Key priorities

Operational Oceanography has been developing fast during the past two decades and mature services are already provided to end-users in specific areas, especially those related to the physical state of the ocean (short term forecast, safety, navigation, response to emergencies). However, the interaction with intermediate and end users for developing new services is in its infancy, especially for those contributing to Sustainable Blue Growth that represents today a key priority for Europe. At the same time, monitoring and forecasting the biogeochemical state of the ocean is a key user requirement but represents a major scientific and technological challenge. Therefore, the key priorities of the 2014 conference will be to:

• Identify new operational services and methods of interaction with users with emphasis on sustained economic growth
• Highlight the challenges of monitoring and forecasting the biogeochemical state of the seas and oceans and prioritize the required RTD with emphasis on the needs of relevant directives such as the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD) and its regional implementation
• Develop new strategies and plans for key European initiatives (Copernicus Marine Service, EOOS-European Ocean Observing System) and their links to the Global programs (GOOS, GODAE-Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment)