LifeWatch Belgium: ETN datasets on fish species now accessible through GBIF

acoustic telemetry ETN datasets

At the end of September, we received important news from our National Distributed Centre in LifeWatch Belgium: the first ETN datasets from the Permanent Belgian Acoustic Receiver Network are now available via GBIF. The datasets include 507,095 occurrences of 10 fish species from Belgian freshwater, intertidal, and marine habitats. 

What does that mean? 

LifeWatch Belgium uses innovative tracking technologies to understand fishes’ movement behaviour, and get insights into their migration routes. Through acoustic telemetry, they actively track fish through implanted tags that emit acoustic signals. 

The importance of having such data and being able to understand fish routes, can be explained in terms of support to species and habitat conservation, and good fisheries management. 

Acoustic telemetry data is managed in the European Tracking Network (ETN) data platform. After a lengthy process of elaboration and standardisation, which began in 2020, INBO and Ghent University have made eight datasets available in Darwin Core format as part of their contribution to LifeWatch Belgium.

The datasets in Darwin Core format are now accessible through the Global Diversity Information Facility network (GBIF): an international network and data infrastructure aimed at providing open access data about all types of life on Earth.

The next step will be to make this data accessible via OBIS as well.

Read more at the following link, and stay tuned to LifeWatch Belgium for future developments: https://www.lifewatch.be/news/first-etn-datasets-available-through-gbif 

RitrainPlus November Events: project management and tools for Research Infrastructure efficiency

Eleventh CoP meeting

The RitrainPlus project is organising a Knowledge Exchange Workshop, and a Community of Practice meeting, both taking place this November.

RitrainPlus aims to bring together research infrastructures, core facilities, business management schools and European universities, in an innovative collaboration designed to transform the access and empowerment of human resources.

European research infrastructures and core facilities will benefit from the RitrainPlus skill-base, helping to drive their professionalisation, efficiency and long-term value creation.

Knowledge Exchange Workshop:

Organised jointly by ICOS and ACTRIS, the online workshop is dedicated to the management of a portfolio of European projects at 360 degrees. 

This event is open to all scientific disciplines, and it is organised in three independent sessions on 14, 15 and 29 November. Participants can register for one or more of the sessions, depending on their interest. 

The three sessions will cover essential topics: Session 1 focuses on methods for identifying emerging themes and assessing project portfolios; Session 2 addresses practical strategies for managing multiple projects simultaneously; and Session 3 explores ways to ensure the sustainability and long-term legacy of projects.

Please note that space is limited, and registration will be on a first-come, first-served basis.

For details on this workshop, we suggest consulting the Ritrain Plus website: https://ritrainplus.eu/2024/10/16/ritrainplus-knowledge-exchange-workshop-project-portfolio-management/

Next CoP online meeting: Technical Tools to improve the efficiency of RIs staff

The second event organised by the Ritrain Plus consortium is part of a series of meetings dedicated to the project’s Community of Practice (registrations can be done through this Facebook group: https://www.facebook.com/groups/ritrainplus).

This is the 11th online meeting of the community, dedicated to research infrastructure staff, and it will take place on 15 November, from 12:00 to 13:30. Cristina Huertas-Olivares (International Initiatives & Projects Manager) and Joaquin Lopez Lerida (Data e-Science Management Plan & BlockChain Officer), both from the LifeWatch ERIC Statutory Seat and ICT-Core offices in Spain, will moderate and present during the session. 

The goal of the meeting is to promote the efficiency of distributed Research Infrastructures, which often face the challenge of managing multiple tasks, while collaborating remotely with colleagues. The session has the advantage of being highly practical: attendants will be presented with a suite of digital tools to enhance their daily workflow.

The Zoom link of the meeting is available on the Ritrain Plus dedicated page: https://ritrainplus.eu/2024/10/14/next-cop-online-meeting-technical-tools-to-improve-the-efficiency-of-ris-staff/ 

LifeWatch ERIC to host series of workshops on Agroecology Monitoring in Europe

agroecology workshop

LifeWatch ERIC and Wageningen University & Research are organising a series of online thematic workshops under the AGROECOLOGY Partnership, co-funded by Horizon Europe.
These workshops aim to accelerate the transition towards more environmentally and people-friendly agroecosystems, by promoting the development of reliable monitoring frameworks and tools.
The ICT Core Scientific Team held the first event of the series on 15 October 2024, focusing on the agro-environmental domain.

The panel featured experts from leading organisations, including the European Commission DG Agri, Joint Research Centre (JRC), Food and Agriculture Organisation (FAO), CIFOR-ICRAF, FiBL (Research Institute of Organic Agriculture), and Wageningen University & Research (WUR). Their insights provide important contributions to address the challenges of monitoring agroecological transitions, as this requires scientific rigor and collaborative efforts.

The next events will take place on 25 October, and on 6 November. The series of thematic workshops aims to identify lessons learned and knowledge gaps in agroecology monitoring across different domains, discuss the scales and indicators necessary for effective agroecological transitions, and address data challenges for tracking the social, environmental, and economic impacts of agroecological practices.

The results of these thematic workshop, will converge and set the basis for discussions in the final, in-person workshop, which will bring together experts in agroecology monitoring, AGROECOLOGY partners, and potential end-users of the monitoring framework.

The output of this meeting will be a position paper with the most relevant insights and recommendations, that will be crucial during the design and implementation of the monitoring framework for agroecology under the European Partnership AGROECOLOGY.

About the AGROECOLOGY Partnership​
The European partnership ‘Accelerating Farming Systems Transition: Agroecology Living Labs and Research Infrastructures’ is a Horizon Europe-funded initiative. This initiative brings together the European Commission and 72 partners from 26 countries. It aims to enhance the resilience and productivity of Europe’s farming systems through sustainable practices that address climate change and biodiversity challenges.

Learn more at agroecologypartnership.eu.

Highlights from the EGI 2024 Conference

EGI 2024

LifeWatch ERIC participated in the EGI Conference 2024, held in Lecce from September 30 to October 4. Co-hosted by EGI and CMCC, the conference took place at the Hilton Garden Inn, located in the same city as our Service Centre. This conference provided an ideal platform for our team to showcase innovative solutions that apply disruptive technologies – such as AI and Blockchain – to ecological research. 

LifeWatch ERIC and EGI share a mission to advance scientific understanding across Europe. The collaboration between these two organisations has been consolidated over time through several European Projects. Two of these, EOSC Beyond (https://www.eosc-beyond.eu/) and ENVRI-Hub NEXT (https://www.egi.eu/project/envri-hub-next/), held their annual consortium meetings during the conference. 

Our team participated with a dedicated booth, along with demonstrations and presentations. Sara Montinaro and Cristina Mancarella (LifeWatch ERIC Service Centre, Lecce) staffed the exhibition booth throughout the conference, introducing participants to our e-Science infrastructure for biodiversity and ecosystem research. Other members of our Common Facilities offered presentations on the Metadata Catalogue, LifeBlock and NaaVRE: a great chance to explore new opportunities for collaboration. Below is a summary of these presentations.

NaaVRE (Notebook-as-a-Virtual Research Environment)

Zhiming Zhao (VLIC Technical Manager) and Gabriel Pelouze, (Virtual Research Environment Developer) from our Virtual Laboratory & Innovations Centre in Amsterdam introduced the NaaVRE platform. NaaVRE supports researchers in creating digital twins and customised scientific workflows. Their presentations addressed two perspectives: digital twin development, and the research data lifecycle. 

The challenge behind this platform is to combine the strengths of Computational Notebooks (widely used, interactive, great for developing models), and Virtual Research Environments (great for sharing models in a more mature stage).

Zhiming Zhao provided an overview of the architecture and core functionalities (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19668/), like the possibility to containerise notebook cells into functional blocks, organise them into workflows, and share them easily. This system facilitates the reuse of data, models, and computational resources, making it easier for researchers to develop digital twins and complex ecological models. The platform has been tested in several use cases, including ecosystem structure analysis from LiDAR data, radar-based bird migration monitoring, and the Dutch NWO LTER-LIFE project, demonstrating NaaVRE’s potential for supporting diverse scientific communities.

