Enhancing oceanography capacities on CCLME Western Africa Countries
The IOC has implemented the second phase of the project “Enhancing oceanography capacities on the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem's Western Africa countries”. The overall goal of the project is to improve our understanding of the oceanographic features and processes in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem (CCLME) region and increase the delivery of services to end users.
The project relies on three main types of activities, focused around:
(i) making existing data accessible,
(ii) developing a GIS dynamic analytic tool aimed to create meaningful data products at regional scale, adding value to raw data and producing new scientific knowledge on the ocean and coastal areas of the CCLME countries, and
(iii) enhancing oceanographic capacities in the region.
The key expected output of this project was to develop a Geographic Information System (GIS)-based dynamic analytic tool to create meaningful data products for the West Africa region. The most recent advances in GIS geo-technology were used to develop the CCLME Eco-GIS Viewer, a dynamic application tailored to facilitate analysis and to produce new scientific knowledge on the ocean and coastal areas of the CCLME countries.
The CCLME Eco-GIS Viewer web application includes a wide variety of analytic tools, which allow the users to develop spatial and statistical studies in their areas of interest, and to create meaningful data products at regional scale adding value to raw data. With the CCLME Eco-GIS Viewer, the users can analyse and compare related and unrelated records, and have the possibility to drag their own data files into several tools.
Click on the image below to consult the CCLME Eco-GIS Viewer:
Among other activities, two reports were issued during the initial phase: Directory of Atmospheric, Hydrographic and Biological datasets for the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem, and Oceanographic and biological features in the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem.
Click to access all publications in the Technical Series 110
Click to access all publications in Technical Series 115
Following the initial phase of the project (April 2013-May 2015), Phase II was structured as a natural continuation, retaining focus on ecological modelling in the Canary Current LME.
Two new editions of the Directory were published during the second phase:
- Directory of Atmospheric, Hydrographic and Biological datasets for the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem. 2nd Edition: Revised and Expanded, including new metadata sheets and updated information. The 2nd edition of the Directory refers to 107 datasets, databases and time-series sites
- Directory of Atmospheric, Hydrographic and Biological datasets for the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem. 3rd Edition: Revised and Expanded. The current 3rd edition includes up to 118 metadata sheets referring to a total of 449 datasets, 34 databases and 26 time‐series sites. It must be highlighted that metadata on several datasets managed by organisations in North-West African countries are described in this 3rd edition, including biological data from fisheries surveys.
How can you contribute?
The Directory of Atmospheric, Hydrographic and Biological datasets for the Canary Current Large Marine Ecosystem needs to be updated on a routine basis. It is important that countries in the region are well represented in the Directory.
To help us achieve this objective, we need the support of the international, regional and national scientific communities to add new metadata.
We encourage universities and marine laboratories as well as authorities to contribute to make this inventory as complete as possible. We would like to remind potential contributors that only metadata are requested at this stage.
For more information and/or to obtain a metadata form for your data sets, please contact Itahisa Déniz González (i.deniz-gonzalez(at)unesco.org).
