EMSO implementation and operation: DEVelopment of instrument module

Project Information

EMSODEV

Grant agreement ID: 676555

DOI

10.3030/676555

Project closed

EC signature date 6 July 2015

Start date 1 September 2015

End date 31 August 2019

Funded under

• EXCELLENT SCIENCE - Research Infrastructures

Total cost

€ 4 529 864,98

EU contribution

€ 4 298 602,00

Coordinated by

ISTITUTO NAZIONALE DI GEOFISICA E VULCANOLOGIA
Italy

Periodic Reporting for period 3 - EMSODEV (EMSO implementation and operation: DEVelopment of instrument module)

Reporting period: 2019-03-01 to 2019-08-31

Summary of the context and overall objectives of the project

EMSO ERIC provides power, communications, sensors and data infrastructure for continuous, high-resolution, (near)real-time, interactive ocean observations across a multidisciplinary and interdisciplinary range of research areas including biology, geology, chemistry, physics, engineering and computer science, from polar to subtropical environments, through the water column to the abyss. Coordination among the 11 EMSO ERIC Regional Facilities (RFs) (8 deep sea and 3 shallow test sites) has been strengthened through the EMSODEV project, which has designed and produced three EMSO Generic Instrument Modules (EGIMs).
The EMSODEV general objective was to catalyse the full implementation and operation of the EMSO ERIC distributed Research Infrastructure (RI) through the development, testing and deployment of EGIMs. These modules provide accurate, consistent, comparable and long-term measurements of Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), which are key to addressing urgent societal and scientific challenges, such as climate change, ocean ecosystem disturbance, and marine hazards. This results in the increased interoperability of EMSO ERIC nodes due to the harmonized collection of EOV time series.
The specific objectives of EMSODEV were to:
(1) Design and implement a state-of-the-art, standardized multidisciplinary EGIM
(2) Fully test, calibrate, validate and assess the effectiveness of this innovative module
(3) Use the Big Ocean Data produced by the harmonized instrument module as a catalyst to strengthen the data management and delivery backbone of the EMSO RI
(4) Promote the uptake of the project results and public-private partnerships, establishing links with industry and SMEs for technology transfer and future RDI activities.

Work performed from the beginning of the project to the end of the period covered by the report and main results achieved so far

EMSODEV realized an EGIM prototype followed by two replicas. The EGIMs constitute a significant step beyond standardised and interoperable monitoring systems at the EMSO ERIC RFs. A Data Management Platform (DMP) and related tools (SMD-Sensor Monitor Dashboard and MOODA-Module for Ocean Observatory Data Analysis) were fully implemented. A Joint Ownership Management Agreement (JOMA) was agreed and is currently being signed by the relevant EMSODEV partners. This is a first step in passing the ownership and the legacy of EMSODEV to the EMSO ERIC. EGIM technical specifications defined and a prototype built accordingly. Then was lab tested and shallow-water successfully tested at OBSEA for 6 months. Then two replicated EGIMs were realized through an open tender, won by a SME. An EGIM 2-day School was organised for scientists and technicians to provide effective training on the EGIM deployment, configuration and management. Three EMSO sites were selected for the EGIM deployments: Azores, PLOCAN and Western Ionian, with the aim to test them in different configurations (seafloor stand-alone, moored and seafloor cabled). The EMSO Azores one-year experiment was concluded from 2017 to August 2018. All collected data are accessible via the EMSO France data portal, are visualised and explored using MOODA. In PLOCAN two-phase deployment was undertaken. In Phase1 one EGIM was deployed in an harbour in shallow water for 47 days. The acquired data were displayed in real time. In Phase2 EGIM was deployed in 45m. The final deployment at 3650m at the ESTOC site will take place before the end of 2019 (depending on the ship availability and the appropriate sea state conditions). In Western Ionian all the preparatory activities were successfully concluded and the deployment is awaiting suitable sea conditions and logistics. One of the main issues for installation at greater depth is the availability of a suitable vessel equipped with ROV able to perform installation and cable connections. Work has been carried out to prepare the EGIM installation to a deep infrastructure equipped with optical communication system for data transmission in real time. The partner in charge is strongly committed to this final deployment relevant for EMSO ERIC, being the only experiment in cabled mode at >2000m. The EMSODEV DMP was defined, modelled and implemented throughout the project. DMP ingests, consolidates, processes and archives data coming from the EGIMs, integrates the EMSO RFs data management architectures and makes data available to the EMSO portal and to other initiatives (e.g. EMODNET). Two tools were implemented, SMD and MOODA. SMD assists technicians to check if EGIM is working correctly. MOODA helps scientists download and analyse data. The EMSO Metadata Catalogue is maintained. All EMSODEV data are archived and accessed at PANGAEA (https://www.pangaea.de/?f.project%5B%5D= EMSODEV). Due to the cooperation with OpenAIRE, all data are now accessible at https://cordis.europa.eu/project/rcn/ 197997/results/en. EMSO adheres to Big Ocean Data FAIR principles. The communication and dissemination focused on the dissemination of the project activities and its results to the scientific community, industry and to the general public. Initially a detailed business case study report was compiled, assessing market applications and commercialization opportunities for the EGIM in areas like ocean energy, seabed mining and marine monitoring for environmental protection/study. Several technology transfer activities have been undertaken increasing the contact between EMSO partners and end-users. The EMSODEV results very broadly communicated through various channels at many events. The Exploitation Plan (EP) was produced and relates to the delivery and commercialisation of EGIM infrastructure to research organisations and private sector. The EP includes a detailed report IPR and JOMA.

Progress beyond the state of the art and expected potential impact (including the socio-economic impact and the wider societal implications of the project so far)

EMSODEV is a fundamental contribution to advance the construction of EMSO ERIC through an EGIM new observational component and a unified DMP. The EMSODEV results confirm this impact as the activities are a first step in the development of services offered by the EMSO ERIC. EMSODEV has produced high-quality, standardized and fully traceable and easy-accessible data and will produce reliable data products for modelling and model calibrations in the future. This will allow EMSO ERIC to be a competitive player in the global science and the stakeholder communities. The DMP and tools (SMD and MOODA) facilitate researchers to obtain time-series data streams and user-oriented tools to speed-up data preparation before the scientists' original processing. The EMSODEV consortium is transferring its results to the EMSO ERIC, an important step in this process is the JOMA. EMSODEV activities have been implemented in collaboration with SMEs: the COSTOF2, the core of EGIM, was built by a French SME and two EGIMs were replicated by an Italian SME. The SMEs gained valuable experience in development of equipment for long-term deployment at sea, enhancing European capability to develop fixed-point infrastructure. This may have been a key step in providing joint-collaboration with SMEs for joint R&D initiatives in the future. EMSO ERIC signed a MoU with Ocean Networks Canada (ONC). ONC has shown a strong interest to use the EGIM platform in key locations in Arctic. EMSODEV has provide training opportunities for scientists and technicians, building capacity within the EMSO ERIC community and facilitating proactive development of the mobility of researchers for the ultimate goal of building excellence and underpinning capacity building.

EMSO EGIM deployed in shallow water

EMSO EGIM frame and NEMO-SN1 Infrastructure at Western Ionian site

EMSODEV logo

EMSO EGIM deployment in Azores