A central part of GEO’s Mission is to build the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). GEOSS is a set of coordinated, independent Earth observation, information and processing systems that interact and provide access to diverse information for a broad range of users in both public and private sectors. GEOSS links these systems to strengthen the monitoring of the state of the Earth. It facilitates the sharing of environmental data and information collected from the large array of observing systems contributed by countries and organizations within GEO. Further, GEOSS ensures that these data are accessible, of identified quality and provenance, and interoperable to support the development of tools and the delivery of information services. Thus, GEOSS increases our understanding of Earth processes and enhances predictive capabilities that underpin sound decision-making: it provides access to data, information and knowledge to a wide variety of users. This ‘system of systems’, through its Common Infrastructure (GCI), proactively links together existing and planned observing systems around the world and support the need for the development of new systems where gaps currently exist. It will promote common technical standards so that data from the thousands of different instruments can be combined into coherent data sets. The ‘GEOSS Portal’ offers a single Internet access point for users seeking data, imagery and analytical software packages relevant to all parts of the globe. It connects users to existing data bases and portals and provides reliable, up-to-date and user friendly information – vital for the work of decision makers, planners and emergency managers. (reference: from https://www.earthobservations.org/geoss.php)

The European Ocean Biogeographic Information System - EurOBIS - is an online marine biogeographic database compiling data on all living marine creatures. The principle aims of EurOBIS are to centralize the largely scattered biogeographic data on marine species collected by European institutions and to make these data freely available and easily accessible. All data go through a number of quality control procedures before they are made available online, assuring a minimum level of quality necessary to put the data to good use. The available data are either collected within European marine waters or by European researchers and institutes outside Europe. The database focuses on taxonomy and distribution records in space and time; all data can be searched and visualised through a set of online mapping tools. All data are freely available online and easily accessible, without requiring a login or password.

EMODnet Biology provides three keys services and products to users. 1)The data download toolbox allows users to explore available datasets searching by source, geographical area, and/or time period. Datasets can be narrowed down using a taxonomic criteria, whether by species group (e.g. benthos, fish, algae, pigments) or by both scientific and common name. 2) The data catalogue is the easiest way to access nearly 1000 datasets available through EMODnet Biology. Datasets can be filtered by multiple parameters via the advanced search from taxon, to institute, to geographic region. Each of the resulting datasets then links to a detailed fact sheet containing a link to original data provider, recommended citation, policy and other relevant information. Data Products - EMODnet Biology combines different data from datasets with overlapping geographic scope and produces dynamic maps of selected species abundance. The first products are already available and they focus on species whose data records are most complete and span for a longer term.

The in-situ TAC integrates and quality control in a homogeneous manner in situ data from outside Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) data providers to fit the needs of internal and external users. It provides access to integrated datasets of core parameters for initialization, forcing, assimilation and validation of ocean numerical models which are used for forecasting, analysis and re-analysis of ocean physical and biogeochemical conditions. The in-situ TAC comprises a global in-situ centre and 6 regional in-situ centres (one for each EuroGOOS ROOSs). The focus of the CMEMS in-situ TAC is on parameters that are presently necessary for Copernicus Monitoring and Forecasting Centres namely temperature, salinity, sea level, current, waves, chlorophyll / fluorescence, oxygen and nutrients. The initial focus has been on observations from autonomous observatories at sea (e.g. floats, buoys, gliders, ferrybox, drifters, and ships of opportunity). The second objective was to integrate products over the past 25 to 50 years for re-analysis purposes... Gathering data from outsider organisations requires strong mutual agreements. Integrating data into ONE data base requires strong format standard definition and quality control procedures. The complexity of handling in situ observation depends not only on the wide range of sensors that have been used to acquire them but, in addition to that, the different operational behaviour of the platforms (i.e vessels allow on board human supervision, while the supervision of others should be put off until recovering or message/ping reception)°

