News

13th session of the OBIS Steering Group - New strategic orientations to face a rapidly changing marine context

22 December 2025

School of Barracuda in the Andaman Islands. Photo: Marla Tomorug / Kogia


The 13th session of the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange (IODE) Steering Group for OBIS, held alongside annual OBIS Data, Nodes, and Products Coordination Group meetings, took place in Bogotá, Colombia, from 25 to 27 October 2025. Organized back-to-back with the Living Data 2025 conference and hosted by OBIS Colombia/INVEMAR, the meetings gathered representatives of the OBIS Nodes, Secretariat, Coordination Groups, and Steering Group for focused discussions, workshops, and coordination sessions. Participants agreed on new strategic orientations for OBIS’s next phase. The revised Vision, Mission, Strategic Objectives, and the 2026–2027 Workplan directly translate this new strategy into defined activities.

The full report of the 13th session of the OBIS Steering Group is accessible here.

Augmenting OBIS preparedness

At the SG-13 meeting, the OBIS Steering Group members collectively reaffirmed OBIS’s mission to support science and evidence-based policymaking. Available, accessible, and reliable marine life information is essential to improve our knowledge of the global ocean. It contributes to addressing efforts to address pressures from the ongoing triple crisis of climate change, pollution, and biodiversity loss.

The OBIS Steering Group members proposed four new Strategic Objectives to reinforce OBIS position as the world’s leading marine biodiversity data infrastructure and as a global community of experts. These objectives highlight the characteristics that make OBIS a critical component of the global biodiversity data value chain, from data generation and interoperability to policy uptake and community empowerment.

→ Objective 1. Build a sustainable global marine biodiversity data infrastructure

• Establish a highly accessible, scientifically trusted, fully integrated, and interoperable global data infrastructure that aligns with the data architecture of the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO.
• Ensure adherence to international data standards and frameworks, respecting FAIR and CARE principles.
• Support sustained data flows and delivery of the Biology and Ecosystems Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs) of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)
• Secure long-term archiving of marine biodiversity data and information, enabling seamless worldwide exchange and accessibility.

Key takeaways for Objective 1:

• OBIS strengthens its alignment with the IOC value chain and its position within the IOC digital ecosystem. In particular, deeper collaboration with GOOS will support the operationalisation of biological Essential Ocean Variables (EOVs), ensuring that biodiversity observations are ready for use.
• The explicit inclusion of the FAIR and CARE principles reinforces responsible and equitable data governance. It enables stronger connections between marine biodiversity data and local and Indigenous knowledge and allows for more contextual interpretation of marine data. This directly enhances OBIS’s long-standing commitments to benefit-sharing, data ownership, and visibility for local contributors.
• Long-term sustainability and continuity of OBIS operations are highlighted as essential priorities, including alignment with the IOC data policy, strengthened global-scale archiving practices, and the sustained delivery of interoperable, high-quality biodiversity data.
  
  

  → Objective 2. Support evidence-based ocean biodiversity policy

  Supports commitments to international biodiversity agreements by co-designing and aligning data, information products, and services with major policy frameworks (e.g., the Kunming-Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework (KMGBF) and the BBNJ Agreement) and national, regional, and global assessments (e.g., UN World Ocean Assessment, IPBES, IOC StOR).

Key takeaways for Objective 2:

• OBIS enhances its alignment with major biodiversity policy frameworks at global, regional, and national scales, ensuring that its data flows can effectively respond to evolving policy requirements.

• OBIS reaffirms its position as a science-based enabler for global ocean governance, supporting evidence-based policymaking, marine management, and the sustainable use of ocean resources through accessible, trusted biodiversity information.

• OBIS’s recognized role in the Kunming–Montreal Global Biodiversity Framework is further consolidated, including its function as a global reference system for marine biodiversity data and its contribution as a complementary indicator for Targets 20 and 21.
  
  

  → Objective 3. Deliver operational biodiversity data services

  Deliver operational biodiversity data, information products and services, including decision support tools, for monitoring, managing, and protecting marine ecosystems, multi-hazard early warning and mitigation systems, and Sustainable Ocean Planning and Management (SOPM).

Key takeaways for Objective 3:

• OBIS consolidates its focus on providing fit-for-purpose, actionable marine biodiversity intelligence, delivering user-facing products, indicators, and tools that answer a broad range of needs in ocean monitoring and conservation, marine management, and the sustainable use of resources. OBIS builds on its experience in completed projects, including species distribution maps, eDNA-based observation dashboards, and early-warning tools to detect emerging biorisks.

• OBIS continues to prioritize enhancing existing data services and developing new operational tools, ensuring flexibility and readiness to respond to evolving end-user needs.
  
  

  → Objective 4. Empower communities through capacity development

  Ensure equitable capacity to collect, manage, publish, access, and use marine biodiversity data for all, through capacity development, innovation, targeted community initiatives, and strengthened collaboration.

Key takeaways for Objective 4:

• The new OBIS strategy places people and communities at the centre of its strategic priorities, recognizing that equitable capacity to contribute, access, and use marine biodiversity data is fundamental to meaningful participation in global biodiversity processes.

• OBIS, as a leading data infrastructure and community, reinforces its role in advancing skills development, collaboration, and community engagement, enabling partners and data holders to build the capacity needed to participate in the global marine biodiversity data system.

• OBIS increases its support to contributors in developing countries and SIDS, empowering them to publish and use marine biodiversity data, secure fair access, and benefit equitably from the global ocean knowledge system.
  
  To further highlight OBIS readiness and direction, members of the Steering Group also proposed an updated version of the infrastructure’s Vision—“A global data ecosystem for marine biodiversity that is comprehensive, integrated, inclusive and accessible, enabling sustained ecosystem services for a healthy ocean” and Mission —”Lead the coordination of effective marine biodiversity data mobilisation and deliver integrated, standardized high-quality data, information products and services to answer the needs of the global community”. The new Vision and Mission reaffirm OBIS’s position as a community-driven, leading global biodiversity data infrastructure with a strong focus on delivering meaningful, real-world impact that powers action for a healthy ocean.
  
  Through this strategic reorientation, the Steering Group members confirmed OBIS’s status as a trusted digital infrastructure and a community, with robust operationality, scientific credibility, and human capacity as its core components. These new strategic elements also underline OBIS’s preparedness to support emerging demand for high-quality marine biodiversity information.