OceanTeacher Global Academy

This training course is part of CoastPredict UN Ocean Decade GOOS Programme’s capacity-building efforts and is a collaboration with the SUSTAIN project (UN endorsed project affiliated to CoastPredict). The training focuses on advancing skills in coastal ocean, wave, and biogeochemical modeling, and introduces innovations in observation and remote sensing, to strengthen coastal resilience in the Philippines. The course is organized by CoastPredict in collaboration with the Decade Collaborative Centre for Coastal Resilience (DCC-CR) ‘Coastal Resilience School’ and CMCC Foundation - Euro-Mediterranean Center on Climate Change, Italy, with the support of OceanTeacher Global Academy (OTGA).

Details: https://oceanexpert.org/event/4643

Course objective

The course is designed to provide participants with a comprehensive understanding of numerical ocean modeling, machine learning techniques, and remote sensing applications to simulate and analyze the dynamic and biodiverse marine environments of the Philippines. 

A key feature of the course is hands-on training using the SURF ocean modeling platform, enabling participants to simulate real-world scenarios through detailed tutorials and case studies centered on the Philippine coastal region. The program emphasizes integrating physical, biological, and chemical processes in marine systems to support the protection and sustainable management of natural resources. Through this initiative, the course aims to enhance capacity for implementing data-driven solutions and strategies for resilience that can serve as a replicable model for other regions facing similar challenges.

Venue

The course will be subdivided into two phases:

An online phase will take place through OTGA e-learning platform.

An in-person phase which will be held in Quezon City, Philippines, at the University of Philippines. 

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course the participants should be able to:

• Understand the fundamentals of ocean circulation, wave dynamics, and biogeochemical modeling.
• Set up and execute downscaling experiments using the SURF platform.
• Apply advanced AI modeling techniques to predict and analyze coastal chlorophyll concentrations.
• Understand key concepts in satellite data processing and remote sensing for oceanographic monitoring
• Understand how decision-support systems can assist in marine hazard management, oil spill forecasting, and ship route optimization
• Gain practical knowledge of coastal observations and hands-on experience in implementing and operating low-cost sea-level monitoring systems.

Target audience

The course is targeted particularly towards mid-career scientists and professionals from environmental protection agencies, governmental officers and postgraduate students (with basic knowledge of oceanography and modeling).                  

Technological requirements/computer skills

• Python, Jupyter notebook

Course content and agenda

• Module 1 Lessons (online through BigBlueButton on OTGA platform) 

24 Feb 2025: 8.00 CET / 15:00 GMT+8 (3 hours)

• Lesson 1: Overview of the Relocatable Ocean Modeling platform SURF
• Lesson 2: Overview of coastal wave modelling
• Lesson 3: Introduction to biogeochemical 1-D modelling
• Lesson 4: Introduction to Cineca’s cloud computing system
• Lesson 5: Practical application of SURF
• Assignment of exercises: Instructions and overview (for downscaling and wave modeling).

Course Duration

The course has a total of approx 46.5 hours, according to the following structure:

• 24 Feb - 8:00 CET/15:00 Philippines time (GMT+8) - 3.5 hours (synchronous, online)
• 26 Feb - 8:00 CET/15:.00 Philippines time (GMT+8) 1 hour (synchronous, online)
• Assignments ~ 8 hours (asynchronous, online) 
• 5 days (3-7 March)-  9:00-16:00 (GMT+8) ~ 6 hours /day ( ~ 30 hours) (synchronous, face-to-face)

Certificate

OTGA Certificate will be awarded to the participants upon successful completion of assignments online and delivery of a group presentation according to the course planning.

Notes

Application process

This course is by invitation only, with a limited number of seats (10-15) participants.

Selection criteria

UNESCO is committed to promoting equal access principles. Applications from minority or underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.

Costs

Free of charge. There are no tuition fees.

The course is offered free of charge to the participants. The participants would have to cover their own costs of their travel and stay in Quezon city. Instructors are self-funded.

Contacts

For any questions, please contact OTGA Secretariat (ioc.training@unesco.org), always using the name of the course as e-mail subject.

Cancellation policy

In the event of cancellation of the course by the OTGA or its affiliates, we will provide notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date. In the event of cancellation by the attendee, we should receive notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date.

The Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) is a partnership of UK organisations committed to improving access to marine data. MEDIN is open to all with an interest in marine data and information. MEDIN is funded by a consortium of 16 sponsors and has over 60 partners that represent government departments and agencies, research organisations and private companies committed to practise good data management. MEDIN reports to the UK Marine Science Coordination Committee. 

This ONLINE course demonstrates how data management ‘best practice’ can improve organisational efficiency in data acquisition, analysis, curation and sharing. It covers data use with respect to corporate risk, re-use, audit and traceability, whilst at the same time helping minimising costs.

The course will equip attendees to better meet the challenge of keeping on top of the ever-increasing volumes and types of data that is being created and how to manage this data and make it available to users as meaningful information, whether using proprietary or open-source software and systems as enablers. 

Aims & Objectives

The course aims to give participants a broad understanding of data governance, management principles, and system components and how data can be published information and re-used with a focus on the tools that the Marine Environmental Data and Information Network (MEDIN) provides as examples of best practice. 

Expected Learning Outcomes 

Course content

The course comprises a series of presentations, demonstrations and check-point reviews, with a large practical element to help users become familiar with:

• Why data management is important and how it can and arguably should be part of an organisations business management framework alongside quality, occupational health and safety, and information security, all of which are covered by ISO accreditation.
• The role of a data policy and management plan, and things to consider and how data can be shared, published and re-used.
• Data management principles, standards and components, including data lifecycle and quality, the role of vocabularies (or data dictionaries) and the importance of creating, maintaining and publishing metadata.
• The resources and other benefits of MEDIN and practical instruction in the use of the MEDIN data guidelines, metadata standard and controlled vocabularies.

Course modules include:

• Module 1. Course content and objectives 
• Module 2. Introduction to MEDIN as an exemplar data partnership and management framework  
• Module 3. Data management overview, principles and organisation 
• Module 4. Data in a Business Management Framework (Policy, Planning, Review) 
• Module 5. Standards Overview 
• Module 6. Data management components frameworks and infrastructure
• Module 7. Practical session
• Module 8. MEDIN Data Guidelines
• Module 9. Data Sharing and Publishing
• Module 10. Course Summary

Target audience and prerequisites

This training course is suitable for anyone responsible for collecting or managing marine environmental data in the public sector, industry, or for education or research, for example:

• Existing and potential data managers who wish to gain an overview of data governance, policy and principles and/or want to learn more about using the MEDIN metadata standard data guidelines in their day to day work.
• Contractors who want to implement good data management practice and/or have been asked to supply MEDIN compliant metadata.
• Bachelors/masters/PhD students or recent graduates interested in data management best practice and adding to their professional skill set.

Pre-requisites: An understanding of marine data collection is beneficial, however no prior knowledge of MEDIN or data management is required. Familiarity with different marine data types, and how data is acquired and used, would be helpful but not essential. Prior knowledge or practical experience in data management is not required.

Language of Instruction: English 

Instructors

• Roseanna Wright (MEDIN/NOC)
• Colm Walsh (MEDIN/NOC)
• Alice Rysiecki (MEDIN/NOC)
• Chloe Figueroa-Ashforth (DASSH/MBA)
• Mike Osborne (OceanWise)

Course Format and Duration

The course takes place over 5 days with online lectures delivered in live sessions (2-3 hours, with regular breaks) in the mornings (UK time) and independent-study and practical assignments in the afternoons.

Course/Module Dates: 5-16 June 2023

Course/Module Dates: 15-26 February 2021 

Course/Module Dates: 28 March-8 April 2022

This training course will focus on raising the knowledge on the monitoring, assessment, and accounting of marine blue carbon. And also the related instrumentation and calibration of some biogeochemical parameters are the main content of the training course. The course will use case studies relevant for the Western Pacific.

Learning outcomes

By the end of the course, the participants should:

• Have a comprehensive understanding of the monitoring and assessment of coastal blue carbon.
• Be able to explain the role of connotation, Classification, and Accounting of Marine Carbon Sequestration.
• Be familiar with the instrumentation and calibration of some biogeochemical parameters.

Target audience and prerequisites

Include, but are not limited to, the following researchers and management staff on marine ecological observation, who deal with biogeochemical parameter measurements and instrumentation.

