Earth Observation Services For Wild Fisheries, Oystergrounds Restoration and Bivalve Mariculture along European Coasts*
Earth Observation Services For Wild Fisheries, Oystergrounds Restoration and Bivalve Mariculture along European Coasts*
Abstract:
Much of the world’s population and ecological economy is centred on coastal areas and natural processes and human activity have continuously shaped the coast. With growing populations, sea-related activities have already increased in terms of food production, renewable energy or port infrastructure. Only through a better understanding of the coastal environment, the effects and impacts of measures can be examined and analysed and coastal zones preserved. By observing coastal environments, it helps to maximize the benefits from the coastal zone while minimizing the damage to society and nature caused by those changes. To achieve this, available information and knowledge from industry, research and citizens need to be collected and merged. This helps marine managers and policy makers to make well-informed decisions on social, economic, and environmental-related activities of marine and coastal areas.
The European-funded FORCAST project takes a step in this direction by bringing the coastal water quality and metocean information closer to the target users from wild fisheries, oystergrounds restoration, and bivalve mariculture. FORCOAST will develop, test and demonstrate novel operational Copernicus-based downstream information services by incorporating Copernicus Marine, Land and Climate Services Products, local monitoring data and advanced modelling. Furthermore, FORCOAST will make use of DIAS which will help to develop the data access and cloud processing service. The provided services will be applied in eight pilot sites covering five different regional waters (i.e. North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the coastal Atlantic Ocean). The outcome of FORCAST is a novel commercial service that will provide Copernicus-based downstream information coastal services to a variety of stakeholders.
The European-funded FORCAST project takes a step in this direction by bringing the coastal water quality and metocean information closer to the target users from wild fisheries, oystergrounds restoration, and bivalve mariculture. FORCOAST will develop, test and demonstrate novel operational Copernicus-based downstream information services by incorporating Copernicus Marine, Land and Climate Services Products, local monitoring data and advanced modelling. Furthermore, FORCOAST will make use of DIAS which will help to develop the data access and cloud processing service. The provided services will be applied in eight pilot sites covering five different regional waters (i.e. North Sea, Baltic Sea, Mediterranean Sea, Black Sea and the coastal Atlantic Ocean). The outcome of FORCAST is a novel commercial service that will provide Copernicus-based downstream information coastal services to a variety of stakeholders.
*This project has received funding from the European Union’s Horizon 2020 research and innovation programme under grant agreement No 870465.