In 1843 professor Pierre-Joseph van Beneden from Leuven installed the world’s very first marine research station in Ostend. In doing so the Belgian professor was ahead of his time and of a wave of similar stations elsewhere in Europe and the world, and would lay the foundation of a long tradition of marine institutes in Ostend. A meticulous study of historical source material now also shows the exact location of this Belgian world first, which has since disappeared. This fact is celebrated on 25 June with the unveiling of a commemorative plaque at the façade of VLIZ and some explanation on the occasion of the launch of the ‘Zeekrant 2010’ newsletter.
It is a well-kept secret, but Belgium can be proud of having founded the very first marine research station in the world. It was professor Pierre-Joseph van Beneden (1809-1894) from Leuven who built a modest laboratory with private means on the east bank of the port of Ostend in 1843. This “laboratoire des Dunes”, which was located on the grounds of the Valcke-Deknuyt oyster farm and belonged to his in-laws, would be the scene of a great deal of marine biological research and the reception of various renowned Belgian and foreign researchers over the following decades. Here, Van Beneden would also lay the foundation for his pioneering research on (fish) parasites and on the animal life of the Belgian coast. Near the Ostend fish market, hundreds of fishing vessels and dozens of oyster tanks (“huîtrières”) always ensured him of the supply of sufficiently fresh study material.read more
The Government of Angola has nominated Dr Bomba Bazika Sangolay of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaçao Pequeira (INIP) as IODE national coordinator for oceanographic data management and IODE national coordinator for marine information management. More information on Dr Sangola can be found HERE
El Salvador has nominated Ing. Francisco José Gavidia Medina (Servicio Oceanográfico Nacional) as IODE National Coordinator for Oceanographic Data Management. More information on Mr Gavidia Medina is available HERE.
The OceanTeacher Academy Course "Introduction to Marine Data for Young Scientists" will be held at the IOC Project Office for IODE in Oostende, Belgium between 6-10 September 2010. We are now inviting applications. This course is NOT intended for staff of data centres but rather for young scientists who are not familiar with ocean data management as carried out in your data centre. Through this course we wish to familiarize scientists with data management and demonstrate its importance.
The deadline for applications is 18 June 2010. Applications can be sent to This email address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it.
They should be accompanied by a CV, letter of motivation and letter of recommendation by the employer. More info HERE
The Kingdom of Thailand has nominated Dr Somkiat Khokkiattiwong as IODE National Coordinator for Oceanographic Data
Management and IODE National Coordinator for Marine Information
Management. We are pleased to welcome Thailand to the IODE family and we
look forward to the establishment of an NODC. More info on Dr Khokiattiwong HERE
The Twenty-First Session of the IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE-XXI) will be held between 23 and 26 March 2011 at the "Palais des Congrès" in Liège. (see more information HERE ).
The formal Letter of Invitation will be sent out in June 2010 to all IOC Member States.
Just prior to the Session, a celebratory Conference to commemorate the 50th anniversary of IODE will be organized at the Academic Hall of the University of Liège, Belgium. (see more information HERE ).
The Report of the Second Session of the JCOMM/IODE Expert Team on Data Management Practices (ETDMP) is now available. The meeting was held between 6-7 April 2010 at the IOC Project Office for IODE, Oostende, Belgium. The meeting discussed the proposed ETDMP work structure and organization. The ETDMP will be composed of 3 task teams: (i) TT for Ocean Data Standards; (ii) TT for Metadata; and (iii) TT for ODP. The meeting then discussed the work plan for each of the Task Teams.
The Government of Angola has nominated Dr Bomba Bazika Sangolay of the Instituto Nacional de Investigaçao Pequeira (INIP) as IODE national coordinator for oceanographic data management and IODE national coordinator for marine information management. More information on Dr Sangola can be found 
El Salvador has nominated Ing. Francisco José Gavidia Medina (Servicio Oceanográfico Nacional) as IODE National Coordinator for Oceanographic Data Management. More information on Mr Gavidia Medina is available 
The OceanTeacher Academy Course "Introduction to Marine Data for Young Scientists" will be held at the IOC Project Office for IODE in Oostende, Belgium between 6-10 September 2010. We are now inviting applications. This course is NOT intended for staff of data centres but rather for young scientists who are not familiar with ocean data management as carried out in your data centre. Through this course we wish to familiarize scientists with data management and demonstrate its importance. 
The Twenty-First Session of the IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE-XXI) will be held between 23 and 26 March 2011 at the "Palais des Congrès" in Liège. (see more information 