About FOCCUS
Start Date: 1 Jan 2024. - End Date: 31 Dec 2026. - Duration: 36 months
FOCCUS aims to enhance the Copernicus Marine Service by improving coastal monitoring through innovative high-resolution products and integrating Copernicus with Member State services. This integration will enable seamless monitoring and forecasting from global to coastal scales, addressing challenges like coastal zone protection, sustainable blue economy, and climate change resilience. The methodology involves using new space and in-situ observations, data fusion, and modelling. FOCCUS will drive the Copernicus Marine Service evolution, ensuring uptake of outcomes by the user community and active engagement with global initiatives.
Project objectives
General objetive
- To improve and advance the coastal dimension of the Copernicus Marine Service.
Specific objectives
- Improve pan-European innovative high-resolution coastal observations in response to society and EU policy needs.
- Improve land-coast-open ocean interfaces.
- Enhance and/or establish the connection of member state coastal systems (MSCSs) to the existing Copernicus Marine Service's systems in order to improve the open ocean connection to these systems and enhance the quality and efficiency of the Copernicus Marine Service.
- Demonstrate the usefulness of the advancement of the observing and modelling systems through the design of co-produced applications in support of MS requirements.
- Maximising the uptake and impact through an effective campaign of communication, dissemination, exploitation and engagement activities and preparing the long-term exploitation of the project.
Outcomes and impact
- Outcome 1: Enhanced coastal observations
- Outcome 2: Increased promotion and adoption of common data standards for in-situ coastal and river data
- Outcome 3: Advanced hydrological models
- Outcome 4: Optimized production chains and performance in coastal models
- Outcome 5: Improved quality and efficiency of current Copernicus Marine Service's products
- Outcome 6: Reinforced links between Member States and the Copernicus Marine Service
- Outcome 7: Better decision-making
Furthermore, the FOCCUS initiative is expected to enhance European capabilities and strengthen alignment with EU directives. It aims to increase public awareness and deepen the understanding of coastal zones, leading to improved monitoring, forecasting, and management practices. The initiative will also promote the broader utilization of FOCCUS legacy products and expand the number of Copernicus Marine Service's users. Ultimately, it will enhance Copernicus Marine Service's support for users, ensuring more effective and efficient decision-making processes.
These advancements are critical for addressing key challenges such as coastal zone protection, the development of a sustainable blue economy, and the enhancement of climate change resilience. The results of FOCCUS will significantly contribute to the advancement of marine environmental monitoring, providing essential data and tools for policymakers, researchers, and the broader community.
Partners and collaborators
Lead organization
Helmholtz-Zentrum HEREON GmBH (Germany)
Partners: 19 organizations across Europe
MOi (France)
CMCC (Italy)
CLS (France)
SOCIB (Spain)
CNR (Italy)
Deltares (Netherlands)
NERSC (Norway)
MET.NO (Norway)
SSBE (Belgium)
+ATLANTIC (Portugal)
RBINS (Belgium)
MHD (Romania)
EUROGOOS (Belgium)
BC (Germany)
DMI (Denmark)
Ifremer (France)
SMHI (Sweden)
Synergies with European and international initiatives
SOCIB’s staff involved in the project
Àngels Fernández
Scientist in charge of the Beach Monitoring Facility
Francisco Criado
Senior Technician of the Beach Monitoring Facility
Elena Sánchez
Researcher in coastal processes
Jesús Soriano
Postdoc in morphodynamics and computational physics
Guiomar López
Scientist of the HF Radar Facility
Funding
Funded by the European Union (Grant Agreement No. 101133911). Views and opinions expressed are however those of the author(s) only and do not necessarily reflect those of the European Union or the European Health and Digital Executive Agency (HaDEA). Neither the European Union nor the granting authority can be held responsible for them.
Contact us
For further information, please visit the official website here.
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