The pan-European infrastructure for ocean data management includes Vector meta-data

SeaDataNet EU-funded project (2006 – 2010) is developing basic tools for implementing the data management activities in conformity with internationally agreed protocols. It aims to improve the level of quality, the long term assistance and the accessibility of marine data. A distributed pan-European infrastructure for marine data management networks the existing National Oceanographic Data Centres, Satellite Data Centres and Modeling Centres from nearby all coastal states bordering the European seas. It provides through a unique portal integrated on-line access to comprehensive, standardized and validated in-situ and remote sensing marine data, meta-data and products. The development and adoption of common communication standards (common formats and vocabularies for data and meta-data), of discovery, transformation, downloading and viewing services will ensure the Centres interoperability. OGS/NODC information system is one of the interoperable nodes linked to the infrastructure, adopting standardized methodologies and technology for quality control, data and meta-data distribution. OGS/NODC maintains a catalogue service, aiming at facilitating marine data searching, location and retrieval, containing different levels of information (meta-data). This includes the ROSCOP/Cruise Summary Report inventory, the pan-European Directory of Marine Environmental Data, the more recent European Directory of the Ocean Observing Systems. All the meta-data are public and accessible through OGS/NODC on-line server, while the access to the measured data follows a Data Policy, defined by the data providers. The Vector field activities are constantly reported with the high level pan-European inventories available through OGS/NODC and SeaDataNet Web Portals.