Gabriel Pelouze showed some practical applications of NaaVRE in real-world data-centric research scenarios, (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19316/). In this intricate lifecycle, the possibility of customising the NaaVRE for specific scientific tasks can be very advantageous. He presented case studies where NaaVRE was used to monitor phytoplankton species and analyse ecological systems, emphasising its utility in building tailored VREs for ecosystem research. Moreover, NaaVRE’s possible integration with cloud infrastructures enables cost-effective and scalable research, by providing flexible access to computational resources.

LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue

Data and Service Architect Lucia Vaira (Service Centre, Lecce, pictured), introduced the LifeWatch ERIC Metadata Catalogue (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19338/): a centralised platform designed to improve the discoverability and accessibility of biodiversity data and services. The Metadata Catalogue addresses key challenges in the field, such as data fragmentation, heterogeneity, and inconsistencies in metadata.

The catalogue, built on GeoNetwork technology, offers researchers a user-friendly interface to access datasets, improve their FAIRness, and promote a unified approach to biodiversity data management.

New features are constantly improving this service, such as the integration of metadata FAIRness evaluation tools and templates based on standardised profiles like EML 2.2.0. and ISO 19139/119. These features support data provenance and DOI assignment, which are essential for reliable data management. 

LifeBlock

Julio Paneque (Intelligent Systems, Robotics, Unmanned Aerial Vehicles & HAPS Expert, ICT-Core, Spain), presented LifeBlock (https://indico.egi.eu/event/6441/contributions/19619/), a blockchain-based solution for researchers, policy makers, and developers to address the need for data integration and answer important questions about biodiversity. LifeBlock leverages semantic technologies and AI to support ecological and biodiversity research by federating data from diverse sources and creating a unified environment that supports advanced data discovery and analysis.

Through the use of knowledge graphs to enrich data with semantic context, it facilitates complex queries, enabling researchers to draw meaningful connections across datasets. LifeBlock’s integration of AI enhances its data management capabilities by automating tasks like metadata generation and data quality assessment, which streamline research processes. Additionally, the platform ensures proper attribution and provenance tracking, fostering trust and transparency within the scientific community.

For more information about these tools, you can visit the following links:

LifeBlock | https://lifeblock.eu/login 

Metadata Catalogue | https://metadatacatalogue.lifewatch.eu

NaaVRE | https://naavre.lifewatch.dev/vreapp 

New project on soil health and sustainability joins the LifeWatch ERIC network. Meet SUS-SOIL!

SUS-Soil

The European research project SUS-SOIL, promoting sustainable soil and subsoil health, held its kick-off meeting in Lugo, Spain, on 2nd October 2024. Funded by Horizon Europe with a budget of nearly 6 million euros, it aims to raise awareness about soil health’s role in tackling climate change, over its four years of activity.

Coordinated by the University of Santiago de Compostela (USC), the project has brought together a consortium of 22 organisations, including universities, research institutions, technical entities, foundations, companies, and public bodies from 13 countries.
SUS-SOIL, which stands for “Sustainable Soil and Subsoil Health Promotion”, will focus on implementing agro-ecological land-use and management practices to enhance ecosystem services in both rural and urban environments. The project will cover eight biogeographic regions with 15 Subsoil Living Labs across Europe and North Africa.

The three-day kick-off meeting, hosted at the USC’s Lugo Campus, saw nearly 50 participants from over ten countries come together to discuss the goals and strategies for the first months of activities (LifeWatch ERIC was represented there by Xavier Rotllan-Puig, Data Management Specialist). A field visit to Millo e Landras, an organic farm in Galicia, had the attendees engaged in hands-on soil sampling to learn about sustainable farming practices.

SUS-SOIL will not only contribute through research, but also engage with land managers and public authorities. By promoting sustainable subsoil management, it aims to address issues such as water security, ecosystem service delivery, and climate change mitigation in Europe.
The project’s progress, updates will be shared on their official website and social media channels: for more information, visit sus-soil.eu.

