The IOC of UNESCO:Building knowledge and capacity for sustainable ocean management

1. International Oceanographic Data
and Information Exchange
(IODE)
By Peter Pissierssens, IODE Programme Coordinator

2. The IOC of UNESCO:
Building knowledge and capacity for sustainable
ocean management
 Established in 1960
 Only intergovernmental organization mandated to
promote marine science in all ocean basins
 Science, services, observations, data exchange and
capacity development
 Foster sustainable development of the marine
environment

3. IOC Within UN
 Focal point for ocean observations, science, services
and data exchange
 Competent international organization for marine
science (UNCLOS)
 Functional autonomy

4. IOC of UNESCO
4 high level objectives:
 Preventing and reducing impacts of
natural marine hazards
 Mitigating impacts and adapting to
climate change
 Safeguarding health of ocean ecosystems
 Promoting policies for sustainability

5. From vision to execution

6. Major IOC Programmes
Global Ocean Observing System. GOOS is a
permanent global system for observations,
modelling and analysis of marine and ocean
variables to support operational ocean services
worldwide. (and JCOMM)
International Oceanographic Data and
Information Exchange. IODE facilitates the
exchange of oceanographic data and information
between participating Member States, and
serves the needs of users for data and
information products.

7. Major IOC Programmes (2)
Ocean Biogeographic Information System. OBIS is
world's largest and unique global online open-
access database on the diversity, distribution and
abundance of all marine life. It provides an
important baseline, against which future change
can be measured, and is used around the globe for
planning ocean conservation policies, identifying
biodiversity hotspots and global trends in species
distributions.

8. Major IOC Programmes (3)
Marine Spatial Planning. This IOC initiative aims to help
countries operationalize ecosystem-based management by
finding space for biodiversity conservation and sustainable
economic development in marine environments.
Harmful Algal Bloom. The HAB programme aims to foster the
effective management of, and scientific research on, harmful
algal blooms in order to understand their causes, predict their
occurrences, and mitigate their effects.
ICAM: Integrated Coastal Area Management
Coral Reef Monitoring Network
Global Marine Assessment

9.  The IOC Tsunami Programme aims at
reducing the loss of lives and livelihoods
that could be produced worldwide by
tsunamis. In order to accomplish this, the
IOC Tsunami Unit supports IOC Member
States in assessing tsunami risk,
implementing Tsunami Early Warning
Systems and in educating communities at
risk about preparedness measures.
Major IOC Programmes (4)

10. IODE within IOC
 1960: requirement for a structure to co-ordinate
international oceanographic data exchange
 IOC-I, 1961: Working Group on Exchange of
Oceanographic Data established:
 the facilitating of exchange of oceanographic data, the
standardization of forms for reporting and coding data,
the encouragement of the preparation of data
catalogues, and the assistance of development of
national oceanographic data centres

11. 1. To facilitate and promote the discovery, exchange of, and access to, marine
data and information including metadata, products and information in real-
time, near real time and delayed mode, through the use of international
standards, and in compliance with the IOC Oceanographic Data Exchange
Policy for the ocean research and observation community and other
stakeholders;
2. To encourage the long term archival, preservation, documentation,
management and services of all marine data, data products, and information;
3. To develop or use existing best practices for the discovery, management,
exchange of, and access to marine data and information, including
international standards, quality control and appropriate information
technology;
4. To assist Member States to acquire the necessary capacity to manage marine
research and observation data and information and become partners in the
IODE network;
5. To support international scientific and operational marine programmes,
including the Framework for Ocean Observing for the benefit of a wide range
of users.
IODE Objectives (2013)

12. NATIONAL
 IODE Associate Data Units (ADU) (>2013)
 IODE National Oceanographic Data Centre
 IODE national coordinator for data management
 Marine Libraries
 IODE national coordinator for marine information management
 OBIS nodes (>2010)
REGIONAL
 Ocean Data and Information Network (ODIN)
 IODE regional coordinators
 OBIS nodes (>2010)
GLOBAL
 World Data System (ICSU): World Data Centres Oceanography
Building blocks

13. NODCs 1961

14. NODCs 2013

15. Foundation: Data Policy (2003)
Clause 1: Member States shall
provide timely, free and
unrestricted access to all data,
associated metadata and
products generated under the
auspices of IOC programmes..

