Navigating the Future: Empowering Ocean Action with Digital Twins

Digital Twining involves creating a virtual, dynamic replica of physical systems—in this case, the ocean—integrated with real-time data and advanced simulations to represent, analyze, and predict changes in the marine environment. Thus, Digital Twins of the Ocean (DTO) open new possibilities for fostering inclusive, collaborative science-policy-society interfaces and can serve as vibrant platforms for advancing ocean sustainability. Through the Iliad project’s DTOs, we explore how such digital models can enhance our understanding of ocean systems and drive informed decision-making to address complex challenges.

DTOs can play a pivotal role in bridging the gap between scientific research, policy development, and societal engagement. By providing detailed, real-time visualizations and predictive capabilities, they enable stakeholders—including scientists, policymakers, industries, and communities—to access actionable insights that inform and guide sustainable ocean management. Through citizen science, citizens, communities, and businesses can also contribute to improving environmental monitoring,  forecasting, and ensuring the sustainability of marine ecosystems. This is particularly vital in the context of global initiatives like the European Green Deal and the Mission Restore Our Ocean and Waters by 2030, which focuses on reversing the degradation of marine ecosystems. DTOs can also contribute to the UN Decade of the Ocean’s overarching goal of promoting sustainable ocean governance, by ensuring that data and decision-making are inclusive, transparent, and grounded in real-time environmental information.

In this presentation, we will showcase specific examples of how the Iliad DTOs have been developed and applied in real-world scenarios. These digital models integrate oceanographic data, satellite observations, and environmental sensors to simulate complex marine processes, from fisheries management to ship routing marine to biodiversity conservation. By embedding these simulations within policy-making frameworks, DTOs provide a powerful decision-support tool, facilitating evidence-based strategies that align with global sustainability goals.

Moreover, DTOs help overcome barriers to inclusive decision-making by democratizing access to ocean data. They offer a platform for diverse stakeholders—including policymakers, businesses, and civil society—to collaborate on solutions in a way that is transparent, interactive, and adaptive. Through open-access interfaces, local communities and indigenous groups can contribute their knowledge, creating a more holistic approach to ocean governance. The real-time nature of DTOs ensures that policies and actions can be responsive to ongoing changes in the marine environment, fostering adaptive governance practices that are crucial in an era of rapid environmental shifts.

Ultimately, Digital Twins of the Ocean represent a groundbreaking tool in the pursuit of ocean sustainability, enhancing the capacity of science, policy, and society to work together in a multisectoral approach to tackle  the pressing challenges facing our oceans today. By demonstrating the real-world impact of DTOs in ocean governance, this presentation aims to inspire further innovation and collaboration in support of global ocean action.