ISA side event at the 2024 Ocean Decade Conference | How to harness private sector data to boost ocean science and drive a sustainable ocean economy: guidelines and benefits

11 Apr 2024 - 11 Apr 2024

• ISA is one of the co-organizing entities of the satellite event “How to harness private sector data to boost ocean science and drive a sustainable ocean economy: guidelines and benefits.”
• The lead organizers are the IOC-UNESCO, Corporate Data group and UN Global Compact. Co-organizers include ISA, Fugro and HUB Ocean.
• The event will take place on Friday, 11 April 2024, from 13:15 to 0 in the meeting room Baltic Ocean Level P1 of the International Barcelona Convention Centre.
• This is an in-person side event and pre-registration is not necessary.

Context

Under the United Nations Convention on the Law of the Sea, a key responsibility of the International Seabed Authority (ISA) is to promote and encourage the conduct of marine scientific research as well as promote dissemination, exchange and sharing of scientific data and research outputs for the benefit of humankind. Strategic direction 4 of the Action plan of the International Seabed Authority in support of the United Nations Decade of Ocean Science for Sustainable Development, adopted by all ISA Members in 2020, calls on ISA to “promote and encourage marine scientific research in the Area”. The launch of the DeepData, a global repository that hosts data related to activities in the international seabed area, at the twenty-fifth session of the ISA in 2019, was a milestone. The non-confidential data collected by ISA contractors during their exploration activities currently amounts to over 10 terabytes and guides the scientific community in filling potential gaps. During the side event, ISA will update on the progress of contractors as private parties in data-collection and their instrumental role in exploring the deep sea. ISA will take stock of the achievements and the catalysing effect of its partnerships to extend further the use of the data in domains such as biology or bathymetry.

Objectives

The key objectives are to show ISA’s support for deep-sea science, emphasizing its long-time commitment to facilitating deep-sea data-collection and promoting its use. The event will demonstrate ISA’s role as a model for a public-private partnership generating knowledge for the benefit of humankind and highlight the instrumental role of DeepData and its unique features. The priorities and activities planned for the coming five years will also be discussed. The event will showcase the scientific progress achieved through the exploration efforts of ISA contractors and urge partners to collaborate with ISA to promote data exchange further. The event will launch a call to action.