What is the EDITO Platform, and how can ocean modellers use it?
The European Digital Twin Ocean (EU DTO) is set to transform the way we understand, study, monitor, manage, protect, and sustainably use the ocean. With significant contributions by EDITO-Model Lab and EDITO-Infra (the sister project of EDITO-Model Lab), this innovative tool will provide a digital environment for ocean numerical modellers, marine scientists, data scientists, blue economy actors, policymakers and implementers, NGOs, and citizens to access and simulate data and information in an unprecedented way.
Through a single digital platform, these stakeholders will be able to explore data products from various remote and in-situ sources, including numerical simulations from the EDITO Core Model Suite, analyse them with powerful AI and supercomputing resources, and use them to generate multiple applications addressing the most pressing issues affecting our ocean, seas, and coasts. The EU DTO will feature advanced simulation tools for a range of Focus Applications and What-if Scenarios that you can already start familiarising yourself with—for example, through the EDITO-Model Lab news articles.
Exploring the EDITO Platform: A new era for ocean numerical modelling
The EDITO Platform serves as the backbone of the EU DTO, integrating data and computing resources from EuroHPC. It leverages existing European ocean monitoring initiatives such as the Copernicus Marine Service, which provides ocean observations and forecasts, and the European Marine Observation and Data Network (EMODnet), offering a wealth of open-access marine datasets.
Those accustomed to accessing, harmonising, and analysing ocean data to produce detailed insights into how various marine environments function, interact, and are influenced by human activities—such as marine scientists and ocean modellers—can already start using the EDITO Platform beta version.
The platform offers a beta testing programme for ocean scientists and model developers interested in participating in the co-design, testing, and integration phases of its development. These experts can test platform features before the official release, provide feedback on usability and performance, and contribute to its ongoing enhancement.
Information on how to participate in the beta testing programme is available on the EDITO-Infra website, which is responsible for building the public infrastructure backbone of the EU DTO by integrating key ocean data suppliers.
What will testers find on the EDITO Platform?
One of the key goals of the EDITO initiative is to support marine scientists and ocean modellers in developing, deploying, and testing new numerical modelling tools. The EDITO Platform, therefore, integrates multiple advanced features that streamline workflows, optimise model performance, and facilitate collaboration.
A core component of the EDITO Platform is the EDITO Data Lake, a powerful cloud-based repository for ocean data. This infrastructure enables access to:
- Multi-source data from satellites, in-situ observations, and numerical models
- High-performance computing for ocean data transfer, analysis, and simulation
- Optimised data access and retrieval, allowing users to efficiently search, filter, and use datasets for ocean modelling and simulation
The EDITO Platform provides users with the ability to run complex ocean simulations at scale, offering:
- Flexible and scalable cloud computing, ensuring smooth performance for data processing and modelling
- Easy access to high-performance computing (HPC) resources including some EuroHPC computing facilities, enabling large scale simulations
- Support for AI-driven analysis, including access to GPU resources and pre-configured development environments such as PyTorch and TensorFlow
Users can deploy on-demand ocean models and run customised What-if Scenarios and Focus Applications—for example, optimised ship routing and aquaculture for zero carbon, oil spill prevention and marine plastic reduction for zero marine pollution, or the enhancement of nature-based solutions for the protection of marine biodiversity and coastal zones.
In terms of data visualisation, the EDITO Platform incorporates intuitive tools that allow users to interact with their models and datasets visually. Key features include interactive dashboards for monitoring models and geospatial mapping tools for visualising oceanographic data. These tools help users interpret results, compare simulations, and share insights beyond the research and scientific communities.
The platform fosters a virtual co-working environment where users can share models, exchange insights, and collaborate on innovative solutions. This collaborative ecosystem promotes open-access science by enabling data producers and users to share their work, reuse model components, and accelerate new model development cycles through community-driven improvements—ensuring that the platform evolves in response to user needs.
The EDITO Platform is set to be a game-changer for ocean stakeholders, offering unparalleled access to data, modelling capabilities, and collaborative tools. Whether you are developing next-generation ocean simulations or testing the impact of marine, coastal, environmental, and climate issues, the EDITO Platform provides a robust digital environment tailored to your needs.
Explore the platform today at https://dive.edito.eu. Visit the EDITO-Model Lab and EDITO-Infra websites for further details, news, and results. Stay updated on the progress of the EU DTO by following our joint accounts on LinkedIn and X. Do not forget to subscribe to our new LinkedIn Newsletter and mailing list to receive exclusive insights, news, and updates.
Several EDITO and EU DTO events are planned for 2025, where you will have the opportunity to explore, test, and contribute to the development of this groundbreaking tool. Stay tuned!
- Portability and interoperability of numerical models and simulation techniques
- Optimisation and adaptation to new and future computing platforms
- Coupling, interaction and hybridisation between different numerical models and Machine Learning components to represent ocean physics, biogeochemistry, biology and ecology
- Flexibility in use, configuration design and simulations to suit applications
- Virtual Ocean Model Lab is a co-development platform to connect developers of various models, users willing to produce simulations using AI and ML, and associated infrastructure providing access to different computing (HPC, CLOUD) and data storage and dissemination resources (data lake)
- Usage examples and user support for Focus Applications and What-if Scenarios
