Highlights from the EGI 2024 Conference

EGI 2024

LifeWatch ERIC participated in the EGI Conference 2024, held in Lecce from September 30 to October 4. Co-hosted by EGI and CMCC, the conference took place at the Hilton Garden Inn, located in the same city as our Service Centre. This conference provided an ideal platform for our team to showcase innovative solutions that apply disruptive technologies – such as AI and Blockchain – to ecological research. 

LifeWatch ERIC and EGI share a mission to advance scientific understanding across Europe. The collaboration between these two organisations has been consolidated over time through several European Projects. Two of these, EOSC Beyond (https://www.eosc-beyond.eu/) and ENVRI-Hub NEXT (https://www.egi.eu/project/envri-hub-next/), held their annual consortium meetings during the conference. 

Our team participated with a dedicated booth, along with demonstrations and presentations. Sara Montinaro and Cristina Mancarella (LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre, Lecce) staffed the exhibition booth throughout the conference, introducing participants to our e-Science infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystem research. Other members of our Common Facilities offered presentations on the Metadata Catalogue, LifeBlock and NaaVRE: a great chance to explore new opportunities for collaboration. Below is a summary of these presentations.

NaaVRE (Notebook-as-a-Virtual Research Environment)

Zhiming Zhao (VLIC Technical Manager) and Gabriel Pelouze, (Virtual Research Environment Developer) from our Virtual Laboratory & Innovations Centre in Amsterdam introduced the NaaVRE platform. NaaVRE supports researchers in creating digital twins and customised scientific workflows. Their presentations addressed two perspectives: digital twin development, and the research data lifecycle. 

The challenge behind this platform is to combine the strengths of Computational Notebooks (widely used, interactive, great for developing models), and Virtual Research Environments (great for sharing models in a more mature stage).

Zhiming Zhao provided an overview of the architecture and core functionalities (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19668/), like the possibility to containerise notebook cells into functional blocks, organise them into workflows, and share them easily. This system facilitates the reuse of data, models, and computational resources, making it easier for researchers to develop digital twins and complex ecological models. The platform has been tested in several use cases, including ecosystem structure analysis from LiDAR data, radar-based bird migration monitoring, and the Dutch NWO LTER-LIFE project, demonstrating NaaVRE’s potential for supporting diverse scientific communities.

Gabriel Pelouze showed some practical applications of NaaVRE in real-world data-centric research scenarios, (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19316/). In this intricate lifecycle, the possibility of customising the NaaVRE for specific scientific tasks can be very advantageous. He presented case studies where NaaVRE was used to monitor phytoplankton species and analyse ecological systems, emphasising its utility in building tailored VREs for ecosystem research. Moreover, NaaVRE’s possible integration with cloud infrastructures enables cost-effective and scalable research, by providing flexible access to computational resources.

LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue

Data and Service Architect Lucia Vaira (Service Centre, Lecce, pictured), introduced the LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19338/): a centralised platform designed to improve the discoverability and accessibility of biodiversity data and services. The Metadata Catalogue addresses key challenges in the field, such as data fragmentation, heterogeneity, and inconsistencies in metadata.

The catalogue, built on GeoNetwork technology, offers researchers a user-friendly interface to access datasets, improve their FAIRness, and promote a unified approach to biodiversity data management.

New features are constantly improving this service, such as the integration of metadata FAIRness evaluation tools and templates based on standardised profiles like EML 2.2.0. and ISO 19139/119. These features support data provenance and DOI assignment, which are essential for reliable data management. 

LifeBlock

Julio Paneque (Intelligent Systems, Robotics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles & HAPS Expert, ICT-Core, Spain), presented LifeBlock (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19619/), a blockchain-based solution for researchers, policy makers, and developers to address the need for data integration and answer important questions about biodiversity. LifeBlock leverages semantic technologies and AI to support ecological and biodiversity research by federating data from diverse sources and creating a unified environment that supports advanced data discovery and analysis.

Through the use of knowledge graphs to enrich data with semantic context, it facilitates complex queries, enabling researchers to draw meaningful connections across datasets. LifeBlock’s integration of AI enhances its data management capabilities by automating tasks like metadata generation and data quality assessment, which streamline research processes. Additionally, the platform ensures proper attribution and provenance tracking, fostering trust and transparency within the scientific community.

