ACTIVITIES
The project will be 24 months long and involve the following activities.
Task 1 – Training course:
- A 10 day training course will be organised in Colombia. It will involve theoretical and practical sessions (vessel- and computer-based) on the acquisition, processing and interpretation of data from satellites, drones, diving surveys, sonars, sampling instruments and underwater vehicles, and the development and application of automated seafloor classification methodologies at multiple scales. The vessel-based practical sessions will focus on shallow and deep marine environments in two of Colombia’s most important national parks: Isla Tesoro in Parque Nacional Corales del Rosario, and Parque Nacional Corales de Profundidad.
Task 2 – Seminars:
- Task 2a: 2 day seminar be held after the training course at the PNN facilities in Cartagena. This seminar will provide an opportunity to develop a workflow for collection, processing and interpretation of data for Colombian seafloor environments. Apart from the project partners, a number of stakeholders (e.g. Universities, environmental institutions, NGOs, National Authority of Environmental Licences (ANLA), Fisheries Management Agency (AUNAP), National Hydrocarbon Agency (ANH)) will be invited to attend.
- Task 2b: 2 day seminar (month 14) to be held before the workshop in Kiel. The project partners will evaluate the application and applicability of the workflow developed during the seminar in Cartagena, and discuss plans for improvement and dissemination.
Task 3 – Workshop:
- A 2 day workshop for about 30 participants will be organised in Kiel, which will be open to all project partners as well interested parties from Germany and Colombia. Representatives of the relevant funding agencies will be invited to attend the second day of the workshop. The first day will entail presentations by all interested parties on their work experience and expertise, and the second will involve the identification of suitable funding calls (e.g. DFG, BMBF specialist programs, Horizon 2020, National Royalty System) and the preparation of a preliminary proposal. The network for German and Colombian marine science and technology will be formally established during the first day.
Task 4 – Research visits:
- Two Colombian researchers from UPB (1 PhD student, 1 Professor) will visit GEOMAR and IFG in Kiel during two 15 day long visits to discuss data analyses and learn data classification methodologies.
Task 5 – Splinter meeting:
- A splinter event will be organised at the European Geosciences Union Annual Meeting of 2022 to promote the network, and to disseminate the activities carried out and products generated during the lifetime of the project.
