What is EDITO?

A Digital Twin of the Ocean is a virtual representation of all marine and coastal environments around the globe. It gives access to real-time and historical observations from thousands of sensors across the world ocean, as well as numerous satellites in space.

By integrating advanced numerical modelling, artificial intelligence, machine learning and high-performance computing, digital twins can generate the information needed to design the most effective and sustainable ways of protecting marine and coastal habitats, supporting a more sustainable blue economy, and mitigating and adapting to climate change.

The European Commission launched the European Digital Twin of the Ocean at the One Ocean Summit in Brest, France, in February 2022. As a main element of the Digital Ocean Knowledge System under the European Union’s “Mission Restore our Ocean and Waters”, its ambition is to make ocean information readily available to all - international policymakers, national governments, researchers, innovators, businesses, entrepreneurs, activists, and citizens.

The European Digital Twin of the Ocean will provide an innovative set of user-driven, interactive, and decision-making tools, backed by the best science and data. Its core development is underway with funding from the European Union through the European Digital Twin Ocean (EDITO) R&D projects. These two sister projects, namely EDITO-Infra and EDITO-Model Lab, will build the operational infrastructure of EDITO.

EDITO will further construct and evolve a thriving digital ecosystem through several other relevant, complementary actions, aiming for an operational Digital Twin of the Ocean by 2024.

Continue to discover EDITO-Model Lab or explore the EDITO-Infra.

Discover two eu interdependent projects building the European digital twin of the ocean

A 3-year project aiming to develop the next generation of ocean models, combining artificial intelligence and high-performance computing, to be integrated into the EDITO public infrastructure, providing access to focus applications and simulations of different what-if scenarios

DISCOVer edito-model lab

A 2-year project that will build the public infrastructure backbone for EDITO by integrating key data service components (among which Copernicus Marine Service and EMODnet), and by sharing cloud processing capabilities and software into a single digital framework

DISCOVer edito-infra

what is the digital twin of the ocean?

Learn more About Digital Twin ocean

Dive Deeper Into EDITO-Model Lab

EDITO-Model Lab will demonstrate the feasibility to connect and interoperate, on a common platform, a large variety of ocean and coastal numerical models, allowing for global, regional-to-coastal model configuration and the co-development of new simulations and scenarios for enhanced on-demand ocean forecasting and ocean climate prediction.

The project will complement the Copernicus Marine Service and will contribute to consolidate Destination Earth (DestinE), namely by ensuring access to:

Input and validation

from EMODnet, EuroGOOS, ECMWF, Copernicus Services and Sentinels satellite observations

High-performance and distributed computing facilities

from EuroHPC for HPC and other cloud computing resources

Core model suite

based addressing several oceanic disciplines such as ocean physics, biogeochemistry and biodiversity with applications for marine pollution, aquaculture and marine resource management

co-development environment

to integrate dedicated ocean twins on the core platform

Input and validation

from EMODnet, EuroGOOS, ECMWF, Copernicus Services and Sentinels satellite observations

High-performance and distributed computing facilities

from EuroHPC for HPC and other cloud computing resources

Core model suite

based addressing several oceanic disciplines such as ocean physics, biogeochemistry and biodiversity with applications for marine pollution, aquaculture and marine resource management

co-development environment

to integrate dedicated ocean twins on the core platform

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Who will benefit from EDITO-Model Lab?

EDITO-Model Lab will make ocean knowledge freely available to researchers, scientific experts, decision-makers, entrepreneurs, policymakers, and citizens alike. It will enable them to become partners in knowledge generation, explore desirable futures and develop ocean management scenarios, and assemble their own digital twins.

This way, the project will engage a wide global community to help to ensure a safe, healthy, and productive ocean.

What will EDITO-Model Lab produce?