For more information about these tools, you can visit the following links:

LifeBlock | https://lifeblock.eu/login 

Metadata Catalogue | https://metadatacatalogue.lifewatch.eu

NaaVRE | https://naavre.lifewatch.dev/vreapp 

That’s a wrap! Marine SABRES at the EU Researchers’ Night 2024

LifeWatch ERIC presented the project Marine SABRES at the European Researchers’ Night, a unique event to meet researchers, learn more about their work and get closer to their world for one night (and beyond). LifeWatch ERIC organised in particular the first Marine SABRES fair, that is, the initiative “Marine SABRES in fairs: biodiversity conservation and restoration, sustainable blue economy and the benefits of ecotourism”.

More than 100 people, including enthusiastic children, young people, families and the general public at large, passionate university students and researchers visited our stand and learned more about how to restore marine biodiversity and support a sustainable blue economy by increasing the uptake of ecosystem-based management in Europe (see our photo gallery here).

More in detail, during the event LifeWatch ERIC presented results and activities carried out in the framework of the project, with a special focus on this simple socio-ecological system framework designed and developed with the active support and participation of local stakeholders in three European marine regions, where researchers are developing and testing ways to balance varying combinations of conservation priorities and economic activities. The booth promoted best practices and examples, fostered by the project’s approach, of sustainable use of marine resources and tourism, raising awareness on the importance of governance solutions to address the impacts of future economic and climate scenarios.

The event was also an opportunity to premiere the last trailers of Marine SABRES’ documentary realised by the LifeWatch Italy Multimedia Production Centre (the two video trailers focused on Macaronesia and Tuscan archipelago will be soon available online – the trailer focused on the Arctic Northeast Atlantic Demonstration Area is available on LifeWatching YouTube Channel and on the Marine SABRES dedicated web platform).

During the event, LifeWatch ERIC also engaged with some teachers and students to promote its Serious Game School Competition.
The first school competition will be launched on World Fisheries Day, Thursday 21st November 2024. Marine SABRES online serious game will introduce students between 10 and 18 years old to basic concepts of marine biology and coastal ecology and increase their awareness of the strong relations between us and the ocean. Moreover, they will have the unique opportunity to meet teachers and students from across Europe and learn from peers and a European network of researchers.
Download this presentation for more information about Marine SABRES and this international educational activity at the following link! More information here.

Have a look at our photogallery, enjoy all the moments of this incredible night!

For more information, please visit the official European Researchers’ Night ERN Apulia Med 2024

For more information, please visit Marine SABRES official website: www.marinesabres.eu

Watch our documentary trailers on LifeWatching WebTV platform: www.lifewatching.tv/tv-show/marine-sabres/

Marine SABRES launches the Serious Game School Competition

Marine SABRES competition

The Marine SABRES project (https://www.marinesabres.eu/) has designed an online Serious Game School Competition to introduce students to basic concepts of marine biology and coastal ecology, with the objective of increasing awareness on the intricate relationship between humans and the ocean (we also have a podcast available, for those wanting to learn more about biodiversity, human well-being, and climate change).

The date selected for the first school competition coincides, fittingly, with the World Fisheries Day, Thursday 21 November 2024.

Marine biodiversity loss is continuing unchecked, despite current conservation efforts. Effective conservation measures, that can also enable a sustainable and resilient blue economy, are crucial to reverse this decline. Social-ecological systems-thinking and Ecosystem-Based Management are globally recognised tools that can contribute to this objective.

Within this framework, Marine SABRES aims to engage and empower citizens to take action in promoting the importance of marine biodiversity conservation. In this spirit, the Serious Game School Competition is aimed at school teachers who teach natural or societal sciences, English or CLIL, and even citizenship and environmental education. You can find more details on the initiative here.

A gaming approach like this one in schools is crucial for raising environmental awareness among young learners. By engaging with interactive, educational tools, young students can grasp the importance of marine ecosystems and the role they play in supporting life on Earth. Early exposure to concepts can encourage a sense of responsibility and promote environmentally conscious behaviour from a young age.

