Meeting of the Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group at IOC and UNESCO HQ in Paris, France, September 2025 © IOC
In just three years, the Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group has shown how coordinated private-sector leadership can reshape the global ocean data landscape. What started as a bold idea is now a proven, scalable model for unlocking corporate ocean data to deliver the science we need for the ocean we want.
A better understanding of the ocean is fundamental to safeguarding global well-being. But despite significant progress, critical ocean data gaps remain. Overcoming these data gaps requires sustained collaboration across sectors — and private organisations have a key role to play.
The private sector holds vast amounts of valuable ocean data, actively acquired through activities such as offshore energy, marine infrastructure development, telecommunications, fisheries and scientific research.
Established in 2023 jointly by Fugro and the Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC) of UNESCO, the Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group aims to advance strategies and best practices for private sector organisations to provide public access to their privately-owned ocean data.
Three years in, the impact is clear:
- Companies now have practical pathways to share bathymetry, biodiversity, and other key datasets through guidelines developed by the Corporate Data Group. These include a standard data-sharing process; the Ocean Decade Bathymetry Data Sharing Guideline; and the Ocean Decade Marine Megafauna Data Sharing Guideline.
- Global policy has shifted—with IOC-adopted recommendations that urge countries to pro-actively enable data sharing within national waters.
- Industry norms are evolving, as Environmental Social and Governance (ESG) frameworks, financial instruments, and sustainability dialogues increasingly recognize ocean data sharing as a meaningful contribution to Ocean Decade Goals and Sustainable Development Goal 14 — Life Under Water.
- New collaboration between companies, regulators, and scientists is expanding access to critical ocean knowledge needed for better modelling, management, and decision-making.
During the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference (9-13 June 2025, Nice, France), Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group partners Seabed 2030, Fugro, IHO, GEBCO, UN Global Compact and more called for private sector organisations to join them in supporting global data-sharing efforts to unlock privately-held ocean data for the benefit of science.
These achievements prove that private-sector participation is essential to closing major ocean knowledge and data gaps, and that data sharing can be embedded in corporate strategy and sustainability performance.
With 11 companies from marine industries, including fisheries, energy, telecommunications, and marine contractors, as its institutional members, the Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group is a unique platform to advance ocean data sharing for public benefit.
As we head toward the 2027 Ocean Decade Conference, the Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group will focus on strengthening global frameworks, increasing the volume and visibility of shared data, and expanding participation across the wider ocean industry.
Learn more about the Ocean Decade Corporate Data Group here.