As a collaborative and user driven initiative, EDITO-Model Lab will deliver a Virtual Ocean Model Lab, an interactive and co-development environment to operate models, including:

Core model suite with global high-resolution models and coastal configurations

Downstream user toolkits

Developer’s toolkit for a sustainable ocean

The EDITO core model suite will be based on modelling and simulation software, artificial intelligence, algorithms, and specialised tools to form a new service capacity for accessing, manipulating, analysing understanding marine information, with enhanced ocean forecasting and ocean climate prediction capabilities.

Intermediate and downstream stakeholders will find digital tools, models, data, and information for:

Focus applications

related to the Mission Ocean Lighthouses and Blue Economy sectors, including Marine Protected Areas, ship routing, pollution

Learn more

what-if scenarios

to find solutions to natural and man-induced hazards such as marine plastic and carbon emissions from aquaculture

Learn more

WHICH PROGRAMMES, SERVICES AND PROJECTS RELATE TO EDITO-MODEL LAB?

Ocean observing systems, ocean modelling and operational forecasting

Oceanography (physical, chemical, biological, geological)

Operating environment knowledge and modelling technology

Ocean and climate change

Marine and coastal zone management

Ocean observing systems, ocean modelling and operational forecasting

Oceanography (physical, chemical, biological, geological)

Operating environment knowledge and modelling technology

Technological innovation

Which initiatives and projects relate to EDITO-Model Lab?

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who is involved?

How is edito-model lab organised?

WP 1 Project Coordination

Led by Mercator Ocean International

Coordination of contractual and financial issues, overall project management, internal communication, and deliverables. Management of the project progress in terms of scientific quality, timeliness, and impact.

WP 2 AI-based Emulators for Ocean Modelling and Forecasting

Led by Institut Mines-Télécom (IMT)

co-led by Centre National de la Recherche Scientifique

Create AI-based Deep Differentiable Emulators (DDE) to enhance state-of-the-art global ocean models. Application of AI paradigms to forecast and model the ocean for the hybrid Digital Twin of the ocean, which will be used in WP4 and WP6-7 demonstrations.

WP 3 Models for EDITO

Led by Centro Euro-Mediterraneo sui Cambiamenti Climatici (CMCC)

co-led by Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut

Merge numerical models for hydrodynamics and waves and create new ocean model configurations optimised for Digital Twin use and European HPC hardware. Test and validate global and regional-to-coastal configurations to integrate WP4, WP6, and WP7.

WP 4 EDITO Core Model Suite

Led by Mercator Ocean International

co-led by Deltares

Build the EDITO core model suite by designing and integrating model components, utilising next-gen models available in the EDITO-Model Lab. Use optimised and validated models, along with DDE and classical approaches to construct hybrid models.

WP 5 Virtual Ocean Model Lab

Led by Barcelona Supercomputing Center

co-led by Cineca

Provide the technological platform for co-developing, implementing, and testing prototypes for Focus Applications (FA; WP6) and What-if Scenarios (WiS; WP7) by integrating thematic models (WP4), AI (WP2) and global to coastal scales models (WP3).

WP 6 End-to-end Demonstrations for Focus Applications

Led by Deltares

co-led by Università di Bologna

Design and implement models, utilise AI-based tools, co-design 3 FA, implement EDITO models for end-users, test during targeted validation period in global ocean and European sea basin, and assess DTO methodology's quality by external stakeholders.

WP 7 What-if Scenarios

Led by Helmholtz-Zentrum Hereon

co-led by Danmarks Meteorologiske Institut

Develop WiS using WP3, WP4 and WP5 tools to showcase EDITO engine in three Mission Areas. Demonstrate and validate end-to-end with beta-testers using Jupyter notebooks to configure WiS with input from scientists and intermediate users.

WP 8 Communication, Dissemination, and Uptake

Led by +ATLANTIC CoLAB

co-led by Mercator Ocean International

Increase EDITO's visibility and impact through a comprehensive communication plan and training events for end-users. Collaborate with other WPs to develop the training content for intermediate and end-users and support global ocean initiatives..