FOCCUS Project: Advancing Coastal Ocean Monitoring with High-Resolution Data Products
Coastal communities and industries face mounting challenges from climate change, driving the need for smarter, more responsive ocean observation systems. The FOCCUS project is answering this call by developing cutting-edge high-resolution data products that will transform how we observe and forecast coastal environments. These innovations will significantly enhance weather and marine services, monitor ocean health, ecosystems, and coastal changes.
Advancing Coastal Observations:
A Three-Pronged Approach
The project’s coastal observation advancements focus on three key ways: enhancing observation systems, fusing in-situ and satellite data, and developing cutting-edge algorithms for improved data accuracy and traceability.
- Enhancing Coastal Observations:
Combining in-situ measurements, satellite data, and advanced algorithms to generate high-resolution maps of essential coastal variables.
FOCCUS is deepening our understanding of coastal processes to support better decision-making in climate monitoring, weather forecasting, marine services, and ocean health assessments.
High-resolution data products will drive more accurate coastal modeling and applications. - Fusing Data for Satellite Calibration and Validation:
Advanced data fusion techniques will improve the calibration and validation of satellite observations, enhancing the accuracy of ocean colour and sea surface temperature measurements.
New probability maps for Harmful Algal Blooms (HABs) will support aquaculture and coastal management, while inland-to-marine water connectivity assessments will guide sustainable water resource management. - Developing Advanced Artificial Inteligence Algorithms and Data Traceability:
Artificial intelligence techniques will be applied to analyze beach morphodynamics.
Comprehensive coastal data inventories are being compiled, including JERICO datasets and in-situ products from the Copernicus Marine Service, beginning with French coastal data from ILICO RI.
River data inventory will include major rivers across different sea basins.
Data Products for Real-World Impact
The high-resolution data products developed through FOCCUS will be integrated into coastal modeling and applications within the context of FOCCUS, addressing pressing environmental and societal challenges. These tools will enable policymakers, researchers, and coastal industries to improve:
- Monitor climate impacts more effectively;
- Weather and Marine Services
- Ocean Health
- Coastal Change
- Data fusion techniques and Cal/Val.
- New AI-algorithms and technologies.
Ensuring FAIR and Open Data Access
FOCCUS is committed to open science and data sharing All data products are being made available in standardized formats with comprehensive metadata, ensuring they are Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable. This structured approach guarantees seamless integration across platforms, empowering users to apply the data to address real-world challenges. Data products are published on Zenodo within the FOCCUS Community (Reference: FOCCUS D2.1 Data Reports, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.14886369; FOCCUS D2.2 Data Reports, doi: 10.5281/zenodo.14931861)
Looking Ahead: 2025 and Beyond
By mid-2025, FOCCUS will release the first detailed coastal and river data inventories, providing unprecedented insights into data availability and water discharge levels across major European river basins. These advancements will not only revolutionize coastal observation but also equip stakeholders with the tools needed to build climate resilience and drive sustainable coastal management.