Registrations are accepted until the day of the event: click here to sign up for the competition.

Autumn highlights from LifeWatch Belgium: celebrations, discoveries and new frontiers

autumn highlights

In this update, you can see a snapshot of the most exciting news from LifeWatch Belgium this season. From anniversaries to new scientific milestones, here are the stories you don’t want to miss:

  • 20 years of EurOBIS: the European Ocean Biodiversity Information System (Eurobis), a LifeWatch Belgium service, celebrated its 20th anniversary in grand style, releasing a “super-harvest” of marine biodiversity data. The system counts over 100 datasets, of which 87 new ones, for a total increase of more than 1 million marine species occurrence records that were made available. This follows its 15th-anniversary milestone, and since then, EurOBIS has nearly doubled its collection.
  • The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS), hosted within LifeWatch Belgium by the Flanders Marine Institute (VLIZ), marked its 15th anniversary only two years ago. This autumn, it celebrates the milestone with the release of an opinion paper titled The World Register of Marine Species (WoRMS) through the looking glass: insights from the Data Management Team in light of the crystal anniversary of WoRMS. The paper reflects on WoRMS’ role in global biodiversity data management and highlights the importance of sustained collaboration for improving species data accessibility. It also offers updates on marine species discovery rates, insights into the editorial board’s daily activities, and progress on content priorities laid out by the WoRMS Steering Committee as part of the UN Ocean Decade.
  • The Ocean Census programme sets an impressive target of 100,000 new species: with the aim of revolutionising marine biodiversity research, the initiative will feed the WoRMS database contributing to marine conservation efforts. Marine biologists estimate that there are potentially between one and two million marine species that inhabit our oceans, but only around 246,500 have been described to date. Although discovering these new species will be challenging—particularly in the more inhospitable areas of the ocean—scientists believe these regions hold the greatest potential for new discoveries.

LifeWatch Belgium is one of the national nodes in LifeWatch ERIC, and it plays a critical role in developing and operating various essential infrastructure components, including i) a species information backbone as a central European resource, ii) a regional observatory for marine, freshwater, and terrestrial ecosystems, and iii) a facility for habitat mapping using remote sensing.

These achievements are important examples of LifeWatch Belgium’s support to advancing biodiversity science and better understanding and preserving biodiversity.

For more detailed stories, visit LifeWatch Belgium’s news page.

Marine SABRES at EU Researchers’ Night 2024: conversations on biodiversity, sustainable blue economy and ecotourism.

On September 27, 2024, LifeWatch ERIC will participate in the European Researchers’ Night, contributing to its programme and engaging with participants, thanks to its research stand.

On this occasion, LifeWatch ERIC will present in particular the project Marine SABRES (www.marinesabres.eu), organising the initiative “Marine SABRES in fairs: biodiversity conservation and restoration, sustainable blue economy and the benefits of ecotourism”.

Marine SABRES – Marine Systems Approaches for Biodiversity Resilience and Ecosystem Sustainability, is a research project funded by the European Union that aims to conserve and protect biodiversity by integrating healthy, sustainably-used ecosystems and a resilient blue economy. To make Ecosystem-based Management more achievable and implementable, Marine SABRES is comprehensively studying and analysing marine social-ecological systems to design a new, simpler framework for managing the many activities and pressures on the marine environment.

During the event, LifeWatch ERIC will present results and activities carried out in the framework of the project, with a special focus on this simple socio-ecological system framework designed and developed with the active support and participation of local stakeholders in three European marine regions, where researchers are developing and testing ways to balance varying combinations of conservation priorities and economic activities. The booth will promote best practices and examples, fostered by the project’s approach, of sustainable use of marine resources and tourism, raising awareness on the importance of governance solutions to address the impacts of future economic and climate scenarios.

Some videos realised by the LifeWatch Italy Multimedia Production Centre relating to project activities will be shown, and the research aims and results will be described with the help of posters and brochures. The videos will be also available to be broadcasted in a multimedia room.

