Yet, despite their importance, they remain under-observed. This persistent imbalance between need and available knowledge is often described as the coastal data gap. For coastal authorities, planners and marine operators, this gap has real consequences: it limits their ability to assess risks, plan infrastructure and investments, manage ecosystems effectively and respond to extreme events. 

Europe has made major progress in ocean monitoring, particularly through large-scale systems such as Copernicus Marine Service and EMODnet. However, these systems have historically focused on the open ocean and regional seas. Coastal areas are fundamentally different: they are highly dynamic, influenced by complex land-sea interactions and require far higher spatial and temporal resolution, faster update cycles as well as the integration of multiple data sources. At the same time, they fall under the responsibility of Member States and national agencies, which must address specific local and national needs.

This is where FOCCUS comes in.

FOCCUS: bridging scales and systems

The EU funded FOCCUS project directly addresses the coastal gap by strengthening Europe's coastal monitoring and forecasting capabilities. Its core objective is to enable a seamless transition from global to regional and ultimately to coastal scales, connecting Copernicus Marine with national coastal systems. FOCCUS contributes to make coastal data usable, interoperable, and actionable. It does this by developing novel high-resolution coastal data products by improving the integration of satellite Earth Observations, in situ measurements and ocean modelling systems together with artificial intelligence algorithms into a more coherent framework.. Across Europe, coastal observations exist but are often fragmented across institutions, formats and systems. FOCCUS therefore works to build stronger links between Copernicus Marine and Member State coastal systems, while developing new high-resolution coastal products tailored to user needs. It also builds a pan-European inventory of coastal and river data and aligns datasets with common standards and metadata to ensure interoperability and accessibility.

Beyond data production, FOCCUS focuses on turning data into applications by co-designing coastal services with stakeholders. These applications, ranging from protecting coastal areas (e.g. erosion, pollution), support the blue economy (e.g. aquaculture, offshore operations) and strengthen resilience to climate change and hazards, demonstrate how integrated, high-resolution data can directly support real-world decision-making.

One of FOCCUS's key contributions is its work to identify, map and connect existing coastal monitoring efforts across Europe. Through its inventory work and integration efforts, the project is identifying gaps, aligning national approaches and improving interoperability between datasets and services. Local planning challenges illustrate this need clearly. Assessing flood risks, planning nature-based solutions or evaluating coastal infrastructure investments all require integrated, high-resolution data that reflects local conditions. 

Supporting real-word decisions

The value of FOCCUS becomes especially clear in operational and real contexts.

A concrete example is an oil spill response, where effective response depends on accurate, high-resolution predictions of currents, waves and winds By integrating satellite observations, in situ measurements and high-resolution coastal models, FOCCUS supports more accurate local-scale predictions, enabling faster, more precise, and more effective response actions. Similarly, coastal planning, whether for flood risk, nature-based solutions, or infrastructure investments, relies on integrated, high-resolution, and location-specific information, which FOCCUS is designed to deliver. It also demonstrates how improved coastal intelligence can support real-time operational decision-making. 

More examples of FOCCUS coastal applications are available here: https://foccus-project.eu/coastal-applications/ 

The blue economy also depends on accurate and accessible coastal information. Activities such as aquaculture, offshore energy, shipping and tourism require reliable forecasts and environmental data to operate efficiently and sustainably. For these sectors, integrated and user-ready data improve site selection, reduce operational risks and improve environmental performance. FOCCUS supports these needs by developing applications that translate complex datasets into practical services. 

Closing the coastal data gap requires more than simply producing more data. It requires better integration across systems, stronger interoperability and closer collaboration with users to co-develop operational, fit-for purposeservices. FOCCUS responds to this challenge by bringing together research institutions, public authorities and industry partners to connect fragmented observations, models and data streams into a coherent European coastal intelligence framework. By transforming disperse datasets into integrated, high-resolution and decision-ready information, FOCCUS enables coastal authorities, planners, and marine operators to better assess risks, plan infrastructure and investments, manage ecosystems, and respond effectively to extreme events. In doing so, FOCCUS contributes to strengthening climate resilience, supporting sustainable blue economy activities, and building a more informed future for Europe’s coastal regions.