eCUDO.pl – quick access to oceanographic data - PGI

dsm en In December 2022, the eCUDO.pl oceanographic data portal was launched. Thanks to this, users can search the repository containing information on over 7 million different types of oceanographic data in one place, free of charge, without having to log in.

The data includes, among others, data describing the physical parameters of the sea, e.g. waves, sea level, optics, as well as atmospheric factors, e.g. cloud cover, solar radiation and complex atmospheric and oceanic mathematical models. Data on the state of the environment, chemistry or biological data, e.g. on fauna, flora or primary production, are also available. Data on the geology and geochemistry of the seabed and changes of the coastal ribbon could not be missing either. In general, the portal collects information on the situation under the seabed, on the bottom, in the water column, on the sea surface, coast and in the atmosphere above the sea, providing access to the entire spectrum of information in the field of broadly understood oceanography.

In connection with obtaining the functionality of the portal, consultation and training meetings with project stakeholders took place in the period from September to December 2022. After Szczecin, Słupsk, Gdynia and Wielimów near Ostróda, the project implementers met with its recipients in Warsaw. On December 13, 2022, the last consultation and training meeting of the project "Oceanographic Data and Information System eCUDO.pl" took place at the Geological Museum of the PGI-NRI.

Meeting with stakeholders in the hall of the Geological Museum of the PGI-NRI

The eCUDO.pl project is created by a consortium of Project partners: Institute of Oceanology of the Polish Academy of Sciences (consortium leader), Maritime Institute of the Gdynia Maritime University, Marine Fisheries Institute - National Research Institute, Polish Geological Institute - National Research Institute, University of Gdańsk, University of Szczecin, Pomeranian University in Slupsk. These are units whose scientific activity focuses on the area of knowledge about seas and oceans.

The project is co-financed by the European Union through European Regional Development Fund, Digital Poland Operational Program, II Priority Axis E-admin No POPC.02.03.01-00-0062/18-00.

In the course of scientific activity, partner institutions have collected a huge amount of data. The genesis of the project was the desire to make these resources available to a wide range of interested parties, not only those from the scientific and industrial sectors, but also ordinary citizens interested in oceanographic topics. The effect of this idea is a prepared database, covering the widest possible spectrum of information on the environment of the Baltic Sea and other marine areas.

The purpose of the meeting was to present the possibilities of the eCUDO.pl system and to discuss the broadly understood data management and the possibilities of their use. The meeting, apart from the project implementers, was attended by representatives of: the Ministry of Infrastructure, the Ministry of Climate and Environment, the Ministry of Agriculture and Rural Development, the Digital Poland Project Center and the Central IT Center of the Digital Poland Operational Program, the General Inspectorate for Environmental Protection, the Institute of Meteorology and Water Management - National Research Institute, Hydrographic Office of the Navy, University of Szczecin, Open Science Platform Team of the University of Warsaw, Słowiński National Park as well as the Baltic Power Sp. z o. o. project.

During the meeting, the project implementers talked about the construction of the system and the data search mechanisms. The possibility of searching and browsing data on the project portal https://odis.ecudo.pl was demonstrated live. Thanks to the programming interface - API implemented and made available in the project, it is possible to effectively search and download the necessary data. This is particularly important due to the huge number (over 7 million) of metadata records stored in eCUDO.pl.

Illustration of a fragment of the published API of the eCUDO.pl project

It is also worth noting that the project achieved the level of openness of the collected data at the level of 5 stars - "5 Star Linked Data".

Each of the partner institutions presented resources that are a unique component of the eCUDO.pl system. In addition, two discussion panels were held. The first of them was entitled "How access to data and knowledge affects the economic system and the development opportunities of society." The second concerned the directions of development of data management systems - problems, opportunities and challenges. They became an opportunity to discuss topics related to the possibilities of effective use of increasingly available research data, such as oceanological and geological data.

A guided tour of the Geological Museum of the PGI-NRI was an additional attraction for the participants.