The “Unterwegs” research‑data project, carried out from 1 January 2021 to 31 December 2022 under the German Alliance for Marine Research (core area Data Management and Digitalisation, project number 03F0880), aimed to systematise the capture, transfer, quality assurance and publication of on‑board marine science data in accordance with FAIR and Open principles. The effort focused on bathymetry, acoustic current profiling, temperature‑salinity profiling, bio‑optical sensing and ancillary shipboard instrumentation on the research vessels Maria S. Merian, Meteor, Polarstern, Sonne and Eugen Seibold.
Technically, the project integrated the PANGAEA Bathymetry Web‑Map Service (WMS) into the iAtlantic project portal and produced a user‑friendly documentation page (https://wiki.pangaea.de/wiki/PANGAEA_Bathymetry_Web_Map_Services). A workflow developed with the AG‑Technik team enabled the delivery of high‑resolution bathymetry maps and global multibeam coverage to the DSHIP system on German research ships. The maps were successfully tested in the DSHIP demo version at GEOMAR and a test dataset was deployed on the Maria S. Merian for a two‑month run. Collaboration with the company WERUM facilitated the integration of these maps into DSHIP’s navigation interface, allowing expedition leaders to avoid uncharted seabed areas and to plan new survey tracks.
The project also coordinated with the Seabed 2030 Atlantic and Indian Oceans Regional Center to standardise processing steps for “in‑situ” bathymetry data and to feed the results into the Global Multi‑Resolution Topography (GMRT) synthesis. GMRT, which aggregates processed multibeam data of heterogeneous resolution, is already incorporated into the GEBCO 2022 Grid and the Google Earth ocean‑base map. This alignment ensures that processed data can be rapidly and effectively used in the global bathymetric product.
In oceanography, the team advanced sensor monitoring, real‑time (Near‑Real‑Time, NRT) data transmission, and the publication of quality‑controlled datasets on PANGAEA. For Acoustic Doppler Current Profilers (ADCPs), 13 datasets were collected aboard Maria S. Merian, Meteor and Sonne, while an additional 50 “in‑situ” datasets were obtained through the DAM project; 44 of these were evaluated for quality. A total of 28 ADCP datasets were published on PANGAEA during the project, with 10 more released in early 2023 and three planned for the near future. Thermosalinograph (TSG) data yielded 35 published datasets, and two CTD datasets were released with two more in curation. One bio‑optical sensor dataset and a Ferrybox dataset were also published or submitted.
Standard operating procedures (SOPs) for all six ADCPs on the three German research vessels were drafted in collaboration with MareHUB AG Ocean Obs. and published on Zenodo with DOIs, linking each dataset to its processing report. The SOPs describe the full data flow from sensor to quality‑controlled product, ensuring reproducibility and interoperability. The NRT bio‑optical monitoring dashboard was fully implemented, providing daily visual checks that helped detect sensor faults and trigger maintenance actions. The 5‑minute resolution environmental parameters (salinity, temperature, air temperature, wind speed and direction, chlorophyll‑a fluorescence, oxygen saturation) are transmitted via satellite from the Eugen Seibold to surveydata.hereon.de, where they are publicly accessible and linked to vertical ADCP profiles in the portal.
Overall, the project delivered a robust, FAIR‑compliant data pipeline that links shipboard sensors to international portals, enhances bathymetric mapping for navigation and research, and establishes a model for open marine data sharing across national and international partners.