For more information, please visit the official European Researchers’ Night ERN Apulia Med 2024

About the European Researchers’ Night

The European Researchers’ Night is a Europe-wide public event, which displays the diversity of science and its impact on citizens’ daily lives in fun, inspiring ways. The European Researchers’ Night aims to bring research and researchers closer to the public, promote excellent research projects across Europe and beyond, increase the interest of young people in science and research careers, showcase the impact of researchers’ work on people’s daily lives.

Children, young people, families and the general public at large will have the chance to meet researchers and discover research, science and innovation through a wide range of science shows, hands-on experiments, games, quizzes, competitions, exhibitions, digital activities, research stands, interactive workshops, debates and round tables, scientific-informative seminars, stories of researchers and discoveries, etc.

More information about the project

Biodiverse marine ecosystems provide flows of ecosystem services that lead to goods and benefits for society, support human well-being, and enable economic sustainability and resilience. Yet the intensification of human activities, both on land and at sea, is accelerating marine biodiversity loss globally and within Europe. The exploitation of natural resources, tourism, coastal development, trade and transport, aquaculture, fisheries, agriculture and waste management — all place pressures on marine and coastal ecosystems, undermining biodiversity and the many benefits that it provides. To mitigate these pressures, effective management of marine and coastal environments is essential, not only to achieve international biodiversity goals (such as the EU Biodiversity Strategy), but also in combating the threats of climate change (e.g. ocean warming, sea level rise, acidification, increased storminess) and environmental degradation (e.g. pollution and eutrophication).

Marine SABRES is an EU-funded research project that aims to restore marine biodiversity and support a sustainable blue economy by increasing the uptake of ecosystem-based management in Europe. To make ecosystem-based management more achievable and implementable, we need to comprehensively study and analyse marine social-ecological systems. Marine SABRES is therefore co-developing and testing a simple socio-ecological system in collaboration with local people in three European marine regions: the Arctic Northeast Atlantic, the Tuscan Archipelago, and Macaronesia.

For more information, please visit Marine SABRES official website: www.marinesabres.eu

Watch our documentary trailers on LifeWatching WebTV platform: www.lifewatching.tv/tv-show/marine-sabres/

LifeWatch ERIC featured in the autumn issue of The Niche

The Niche, the quarterly magazine of the British Ecological Society (BES), released its autumn issue last Monday, 9th of September 2024.

The magazine is fully dedicated to science, ecology, and the life of ecologists, through a set of interviews, articles and much more.

This autumn, LifeWatch ERIC has been included in the section Your Society, dedicated to community events, special Interest Groups, relevant networks to be aware about, and member stories. 

Together with the Chartered Institute of Ecology and Environmental Management (CIEEM), and with the Ecological Continuity Trust (ECT), we are thrilled to be listed as “Friends of the society”, LifeWatch ERIC being the open science European infrastructure on biodiversity and ecosystems.

The British Ecological Society is, in fact, the oldest ecological society in the world, established in 1913 and counting over 7,000 members. Our organisation has been selected for the support it offers to the long-term sustainability of Earth’s ecosystems and biodiversity, by enabling research communities to use advanced facilities, services and resources.

Research infrastructures are crucial for national, European and international strategies to accelerate scientific advancements. As reported in the article, “Research Infrastructures represent everyday working hubs, assisting the most advanced groups of the scientific community develop new knowledge and innovation”.

LifeWatch ERIC, established in 2017, is one of these infrastructures, with a specific focus on Biodiversity and Ecosystem, integrating and federating FAIR complaint data, reproducible analytical services and mobilised research communities. 

“All the resources are accessible by users from every European country and beyond, without any borders, promoting Science Diplomacy and International equality, with an active policy that supports the access of early career researchers with new ideas and approaches, in line with the LifeWatch ERIC gender equality plan” – they wrote.

The article also lists the main benefits for scientists, such as data storage, metadata catalogues, VREs, digital training, conferences, and the many other opportunities available on our website. 

This year, LifeWatch ERIC will attend BES’s flagship event: the BES2024 Annual Meeting in Liverpool, with a conference booth and contributions from researchers. LifeWatch ERIC was also present in 2023, where, together with the University of Salento and the Italian National Research Council, they presented their work on biodiversity loss, climate change and invasive alien species. 

