Developing a common global framework for marine data management

The paradigm shift in marine research moving from the traditional discipline based methodology to a multidisciplinary, ecosystem level approach is being driven by changes in both the policies for the management and exploitation of the ocean, and the scientific method itself. The availability of large volumes of good quality data is fundamental to this increasingly holistic approach to ocean research but there are significant barriers to its re-use. The Ocean Data Interoperability Platform (ODIP) project has been funded in parallel by the European Commission, National Science Foundation in the USA and the Australian Government to promote the development of a common framework for marine data management that leverages the existing marine e-infrastructures which have been created in response to the need for greater sharing of marine data at a regional level.