Scientific data at Ifremer is managed by about forty people working full-time, covering marine observations (in situ), satellite observations and derivative results.
Several supplementary skills are necessary:
• Technical IT skills: onshore/offshore telecommunication, Internet, file servers, database, archiving, web servers, calculation engine, systems security;
• Skills in the development of software and web portals;
• Skills in the various types of data managed in order to carry out the checks and the regular monitoring of data, in close collaboration with the scientific teams and vessel operators.
Maintenance of skills
The IT domain has clearly been constantly developing for many years, for different professions:
• hardware and basic software,
• tools and development methods,
• algorithmic, particularly for the processing of data,
• code optimisation, particularly for intensive calculations,
• Internet services (setting up portals and online services),
• systems security.
In addition to these general developments, other developments more specific to Ifremer's activities should also be noted:
• regulatory developments, including technical recommendations such as the INSPIRE Directive,
• the necessity to improve the interoperability of systems at national, European and worldwide levels, to promote access to harmonised and integrated sets of ocean observation data.
In order to develop the skills of the unit's teams, while preserving coherence and team spirit (and therefore mutual understanding of the issues), several actions are carried out in parallel:
• individualised training plan, established in collaboration with the Human Resources Department of Ifremer,
• targeted training courses provided by the unit, to help to collectively complete a stage,
• organisation of conferences on particular topics, particularly in an international setting such as the IMDIS (International Conference on Marine Data and Information Systems) conferences, co-organised by the unit every two years.
• routine dialogue with our French and foreign partners, notably within international projects and programmes and institutional working groups on the application of European directives governing the management of environmental data,
• responses to R&D projects and concerted actions to carry out preliminary studies with our counterparts.
A network of internal and external contacts
A network of "data management" contacts within scientific teams, internal to the Institute or with external partners (other research organisations, other public institutions, etc.,) is maintained in order to facilitate archiving (metadata, descriptions of observation conditions and associated scientific results, etc.).
