The Institute of Marine Biology, Biotechnology and Aquaculture was invited to participate in the 2nd International Joint Conference MARBLUE 2024, held in Constanta, Ro
mania (October 23 – 25). The conference focused on advancing the sustainable development and protection of the Black Sea, fostering interdisciplinary discussions on both foundational research and technological innovations.
Mr Ioannis Rallis presentation was titled “Supporting the FAIRification Process of Marine Research Biogeographic Data from Data-Deficient Regions,” spotlighting the critical issue of data scarcity in marine biodiversity records for both the Mediterranean and Black Sea. The Mediterranean node of the Ocean Biodiversity Information System (MedOBIS), which supported the work of I Rallis, plays a key role in bridging these data gaps by adhering to the “Findable,
Accessible, Interoperable and Reusable” (FAIR) principles for the management of biogeographic data. As a model for this effort, a data training workshop was held in November 2023 in Lecce, Italy, targeting scientists from data-deficient regions, particularly from Northern Africa. This workshop, which was part of the EMODnet Biology and LifeWatchGreece initiatives, trained the participants on how to standardise and publish high-quality marine biodiversity data.
This initiative has already produced significant outcomes, such as the publication of both historical and new generated data on marine species occurrences. The IMBBC and MedOBIS will continue working on decreasing data gaps and ensuring that good quality marine data is accessible to research community.