16.  To facilitate and promote the discovery, exchange of, and access to,
marine data and information including metadata, products and
information in real-time, near real time and delayed mode, through the
use of international standards, and in compliance with the IOC
Oceanographic Data Exchange Policy for the ocean research and
observation community and other stakeholders;
 Global projects: ASFA, IODE Ocean Data Portal, OBIS,
OceanData Standards and best practices, GODAR, GOSUD,
GTSPP, OceanDocs, OceanExpert, …
Objectives – activities (1)

17.  To encourage the long term archival, preservation,
documentation, management and services of all
marine data, data products, and information;
 World Ocean Database, OceanDocs, GOSUD, OBIS, Data
citation project, ICAN,…
Objectives – activities (2)

18.  To develop or use existing best practices for the
discovery, management, exchange of, and access to
marine data and information, including international
standards, quality control and appropriate
information technology;
 Ocean Data Standards and Best Practices project, IODE
Manuals and Guides, OceanTeacher Digital Library,…
Objectives – activities (3)

19.  To assist Member States to acquire the necessary
capacity to manage marine research and observation
data and information and become partners in the
IODE network;
 Ocean Data and Information Networks (ODINs),
OceanTeacher & OceanTeacher Global Academy
Objectives – activities (4)

20.  Cornerstone of the IODE since the programme’s start
in 1961
 assist Member States to acquire the necessary
capacity to manage marine data and information and
become partners in the IODE network
 teach the principles of data and information
management and also promote the use of
"standards" amongst all IODE centres and thus
achieve interoperability amongst centres.
IODE and Training

21. NO formal academic degrees or even curricula in
oceanographic data management and library
management
Data managers start as either (ocean) researchers or
IT specialist
Data and information managers still need to acquire
the knowledge, expertise and experience on the job
Why?

22. 1997-2008
1997: IODE Resource Kit (CD Rom
based: marine and data
management material, software,
training manuals, etc) (Mombasa)
2001: OceanTeacher
Comprehensive self-training and
resource tool – web-based – for
newly established NODCs, and to
assist managers and staff
members to acquire the skills to
set up new IODE centres

23. OceanTeacher Academy
Objectives (funded 2009 – 2013)
 Building high quality and up-to-date expertise in
oceanographic data and information management and
exchange in new NODCs, , marine information centres
and related facilities;
 Keeping staff in existing NODCs, marine information
centres and related facilities up-to-date with the latest
methodological and technical developments (continuous
professional development);
• Creating awareness for the importance of oceanographic data management and marine
information management with university students (marine environmental studies) to ensure that
they will contribute quality data to data centres during their future career;
• Creating awareness for the importance of oceanographic data management with experts in
oceanography and related disciplines.

24. OceanTeacher Architecture
http://www.oceanteacher.org
• Web-based training system that supports:
• Classroom training (face-to-face)
• Blended training, online tutoring
• online self-learning.
• Contents freely
and openly available
(Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-NoDerivs 3.0 Unported License)

25. Courses
Over 40 courses

26. Course Management System
(Moodle)

27. Digital Library (wiki)

28. Lecture Video Recordings
Storage and access through Vimeo.com

29. Training Centre Oostende
• Est. 2005
• IODE Secretariat
• International Training Centre
• International Conference Centre
• Host for IOC/IODE data and information
services (Data/information hub)
• Expert Centre
• ~15 events/year
• Support from Flanders Government
• Close cooperation with Flanders Marine
Institute (VLIZ)

30. OceanTeacher in numbers
• 2009-2012:
• > 700 onsite students
• ~120 countries
• 8 courses/year
0
1
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
9
2009 2010 2011 2012 2013
Courses 2009-2013
0
50
100
150
200
250
2009 2010 2011 2012
180
155
203
177
IODE trainees
0
200
400
600
800
1000
2009 2010 2011 2012
663
953 908
736
Trainee person days

31. OceanTeacher Academy
Gender Balance
• Applications from women are
strongly encouraged
• Lack of gender balance between
courses addressing MIM vs DM
0% 20% 40% 60% 80% 100%
Marine Information
Management
Data Management
Male
Female
Gender Balance: MIM vs DM
Male
Female

32.  RTCs will first of all serve regional needs:
self-determined, self-driven
 RTCs will first of all make use of local expertise
 RTCs can cover all thematic areas within the mandate of IOC (not
limited to IODE)
 RTCs will coordinate their work through a Steering Group involving
all RTCs
 RTCs will be able to provide courses in regionally relevant
language(s)
 RTCs will be able to share courses and invite lecturers across regions
using video conferencing
 RTCs will all use the OceanTeacher Learning Management System
(courses and digital library)
Next step: Regional Training Centres

33.  Oostende, Belgium
 Mombasa, Kenya
 Maputo, Mozambique
 Dakar, Senegal
 Hyderabad, India
 Buenos Aires, Argentina
 ??, Colombia
 ??, China
 ??, Malaysia
Candidates