Language of instruction: English

Course content

Day 1 The monitoring and assessment of coastal blue carbon

Day 2 Connotation, Classification, and Accounting of Marine Carbon Sequestration

Day 3-5 Instrumentation and calibration of some biogeochemical parameters (dissolved oxygen and pH in seawater for example)

• utilization and maintenance of dissolved oxygen and pH instruments/sensors
• calibration of dissolved oxygen and pH sensors for seawater use in a lab
• calibration method of multi-parameter compensation for optical dissolved oxygen sensor in seawater

Instructors

Learner assessment and certificate

Assessment will be done through (online) quizzes.

Successful completion of the assignments (passmark: 80%) and active attendance of all of the synchronous sessions will be needed to be awarded a certificate of completion

Technology requirements

To complete this course, you should have access to:

• Latest version of either Chrome, Edge, or Firefox, web browsers
• Access to internet
• Firewalls must be disabled in order to be able to attend the synchronous live sessions

Course Duration, Synchronous Sessions, and Format

The course will take place online between November 25 to 29, 2024, with a duration of approximately 20 hours.

This is a 20-hour training course that will run online between 25-29 Nov 2024, including 3 (daily) synchronous sessions to be held between 13-16 pm (UTC+8) using BigBlueButton web conferencing platform.

The course includes 15 hours of synchronous work (content and discussion) plus 5 hours of individual asynchronous work for completion of assessments.

Application process and selection criteria

A limited number of seats (45) are available. Please complete the online application form available on this LINK. The applications start 01 October 2024. The deadline to submit the application is 31 October 2024  (23:59 CET: Central European Time).

UNESCO is committed to promoting equal access principles. Applications from minority or underrepresented groups are strongly encouraged.

The Selecting Committee will be set up by the hosts (NCOSM and NMDIS), which will comprise the course coordinator, organizers, and lecturers. Selection criteria include the applicant’s academic background, professional experience/duties (such as marine observation, blue carbon and ecosystem data management), and how the applicant will be able to apply the new knowledge acquired. Priority will be given to participants from the West Pacific

Contacts

• Course Coordinators: YU Jianqing yujianqing@ncosm.org.cn; Xu Dian ncosmws@ncosm.org.cn
• OTGA Secretariat: ioc.training@unesco.org

Costs

Free of charge. There are no tuition fees.

The instructors will give the course voluntarily with support from NCOSM.

Cancellation policy

In the event of cancellation of the course by the OTGA or its affiliates, we will provide notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date. In the event of cancellation by the attendee, we should receive notification of cancellation at least 7 days prior to the course date.

This online, fully self-paced training course provides a comprehensive introduction to the management of marine data, including the guiding principles of data management and typical responsibilities for data managers, data stewards and scientists.

This course is developed by, and for, marine data managers, data stewards and researchers, working in institutions responsible for the collection and good management of marine data.

During this training course, you will be introduced to several general aspects related to the management of marine data, including, metadata, quality control, data policy, data sharing and publishing, data management plans and the research data life cycle. By the end of this course, you will be able to describe and implement the core tasks required for the processing of marine data, explain the importance of metadata, advise researchers on the research data life cycle and explain why a good data management plan is key from the very first initiation steps of a project.

This online, fully self-paced training course provides a comprehensive introduction to the management of marine data, including the guiding principles of data management and typical responsibilities for data managers, data stewards and scientists.

This course is developed by, and for, marine data managers, data stewards and researchers, working in institutions responsible for the collection and good management of marine data.

During this training course, you will be introduced to several general aspects related to the management of marine data, including, metadata, quality control, data policy, data sharing and publishing, data management plans and the research data life cycle. By the end of this course, you will be able to describe and implement the core tasks required for the processing of marine data, explain the importance of metadata, advise researchers on the research data life cycle and explain why a good data management plan is key from the very first initiation steps of a project.

Learning outcomes

By the end of this training, participants should be able to:

• Describe the phases of the Research Data Life Cycle
• Explain the concept of a Data Management Plan
• Explain the concept and importance of metadata
• identify suitable file formats for data preservation and sharing
• Identify appropriate repositories for your data 
• Summarise the goal of assigning a data licence
• Explain the common concerns related to data reuse

Target audience

1. Overview of Coastal Resilience and its Business Implications 
2. Understanding Coastal Hazards Using Operational Oceanography 
3. Environmental Impact Assessment and Risk Management
4. Enabling Technologies for Coastal Resilience
5. Innovative Solutions for Coastal Resilience