China publicly released the China Global Ocean Fusion Dataset Version 1.0 (CGOF1.0) on Monday during the Third UN Ocean Conference (UNOC), sharing valuable marine data with the international community.
The 2025 UN Ocean Conference, co-hosted by the governments of France and Costa Rica, is taking place from 9 to 13 June 2025 in Nice, France.
During the event, the National Marine Data Information Center of China led a side meeting titled "Approaching an Intelligent and Inspiring Ocean: New Science-based Actions for Sustainable Futures," where representatives from China's Ministry of Natural Resources publicly released the dataset to the international community.
High-quality ocean data products are essential for global efforts to combat climate change, reduce disaster risks, protect the ocean's ecosystem, and promote economic development, according to experts, who call for greater collaboration to tackle these shared global challenges.
Researcher Yu Ting from the National Marine Data Information Center highlighted the significance of the newly released data, which integrates over 40 different data sources, including Chinese independent marine observations.
"We released the CGOF1.0, which encompasses over 40 different data sources from both domestic and international origins, incorporating China's autonomous marine observations. The dataset spans a time period of up to 60 years and has a spatial resolution of 10 kilometers. It integrates advanced AI technology. And its accuracy has been improved compared to the quality of some mainstream foreign datasets," said Yu.
The release of the CGOF1.0 had received positive responses from UN agencies, government departments of multiple countries, and marine experts, reflecting the international community's high trust and support for China's data capabilities.
"More extreme weather events are coming from the ocean. More biodiversity collapse, many changes that are the hazards for coastal communities. And [in order] to prepare better, to predict better, we need data. And that data needs to be shared for the benefit of humankind. China is a leader in ocean policy and ocean observation, but we all need to scale up going forward because the ocean is changing fast," said Vidar Helgesen, executive secretary of Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, UNESCO.
Dwikorita Karnawati, director of the Indonesian Agency for Meteorology, Climatology and Geophysics, stressed that the data provided by China is invaluable for global marine safety and enhancing early warning capability.
"The ocean data up to now is very limited and that's why China's role is very important [and] meaningful for us, especially for the developing countries. What China [can] do [and] the data from China is really meaningful, not only for China but also for the global society, especially to keep the safe ocean, to (give) the early warning for all. For many, many purposes. The data is very meaningful," said Karnawati.
"I believe that establishing a unified global database is very important, incorporating temperature and salinity data from the past 40 years. The data released by China represents highly valuable information that helps us analyze and understand relevant changes from both global and local perspectives," said Leonardo Arancibia, area coordinator for natural resources, science and technology at the Library of the National Congress in Chile.
China Global Ocean Fusion Dataset Version 1.0 released during UN Ocean Conference
