GSS EU Science Funding Gateway

The project should address all activities and tasks as described below, in cooperation and complementarity with the linked action and other relevant actions:

1. Ocean twin: The project should develop the reference models suite for the European Digital Twin Ocean and should include:

• the preparation and development of model and data assimilation schemes, enabling simulation and development of what-if scenarios based on, but not be limited to, a global high-resolution kilometric ocean physics model from the IMMERSE project, that complement the Copernicus forecasting capacities and support on-demand simulation services;
• a suite of configurable coastal models to reach the local scale, as part of the twin ocean suite or the toolkit (see below) in line with state-of-art science proposed in the UN Decade of Ocean Science.

2. Developer’s toolkit: the ocean twin should be complemented with a toolkit to favour its exploitation including by additional models or software following specified quality standards. It should include:

• a scientific software library with open and free, easy-to-use software, models, AI algorithms (e.g.: addressing coastal circulation, particle tracking, aquaculture cultivation and emissions, ecosystems, hydrodynamics, etc.) that can be enriched progressively;
• a virtual development environment, dedicated to scientific validation where groups of users can assess their results, develop validation and product quality campaigns for their models and explore what-if scenarios;
• tools to retrieve data and products in suitable form for producing indicators for EU reporting (e.g.: Application Programming Interfaces for MSFD, Habitats, Birds directives reporting).

3. Use: The Ocean twin models suite should enable the development of what-if scenarios and simulations to support the Mission Ocean lighthouses. Therefore, it should be demonstrated and validated end-to-end with beta-testers on one what-if scenario in line with the Mission priorities and representative of the complexity of lighthouses.