We invite you to take part in this year’s edition, as it might be a good chance to understand how we can support you and get a closer look at our services, meet new colleagues and learn skills and best practices.
The full issue of the autumn release of The Niche is available upon member registration on the BES website, at the following link: https://www.britishecologicalsociety.org/membership-community/the-niche/

The LifeWatch ERIC training platform will continue to provide public access to the BiCIKL project training materials

BiCIKL project

After three years of advancing a cultural shift in identifying, linking, integrating, and re-using biodiversity data throughout the research cycle, the BiCIKL project is coming to a close. 

One of the key outputs of the BiCIKL project is the Biodiversity Knowledge Hub (BKH). Developed as a one-stop portal for understanding the interconnected landscape of European biodiversity research infrastructures, it acts as a knowledge broker for users who want to navigate and access open and FAIR biodiversity data, guidelines, tools, and services. 

Additionally, the BiCIKL project’s partners created training materials and detailed instructions to help users make the most of the linked services and access biodiversity data found in published literature. The training resources are divided into three courses to cater to users with different backgrounds and expertise, enabling them to begin with the fundamentals or concentrate on specific modules as required:

  • The Introduction to BKH course presents the BKH portal and helps users understand the functions offered by BKH and its associated data services.
  • The BKH Services course provides an overview of the services available in the BKH, and explains how to use each of them, with each service having its dedicated module, and offering best practices and recommendations for their use.
  • The Data Liberation and Publishing Tools Course is an advanced training course focusing on a more in-depth version of the multiple services featured on the BKH. This detailed module focuses on data liberation and publishing tools.

The courses, fully open and accessible to everyone, offer training materials that benefit various stakeholders. Research institutions can learn how different research infrastructures connect their data and add value for new user communities. Biodiversity researchers can explore new data sources, reduce errors in taxonomic name usage, and conduct complex queries. Taxonomists can compare name usage across checklists, access newly published information on a taxon, and create custom taxonomies. Biodiversity informaticians can discover data links, access guidance on identifiers and APIs, and compile complex datasets. Managers of biological collections can understand how their data is utilized and access linked data such as taxon names and sequences. Additionally, publishers can obtain guidelines, best practices, and tools for semantic publishing and implement persistent identifiers and workflows for Linked Open Data.

LifeWatch ERIC, via its Training Platform, will continue to host publicly accessible training materials even after the project’s conclusion, thus ensuring their long term sustainability. To learn more, please visit our Training Platform: https://training.lifewatch.eu/international-projects/resources/?category=32

Advancing Global Energy Solutions at the first EULAC Energytran Virtual Thematic Event

energytran project

The EULAC Energytran project held its first Virtual Thematic Event on 26 and 27 June, titled “Strengthening Europe – Latin America Cooperation in the Energy Transition“. The event brought together stakeholders from Europe, North America, Latin America and the Caribbean. The participants – around two hundred – included representatives from scientific communities, universities, policymakers, research infrastructures, project managers and private sector actors, alongside the consortium partners. Our Ana Mellado and Maite Irazábal participated to represent LifeWatch ERIC’s role in the project.

This project addresses common energy challenges between the European Union, Latin America and the Caribbean. focusing on improving the sustainability of the energy transition process. The two-day virtual event covered the first two work packages of the Energytran project, about technology and policy innovation. This event is part of a broader effort to promote a sustainable and equitable energy transition in both regions. At the meeting, discussions revolved around five panels:

  1. Knowledge Exchange in Scientific Cooperation between Europe and Latin America and the Caribbean.
  2. Challenges and Opportunities in the Energy Sector.
  3. Environmental and Social Impact of Renewable Energies.
  4. Emerging Technologies for Energy Sustainability.
  5. Concentrated Solar Thermal Energy Applications.

The event concluded with key takeaways from OEI, CENAT, CSIC, PUC, and UNNE. It highlighted the importance of knowledge exchange, addressing sectoral challenges and opportunities, and considering the social and environmental impacts of energy transitions. The panels also focused on emerging technologies and applications of solar thermal energy. Ana Mellado – LifeWatch ERIC’s Project Executive Coordinator – gave a conclusion regarding the role of technology and research infrastructures in the energy transition process.

