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.

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.

GOOS Observations Coordination Group launches a new Ocean Observing System Report Card and introduces the rebranding of OceanOPS (previously JCOMMOPS) along with its first-ever 5-year Strategic Plan (2021-2025), phased with the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (“Ocean Decade”).

A Data Rescue Working Group will be established under the auspices of UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission and its network Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) to strengthen international cooperation in rescue of historical sea level data.

On 12 October 2020, the IOC held a second international workshop on data sharing in the context of the UN Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development (2021-2030, the “Ocean Decade” for short). The aim of this session was to provide global and regional organisations, programmes and projects, NGOs and the private sector with the opportunity to join the global discussion on how to leverage the potential of the Ocean Decade to improve ocean data sharing worldwide.

The world’s leading organizations for ocean and climate sciences, UNESCO’s Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) and the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) marked this year’s World Oceans Day (8 June) with a celebration of twenty years of partnership delivering innovative and impactful solutions in operational oceanography and marine meteorology.