OceanBestPractices (OBP) is a secure, permanent document (and other objects) repository. It aims to provide a discovery point for research groups to search and find community accepted existing ocean best practices. This service also invites the ocean research, observation and data/information management communities to submit their own best practice documents to share globally with their colleagues. More...

Please note unless it has been accepted and annotated in OBPS as an Endorsed Practice by an Expert Panel, inclusion of a methodology in the OBPS, does not indicate that the methodology is recommended by OBPS.

User Guides

Best Practices Document Template Collection

    Communities in OceanBestPractices

    Select a community to browse its collections.

    ⇒ ACT: Alliance for Coastal Technologies [81]
    ⇒ ARGO: an international programme using autonomous floats ... [30]
    ⇒ CalCOFI: California Cooperative Oceanic Fisheries Investigation [30]
    ⇒ CMEMS: Copernicus Marine Service [6]
    ⇒ DBCP: Data Buoy Cooperation Panel [8]
    ⇒ EAF-Nansen Programme [8]
    ⇒ EC-OBPSS: European Commission Ocean Best Practices and Standards System [202]
    ⇒ ECSA: European Citizen Science Association [and other CS] [15]
    ⇒ EMB: European Marine Board [1]
    ⇒ EMBRC: European Marine Biological Resource Centre [7]
    ⇒ EMODnet: European Marine Observation and Data Network [13]
    ⇒ EU: European Union [144]
    ⇒ EUROGOOS [11]
    ⇒ EUROSEA [11]
    ⇒ FAO: Food and Agricultural Organization [15]
    ⇒ GBIF: Global Biodiversity Information Facility [7]
    ⇒ GEOTRACES: internat. study of the marine biogeochemical cycles ... [5]
    ⇒ GGGI: Global Ghost Gear Initiative [6]
    ⇒ GLOBAL HF RADAR NETWORK [2]
    ⇒ GOOS: Global Ocean Observing System [4]
    ⇒ GO-SHIP: Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations [23]
    ⇒ HELCOM: Baltic Marine Environment Protection Commission [49]
    ⇒ ICES: International Council for the Exploration of the Sea [102]
    ⇒ IMAS: Institute for Marine and Antarctic Studies, Univ. of Tasmania [2]
    ⇒ IMOS: Integrated Marine Observing System [63]
    ⇒ IOCCG: International Ocean-Colour Coordinating Group [27]
    ⇒ IOCCP: International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project [11]
    ⇒ IOC: Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission. [Not IODE and GOOS] [138]
    ⇒ IODE: International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange [44]
    ⇒ IOOS: The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System [36]
    ⇒ IQuOD:International Quality-controlled Ocean Database Project [6]
    ⇒ IUCN: International Union for Conservation of Nature [6]
    ⇒ JAMSTEC: Japan Agency for Marine-Earth Science and Technology [11]
    ⇒ JCB: Joint WMO-IOC Collaborative Board [previously JCOMM] [30]
    ⇒ JERICO: Jt Euro. Res. Infrastruct. Netwk for Coast. Observatories [41]
    ⇒ JNCC : Joint Nature Conservation Committee [6]
    ⇒ MBON: Marine Biodiversity Observing Network [17]
    ⇒ MEDIN: Marine Environmental Data and Information Network [20]
    ⇒ MOEJ: Ministry of the Environment Japan [3]
    ⇒ NASA: National Aeronautics and Space Aministration [0]
    ⇒ NCOSM: National Center of Ocean Standards and Metrology, China [21]
    ⇒ NESP Marine and Coastal Hub / AusSeabed [32]
    ⇒ NOAA: National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration [17]
    ⇒ NOAA NOS CO-OPS:Center for Operation. Ocean. Prods & Services [42]
    ⇒ OBON: Ocean Biomolecular Observing Network [23]
    ⇒ OCB: US Ocean Carbon and Biogeochemistry Program [7]
    ⇒ OceanGliders : global network of Ocean Gliders Observations [24]
    ⇒ OceanSITES: global network of open ocean time series stations [10]
    ⇒ ODIP: Ocean Data Interoperability Platform [9]
    ⇒ OECD: Organisation for Economic Co-operation and Development [8]
    ⇒ OGC: Open Geospatial Consortium [112]
    ⇒ ONC: Ocean Networks Canada [3]
    ⇒ OOI: Ocean Observatories Initiative [10]
    ⇒ OSPAR Commission [14]
    ⇒ OTGA: OceanTeacher Global Academy [10]
    ⇒ OTN: Ocean Tracking Network [1]
    ⇒ PACIFIC Community (SPC) [1]
    ⇒ POGO: Partnership for Observation of the Global Ocean [2]
    ⇒ POLAR Collaborations [156]
    ⇒ SARGASSUM Practices [21]
    ⇒ SCOR: Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research [31]
    ⇒ SEADATANET/SEADATACLOUD [18]
    ⇒ SOCIB : Balearic Islands Coastal Observing and Forecasting System [6]
    ⇒ TechOceanS: Technologies for Ocean Sensing [14]
    ⇒ UNITED NATIONS Programmes [3]
    ⇒ UN Ocean Decade (2021-2030) [2]
    ⇒ WMO: World Meteorological Organization [38]
    ⇒ ZZZ_Miscellaneous Communities [553]

    Recently Added

    • SOCAT Quality Control Cookbook - for version 2025 of the Surface Ocean CO 2 Atlas. 

      Gkritzalis, Thanos; Bakker, Dorothee C.E.; Lauvset, Siv K.; Steinhoff, Tobias (SOCAT, 2025)
      This is the SOCAT quality control (QC) cookbook for SOCAT version 2025. It is an update to the cookbooks for version 1 (Olsen and Metzl, 2009), version 3 (Olsen et al., 2015; Wanninkhof et al., 2013) and version 2019 ...

    • Citizen science in eDNA monitoring for Mediterranean monk seal conservation. 

      Bonicalza, Sofia; Valsecchi, Elena; Coppola, Emanuele; Catapano, Valeria; Thatcher, Harriet (2024)
      Background Citizen Science (CS) offers a promising approach to enhance data collection and engage communities in conservation efforts. This study evaluates the use of CS in environmental DNA (eDNA) monitoring for Mediterranean ...

    • IHO Standards for Hydrographic Surveys, Edition 6.2.0. 

      International Hydrographic Organization (International Hydrographic Organization, Monaco, 2024)
      This publication aims to provide a set of standards for hydrographic surveys primarily used to compile navigational charts essential for the safety of navigation, knowledge and the protection of the marine environment. ...

    • The Nansen Legacy Sampling Protocols, Version 10. 

      Nansen Legacy (Septentrio Academic Publishing, Tromso, Norway, 2022)
      The collection of detailed sampling protocols is crucial tool for the success of the Nansen Legacy, because they ensure: Methodological agreement between the involved researchers Continuity and comparable data ...

    • Report on the integration with Data Aggregators: MINKE Deliverable 3.5. Version 1.1. 

      Martinez, Enoc; Del Rio, Joaquin; Olivé, Joaquin; Autermann, Christian; Jirka, Simon (Metrology for Integrated Marine Management and Knowledge-Transfer Network (MINKE), 2025)
      This document is MINKE’s Deliverable 3.5 "Report on the Integration with Data Aggregators." It describes a publication workflow designed to integrate metrologically-aware datasets into trusted repositories and European ...

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