From 14-25 June, the Assembly of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO held its 31st Session (virtually). IOC’s 150 Member States took stock of progress in global ocean research and the implementation of the Ocean Decade, setting IOC forward on a new medium-term strategic framework.

New open access ocean data and information repository available for the global ocean science community.

The International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO was established in 1961. Its purpose is to enhance marine research, exploitation and development, by facilitating the exchange of oceanographic data and information between participating Member States, and by meeting the needs of users for data and information products.

Around 500 ocean observations and data management experts gathered virtually on 18-30 September 2020 to review the Ocean Best Practices System (OBPS) and formulate recommendations for its enhancement.

The International Ocean Data Conference 2022 – The Data We Need for the Ocean We Want - will be held in Sopot, Poland, between 14-16 February 2022 as a hybrid event.

At the International Ocean Data Conference held on 14-16 February 2022 in Poland, attendees agreed on the need to establish a global ocean digital ecosystem to share and disseminate data and information that will contribute to the objectives of the UN Ocean Decade and beyond. The Conference highlighted the importance of increased efforts in standardization, best practices, interoperability, and networking to achieve this goal.

Corporate author: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission

Year of publication: 2022

Type of document: Information Document 

French, Spanish, Russian versions available soon

On the occasion of World Hydrography Day, The Nippon Foundation-GEBCO Seabed 2030 Project, which aims to facilitate the complete mapping of the global ocean floor by 2030, has announced the inclusion of 14.5 million square kilometres of new bathymetric data in the latest GEBCO Grid. Nearly a fifth of the world’s entire ocean floor has now been mapped, with the new data equating to an area twice the size of Australia.

Paris, 14 December - Lack of funding is hampering the development and implementation of marine research and its valuable applications, according to the Second Global Ocean Science Report, published by UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), ahead of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Sciences for Sustainable Development (2021-2030).

Greater understanding of the ocean is essential if the world is to recover better from the COVID-19 pandemic and achieve agreed targets on sustainable development and climate action, UN Secretary-General António Guterres said on Wednesday in launching a major study on what he called “the life support system of our planet.”