The International Council for the Exploration of the Sea (ICES), is a global organization that develops science and advice to support the sustainable use of the oceans. ICES is a network of more than 5,000 scientists from over 690 marine institutes in 20 member countries and beyond. 1,500 scientists participate in our activities annually. ICES has a well-established Data Centre, which manages a number of large dataset collections related to the marine environment. The majority of data – covering the Northeast Atlantic, Baltic Sea, Greenland Sea, and Norwegian Sea – originate from national institutes that are part of the ICES network. The ICES Data Centre provides marine data services to ICES member countries, expert groups, world data centres, regional seas conventions (HELCOM and OSPAR), the European Environment Agency (EEA), Eurostat, and various other European projects and biodiversity portals. ICES aims to provide all data collections online and according to the ICES Data policy, which enables open access to all data that are do not fall under specific commercial or personal privacy concerns.

EMODnet Physics provides a combined array of services and functionalities to obtain free-of-charge data, meta-data and data products on the physical conditions of European sea basins and oceans as recorded by more than 20.000 platforms (fixed stations, surface loads, ARGOs, HF radars, etc.) The system provides full interoperability with third-party software through WMS services, Web Services and Web catalogues in order to exchange data and products according to the most recent standards. EMODnet Physics builds on and is based on the cooperation and collaboration with the three established pillars of the European Oceanographic Community: 1) EuroGOOS and its Regional Operational Oceanographic Systems (ROOSs); 2) Copernicus Marine Environment Monitoring Service (CMEMS) , and in particular with the In Situ Thematic Assembly Center (INSTAC); 3) SeaDataNet network of National Oceanographic Data Centres (NODCs). Data are made available by EMODnet Physics, funded by the European Commission Directorate General for Maritime Affairs and Fisheries, in collaboration with Copernicus Marine Service (CMEMS) and EuroGOOS ROOSs INSTAC. Delayed mode data integrates the best available version of in situ data. These data are collected from national observing systems operated by EuroGOOS ROOS members, SeaDataNet NODCs completed by main global networks

SeaDataNet is a standardized infrastructure for managing the large and diverse marine data sets collected at sea by the oceanographic fleets, the ships of opportunity and the automatic observation systems. The SeaDataNet infrastructure network sand enhances the currently existing infrastructures, which are the national oceanographic data centres or data focal points of 34 countries, active in data collection. The networking of these professional data centres, in a unique virtual data management system provides integrated data sets of standardized quality on-line. As a research infrastructure, SeaDataNet contributes to build research excellence in Europe. SeaDataNet connects together more than 100 data centres aiming at preserving and making re-useable marine observations ranging from ocean physics to chemistry and biology. SeaDataNet infrastructure was implemented during the SeaDataNet project (2006-2011), grant agreement 026212, EU Sixth Framework Programme. The second phase, SeaDataNet 2 project (2011-2015), grant agreement 283607, EU Seventh Framework Programme has upgraded the SeaDataNet infrastructure into an operationally robust and state-of-the-art Pan-European infrastructure for providing up-to-date and high quality access to ocean and marine metadata, data and data products by: setting, adopting and promoting common data management standards, realizing technical and semantic interoperability with other relevant data management systems and initiatives on behalf of science, environmental management, policy making, and economy. SeaDataCloud project (2016-2020), grant agreement 730960, EU H2020 programme, aims at considerably advancing SeaDataNet Services and increasing their usage, adopting cloud and High Performance Computing technology for better performance.

EMODnet (European Marine Observation and Data Network) is the long term marine data initiative supported by the European Commission since 2009 to ensure that European marine data will become easily accessible, interoperable, and free on restrictions on use. EMODnet Chemistry provides access to standardized, harmonized and validated chemical data collections for water quality evaluation at a regional scale, as defined by the Marine Strategy Framework Directive (MSFD). The data portal has adopted and adapted SeaDataNet standards and services, establishing interoperability between the data sets from the many different providers (more than 60 in EMODnet Chemistry network). Concentration maps of nutrients, chlorophyll-a and dissolved oxygen are computed on a standard grid, providing information at a regular time interval, per season and over several vertical layers, including the deepest one. Dedicated OGC standard services for browsing, viewing and downloading chemistry observation, data and data products for the European waters have been developed, and are actively maintained and monitored.