Periodic Reporting for period 3 - MINKE (Metrology for Integrated Marine Management and Knowledge-Transfer Network)
Reporting period: 2024-04-01 to 2025-03-31
Bridging Marine Science and Metrology.
MINKE project has been an important first step in addressing a critical gap in European marine research, successfully bringing together the ocean scientific and metrology communities to open discussions on marine measurements. MINKE integrated 22 organizations across Europe and South America enhancing the collaboration between oceanographic and metrology communities and establishing a coherent, organic framework for defining, acquiring and communicating metrologically significant information for marine measurements via ocean data reporting and exchange networks. MINKE allowed the production of more than 30 scientific publications and organised and participated in over 200 conferences and workshops that facilitated knowledge exchange between previously disconnected communities. In terms of participatory science, the project's community engagement reached more than 1.000 volunteers, demonstrating that participatory science and metrological concepts can be brought together. The Transnational Access program achieved remarkable numbers with a final total budget allocation of €373.247,32 providing access into 16 marine research infrastructures of 26 projects with 23 access across 12 countries, including 8 EU member states, 3 associated countries, and interest from 1 non-European country. Through Virtual Access, MINKE achieved, with MINKA Observatory, over 250.000 species observations from more than 1.200 observers. in the framework of MINKA Citizen science Observatory endorsed under UN Ocean Decade as a project supporting the goals toward 2030. Additionally, the low-cost sensors program delivered 93 sensor units supported by 28 comprehensive training webinars, reaching more of 9.000 days of environmental monitoring. MINKE's lasting scientific contribution includes 15 best practices submitted to the Ocean Best Practices System, specifically addressing uncertainties, calibrations, and measurements for Essential Ocean Variables, ensuring that the project's methodological innovations remain accessible to the global marine research community. The AMRIT EU- funded project could be considered as MINKE's most significant legacy, formally the project recognizing MINKE within the European Marine Research Infrastructure landscape as a thematic multi-platform infrastructure "for setting up an innovative metrology framework to support Essential Ocean Variables observation." MINKE successfully demonstrated that bridging marine science and metrology communities creates essential foundations for improved ocean monitoring and fit-to-purpose data generation, for long-term usability of data and establishing the first systematic integration of metrological principles into marine research infrastructure. However, challenges still remain in sustaining these interdisciplinary collaborations and ensuring long-term continuity of the established networks and methodologies.
MINKE project has been an important first step in addressing a critical gap in European marine research, successfully bringing together the ocean scientific and metrology communities to open discussions on marine measurements. MINKE integrated 22 organizations across Europe and South America enhancing the collaboration between oceanographic and metrology communities and establishing a coherent, organic framework for defining, acquiring and communicating metrologically significant information for marine measurements via ocean data reporting and exchange networks. MINKE allowed the production of more than 30 scientific publications and organised and participated in over 200 conferences and workshops that facilitated knowledge exchange between previously disconnected communities. In terms of participatory science, the project's community engagement reached more than 1.000 volunteers, demonstrating that participatory science and metrological concepts can be brought together. The Transnational Access program achieved remarkable numbers with a final total budget allocation of €373.247,32 providing access into 16 marine research infrastructures of 26 projects with 23 access across 12 countries, including 8 EU member states, 3 associated countries, and interest from 1 non-European country. Through Virtual Access, MINKE achieved, with MINKA Observatory, over 250.000 species observations from more than 1.200 observers. in the framework of MINKA Citizen science Observatory endorsed under UN Ocean Decade as a project supporting the goals toward 2030. Additionally, the low-cost sensors program delivered 93 sensor units supported by 28 comprehensive training webinars, reaching more of 9.000 days of environmental monitoring. MINKE's lasting scientific contribution includes 15 best practices submitted to the Ocean Best Practices System, specifically addressing uncertainties, calibrations, and measurements for Essential Ocean Variables, ensuring that the project's methodological innovations remain accessible to the global marine research community. The AMRIT EU- funded project could be considered as MINKE's most significant legacy, formally the project recognizing MINKE within the European Marine Research Infrastructure landscape as a thematic multi-platform infrastructure "for setting up an innovative metrology framework to support Essential Ocean Variables observation." MINKE successfully demonstrated that bridging marine science and metrology communities creates essential foundations for improved ocean monitoring and fit-to-purpose data generation, for long-term usability of data and establishing the first systematic integration of metrological principles into marine research infrastructure. However, challenges still remain in sustaining these interdisciplinary collaborations and ensuring long-term continuity of the established networks and methodologies.
WP1
-Analyse and map the community dealing with marine metrology in Europe.
-Identify their specific roles and contributions.
-Document user requirements in the total spectrum of marine observations focusing the metrology activities on the societal and regulatory needs expressed at the European level.
WP2
-Start with the organisation and conduction of a workshop aimed at training and capacity-building entitled "Introduction to metrology for young and early career marine scientists".
-Promote the dissemination of the application of metrological principles to oceanographic measurements.
WP3
-Assessing the data that will be collected, managed and shared within the project
-Derive best practice recommendations for ensuring a harmonised access to observation data and its related quality information
WP4
-Stakeholder mapping
-Assessing the nature of stakeholder’s influence/power and interest
-Fostering connection with relevant stakeholders to support the integration and the interoperability between different EU networks and other European RIs and and the standardisation activities.
-Connecting MINKE with the industry/manufacturers community (T4.2) SMEs and NGOs
-Launching and managing the TNA-VA calls to access the research infrastructures.
WP5
-Create the portfolio of TNA/VA installations, describe procedures and teams in charge of access provision
-Develop the General guidelines for the TNA/VA calls.
WP6
-Provide a complete, cost-effective, open sensor solution for coastal monitoring including weather, air quality and water physico-chemical parameters
-Generate provisions that ease the access, operation and calibration of low-cost sensors for environmental measurements by users or communities of users, aiming to conduct experiments in coastal areas
-Provide support to the TNA in the different steps of the experimentation process
-Create a knowledge base for supporting low-cost sensor activities and beneficiaries projects
-Contribute to creating a complete workflow for reproducible experimentation using low-cost sensors, from hardware and software to data
-Promote MINKE within the Fab Lab community and Citizen Science practitioners
WP7
-Develop MINKA as the CS Platform instead of Natusfera.
-Consolidate (with MINKA) the engaging activities in Catalonia and we try to expand to other countries (Italy).
-Use, in joint work with the government of Catalonia, all the data generated to include and elaborate the document “State of nature in Catalonia 23”, focused in explore the possible impacts and the corrective measures to prevent it.
WP8
-Assess the different formats, sampling methods and reporting of marine litter data (which was selected as Essential Ocean Variable, EOV for testing data fusion techniques)
-Explore and define harmonisation metrics for these data, as a fundamental step prior to applying fusion algorithms.
WP9
-Improve the quality of measurement methods for a broad variety of biogeochemical (O2, carbonate, Dissolved Organic Matter), biological (phytoplankton, bioacoustics) EOVs, and contaminants such as PAHs, physical (absolute salinity, currents, underwater noise), obtained from techniques that currently lack clear calibration and quality assessment protocols to achieve the required in-situ data quality.
WP10
-Set the basis for the optimal and transparent project evolution.
-Track the project outcomes (deliverables, milestones and periodic scientific and financial reports) to ensure proper compliance.
-Analyse and map the community dealing with marine metrology in Europe.
-Identify their specific roles and contributions.
-Document user requirements in the total spectrum of marine observations focusing the metrology activities on the societal and regulatory needs expressed at the European level.
WP2
-Start with the organisation and conduction of a workshop aimed at training and capacity-building entitled "Introduction to metrology for young and early career marine scientists".
-Promote the dissemination of the application of metrological principles to oceanographic measurements.
WP3
-Assessing the data that will be collected, managed and shared within the project
-Derive best practice recommendations for ensuring a harmonised access to observation data and its related quality information
WP4
-Stakeholder mapping
-Assessing the nature of stakeholder’s influence/power and interest
-Fostering connection with relevant stakeholders to support the integration and the interoperability between different EU networks and other European RIs and and the standardisation activities.
-Connecting MINKE with the industry/manufacturers community (T4.2) SMEs and NGOs
-Launching and managing the TNA-VA calls to access the research infrastructures.
WP5
-Create the portfolio of TNA/VA installations, describe procedures and teams in charge of access provision
-Develop the General guidelines for the TNA/VA calls.
WP6
-Provide a complete, cost-effective, open sensor solution for coastal monitoring including weather, air quality and water physico-chemical parameters
-Generate provisions that ease the access, operation and calibration of low-cost sensors for environmental measurements by users or communities of users, aiming to conduct experiments in coastal areas
-Provide support to the TNA in the different steps of the experimentation process
-Create a knowledge base for supporting low-cost sensor activities and beneficiaries projects
-Contribute to creating a complete workflow for reproducible experimentation using low-cost sensors, from hardware and software to data
-Promote MINKE within the Fab Lab community and Citizen Science practitioners
WP7
-Develop MINKA as the CS Platform instead of Natusfera.
-Consolidate (with MINKA) the engaging activities in Catalonia and we try to expand to other countries (Italy).
-Use, in joint work with the government of Catalonia, all the data generated to include and elaborate the document “State of nature in Catalonia 23”, focused in explore the possible impacts and the corrective measures to prevent it.
WP8
-Assess the different formats, sampling methods and reporting of marine litter data (which was selected as Essential Ocean Variable, EOV for testing data fusion techniques)
-Explore and define harmonisation metrics for these data, as a fundamental step prior to applying fusion algorithms.
WP9
-Improve the quality of measurement methods for a broad variety of biogeochemical (O2, carbonate, Dissolved Organic Matter), biological (phytoplankton, bioacoustics) EOVs, and contaminants such as PAHs, physical (absolute salinity, currents, underwater noise), obtained from techniques that currently lack clear calibration and quality assessment protocols to achieve the required in-situ data quality.
WP10
-Set the basis for the optimal and transparent project evolution.
-Track the project outcomes (deliverables, milestones and periodic scientific and financial reports) to ensure proper compliance.
The project is gaining community on the different planned areas
In terms of participatory actions the development of the new platform MINKA has opened the possibility to monitor different marine areas. At present in Spain and Italy but it is expected to enlarge the community in wider areas.
Different internation events of communication, dissemination and training are providing the first results to consolidate the marine metrology community.
Thanks to the web page and the social media actions the different research infrastructures involved in the project are gaining visibility both at European and global scale.
In terms of participatory actions the development of the new platform MINKA has opened the possibility to monitor different marine areas. At present in Spain and Italy but it is expected to enlarge the community in wider areas.
Different internation events of communication, dissemination and training are providing the first results to consolidate the marine metrology community.
Thanks to the web page and the social media actions the different research infrastructures involved in the project are gaining visibility both at European and global scale.