Carolina will be supporting the network of OTGA training centers, which aim to enhance the capacity of countries to research, observe, and provide services towards a more sustainable ocean, using the OTGA internet-based training platform that supports classroom training, blended training, and online (distance) learning.

Ana Carolina is an ocean scientist with a B.Sc. in Biology and Coastal Management, a M.Sc. in Marine Biology, and a PhD in Oceanography. She has been dedicated to understanding changes in seascapes and marine biodiversity, and in the last years, focused on the contributions of long-term marine sites to ocean observation and conservation of marine life.

23 June 2023: IODE at the 32nd session of the IOC Assembly

2023-06-23T09:42:06+02:00

The Revision of the IOC Oceanographic Data Exchange Policy will be discussed at the IOC assembly on Monday 26 June 2023.

For several of our projects there is a demonstration booth in Room III (near room II where the assembly takes place).

You can visit and ask your questions.