The role of LifeWatch ERIC within the consortium

LifeWatch ERIC will bring its expertise in environmental monitoring and data management, contributing to the project’s transdisciplinary approach. The consortium includes prominent universities and research institutions from Argentina, Chile, Costa Rica, Spain, Mexico, and Portugal. It aims to produce over twenty deliverables, including policy recommendations, and training materials. Moreover, it will create a comprehensive inventory of research infrastructures relevant to the energy transition.
For more information about the Energytran project, please visit the official website: https://energytran.oei.int/

LifeWatch Belgium launched a new and redesigned website for an enhanced user experience

LifeWatch Belgium

LifeWatch ERIC is happy to announce the launch of the newly redesigned LifeWatch Belgium website. This platform offers a sleek, user-friendly interface and enhanced navigation, reflecting LifeWatch Belgium’s commitment to providing accessible, high-quality biodiversity and ecosystem research resources.

LifeWatch Belgium specialises in offering advanced data services and tools for biodiversity and ecosystem research. The website showcases services such as the Biodiversity Data System, Habitat Mapping, Bio-Logging, and more, supporting researchers with cutting-edge technologies and extensive datasets.

Indeed, LifeWatch Belgium’s local observatories generate long-term marine, freshwater, and terrestrial data, which is openly accessible for research. Biodiversity data systems integrate global taxonomic information, providing crucial insights into species and their habitats. Advanced bio-logging and camera trapping services facilitate the study of animal movements, while habitat mapping utilises remote sensing and geospatial analysis to characterise environmental data. The e-Lab application allows users to effortlessly standardise, analyse, and visualise data. Additionally, LifeWatch Belgium provides open-source software packages for data access and analysis and maintains a comprehensive dataset catalogue integrated into the LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue.

Furthermore, the website features inspiring user stories showcasing the diverse applications of LifeWatch Belgium’s resources. For example, the collaboration with JERICO-NEXT to study plankton in the southern North Sea, investigations into oyster larvae settlement for coastal protection, and how Marine Regions data supported the Ocean Health Index. These and other stories have already been published on the new LifeWatch Belgium website.

To access the shiny new LifeWatch Belgium website, please visit https://www.lifewatch.be/.

Sandy Beaches Symposium: the world’s leading experts gather in Lecce

The IX International Sandy Beaches Symposium was held in Lecce, Italy, on June 24-27 2024. The event was an opportunity to bring the world’s leading experts on sandy coastal ecosystems together in the city.
Past, present, and future of sandy beaches were at the center of the symposium: biodiversity loss, abundance, distribution and dynamics of species of sandy beach ecosystems, climate change impacts, anthropogenic pressures (fisheries, tourism, etc), urbanization, the key role of marine protected areas, and the challenges of creating a network between them, coastal erosion and mitigation strategies, insights from environmental DNA metabarcoding and advanced statistical models, are some of the many topics brought up for discussion by experts from all over the globe.

From Orkney sandy beaches, in Scotland, to the coastal ecosystems of Namibia and Costa Rica, to the sandy beaches of California and Apulia region: the event gathered some of the most renowned experts in the field, offering a unique opportunity to explore the latest research and developments in this disciplinary area, while illustrating to the public the importance of sandy beaches and the challenges we are facing in safeguarding these fragile and threatened ecosystems.

The symposium was an opportunity to present and discuss the state of the art in the field of sandy beach research, from a national, regional and global perspective. The event was organized by the University of Salento, with the support of LifeWatch ERIC.

Among the scientists invited as high-level keynote speakers were: Prof. John M Baxter, University of St Andrews and Heriot-Watt University; Prof. Omar Defeo, Unidad de Ciencias del Mar, Universidad de la Republica, Uruguay; Prof. Mike Elliott, Professor of Estuarine and Coastal Sciences at the University of Hull, UK; Dr. Shinji Sassa, Chair of the International Technical Committee on Scour and Erosion National Institute of Maritime, Port and Aviation Technology, Japan; Prof. Alberto Basset, Full Professor of Ecology at the University of Salento and LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre Director; Dr. Lucia Fanini, researcher at the University of Salento, etc.

To learn more about the International Sandy Beaches Symposium, please visit the dedicated website: https://isbsymposium.org/