Today, collaboration between scienti fi c research and civil society is growing signi fi cantly. The general public ’ s curiosity drives it to engage with the scienti fi c process and culture and in the search for solutions to complex issues (economic, social, health, environmental, cultural, educational, or ethical). Clari fi cation is needed to differentiate between occupational scienti fi c activity and citizen-based science. They do not require the same scienti fi c and technical skills despite using similar equipment and their legal and administrative frameworks being totally different. The confusion created by the indiscriminate use of the same term “ scienti fi c diving ” to refer to different training courses and activities compromises the quality of existing occupational standards and, ultimately, has a negative impact on the safety of the activity at work. A clear de fi nition of Citizen Scienti fi c Diving and Occupational Scienti fi c Diving makes it possible to differentiate between the objectives and target groups of these two activities and their legal framework. There is a need to establish an accepted and shared standard in the occupational fi eld and to ensure the mobility of scientists. A long process undertaken by a motivated scienti fi c community (late 1980s-2000s) led to the establishment of European initial training standards for Occupational Scienti fi c Diving through the ESDP-European Scienti fi c Diving Panel ( fi rstly under the aegis of the European Marine Board, now of the MARS-European marine stations network). The quality and general acceptance of these standards by a large part of the European scienti fi c community have already adopted them in the occupational health and safety legislation of seven European countries (Belgium, Finland, France, Germany, Norway, Sweden, and the UK in 2023). Adopting them in other countries ’ health and safety legislation is still desirable. This will increase their recognition, acceptance and use for the bene fi t of scienti fi c work. Building bridges between academic science and non-academic citizen science is possible and this is done by developing coherent projects that produce results that bene fi t both science and society. While distinguishing between the two, as an added value, this approach could better guide the recreational diving training sector in developing a new market.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2023
The new Research Vessel Belgica represents a major advancement in Belgian maritime research, equipped with cutting-edge technologies and advanced scientific equipment. As a successor to the previous vessel, it introduces new challenges, particularly in managing vast amounts of data generated by its variety of sensors. The redesign of data systems is essential to fully utilize the vessel's capabilities, ensuring trustworthy data collection and analysis. This transformation is vital to meet modern IT standards and comply with European directives like INSPIRE and Open Data, which demand accessible, standardized, and open data. The ODANext project addressed these challenges by enhancing data acquisition workflows, preserving historical data, and establishing a durable infrastructure for data storage and dissemination. These improvements aim to elevate the RV Belgica’s global research impact, facilitate efficient data sharing, and support scientific research, policy-making, and interdisciplinary collaboration.
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RBINS Staff Publications 2024
