Mercator Ocean International, implementer of the Copernicus Marine Service, is organising a workshop entitled “Marine Data for Maritime Spatial Planning (MSP)” on 31 March as a full-day event at Hotel Amigo in Brussels, Belgium.
The workshop will demonstrate how the Copernicus Marine Service supports Maritime Spatial Planning by providing free, reliable, and science-based ocean data.
It will highlight the use of key indicators such as multi-decadal trends in sea water temperature, sea level rise, ocean acidification, marine heatwave monitoring, and biogeochemical changes to support evidence-based decision-making.
Framed within the European Maritime Spatial Planning Directive (MSPD), the workshop will address the growing challenges of managing increasingly busy marine spaces, including shipping, fisheries, renewable energy, and marine conservation, particularly in the context of climate change.
The morning session will focus on policymakers and national authorities responsible for MSP, while the afternoon session will target technical users and practitioners interested in the operational use of Copernicus Marine data.
The workshop will also be live-streamed online, with online registration opening soon.
Provisional agenda
Morning session
9:30 Welcome Coffee
1. Opening remarks – 10:00am(DG DEFIS, DG MARE, Mercator Ocean International – MOi)
2. Copernicus Marine Service for MSP – overview – 10:15am (MOi)
3. MSP landscape and the EU Ocean Pact to support implementation of MSPD – 10:45am
4. The MSP community needs and feedback around ocean observation coordination and governance - Roundtable and exchange with the audience – 11:15am
5. Closing remarks 12:00am
Lunch break 12:30-14:00
Afternoon session
1. Diving into the Marine Data for MSP – 14:00 (MOi)
2. Copernicus National Collaboration Programme: Practical MSP Use Cases – 14:20 (MOi)
3. Thematic Demonstration Session – 15:00 (MOi)
4. Roundtable: Towards a Stronger Alignment Across MSP Actors – 15:40am
5. Wrap-Up and Next Steps 16:30