LifeWatch ERIC at the service of knowledge and innovation

the building of Junta de Andalucia, the entity that formally recognised LifeWatch ERIC as a knowledge agent

On October 2nd, 2024, LifeWatch ERIC achieved formal accreditation as a Knowledge Agent by the Junta de Andalucía. This milestone marks the end of a process initiated on January 24th, 2024, affirming LifeWatch ERIC’s role in advancing research, technological development, and innovative projects that benefit both the scientific community and society at large.

The accreditation acknowledges the organisation’s dedication to accelerate the research efforts of the scientific community, according to its mission to deliver a European state-of-the-art e-Science Research Infrastructure on biodiversity and ecosystem research, through key scientific services. Moreover, it highlights its alignment with the researchers’ need for key societal insights and science-based policy. Such “Knowledge Agent” recognitions are generally awarded to universities, foundations, and research institutes that demonstrate contributions to the fields of innovation, research, and development.

Following a thorough evaluation by the Evaluation and Accreditation Area of the Andalusian Agency for Scientific and University Quality (ACCUA), LifeWatch ERIC is now registered in the Electronic Register of Agents of the Andalusian Knowledge System, under the category of Research Centres, Institutes or Foundations (Centros, Institutos o Fundaciones de investigación). The assessment reviewed the organisation’s impact and achievements, confirming its alignment with the standards required by the Andalusian Knowledge System (Sistema Andaluz del Conocimiento).

The inclusion in the register remains valid for four years (although subject to periodic assessments): a distinction that not only validates past achievements, but also inspires and motivates LifeWatch ERIC to deepen its contributions to the European scientific and innovation landscape. This recognition opens doors to new funding opportunities, allowing participation in calls for competitive grants aimed exclusively at agents of the Andalusian Knowledge System. With this endorsement, we can advance experimental and applied research projects, amplifying our impact on biodiversity, environmental sustainability, and ecosystem research by supporting students, professionals and communities.

That’s a wrap! Marine SABRES at the EU Researchers’ Night 2024

LifeWatch ERIC presented the project Marine SABRES at the European Researchers’ Night, a unique event to meet researchers, learn more about their work and get closer to their world for one night (and beyond). LifeWatch ERIC organised in particular the first Marine SABRES fair, that is, the initiative “Marine SABRES in fairs: biodiversity conservation and restoration, sustainable blue economy and the benefits of ecotourism”.

More than 100 people, including enthusiastic children, young people, families and the general public at large, passionate university students and researchers visited our stand and learned more about how to restore marine biodiversity and support a sustainable blue economy by increasing the uptake of ecosystem-based management in Europe (see our photo gallery here).

More in detail, during the event LifeWatch ERIC presented results and activities carried out in the framework of the project, with a special focus on this simple socio-ecological system framework designed and developed with the active support and participation of local stakeholders in three European marine regions, where researchers are developing and testing ways to balance varying combinations of conservation priorities and economic activities. The booth promoted best practices and examples, fostered by the project’s approach, of sustainable use of marine resources and tourism, raising awareness on the importance of governance solutions to address the impacts of future economic and climate scenarios.

The event was also an opportunity to premiere the last trailers of Marine SABRES’ documentary realised by the LifeWatch Italy Multimedia Production Centre (the two video trailers focused on Macaronesia and Tuscan archipelago will be soon available online – the trailer focused on the Arctic Northeast Atlantic Demonstration Area is available on LifeWatching YouTube Channel and on the Marine SABRES dedicated web platform).

During the event, LifeWatch ERIC also engaged with some teachers and students to promote its Serious Game School Competition.
The first school competition will be launched on World Fisheries Day, Thursday 21st November 2024. Marine SABRES online serious game will introduce students between 10 and 18 years old to basic concepts of marine biology and coastal ecology and increase their awareness of the strong relations between us and the ocean. Moreover, they will have the unique opportunity to meet teachers and students from across Europe and learn from peers and a European network of researchers.
Download this presentation for more information about Marine SABRES and this international educational activity at the following link! More information here.

Have a look at our photogallery, enjoy all the moments of this incredible night!

For more information, please visit the official European Researchers’ Night ERN Apulia Med 2024

For more information, please visit Marine SABRES official website: www.marinesabres.eu

Watch our documentary trailers on LifeWatching WebTV platform: www.lifewatching.tv/tv-show/marine-sabres/