The Ocean Data Platform (ODP) is developed by HUB Ocean, an independent, non-profit foundation initiated by the Norwegian industrial Aker Group and the World Economic Forum. HUB Ocean works independently with governments, scientists, NGOs, and industry partners. Our mission is to use data to transform ocean industries, and to protect and restore the ocean, together with our sister organization REV Ocean. We support the Decade of Ocean Science and Sustainable Development Goal 14 (Life Below Water).

HUB Ocean is funded through a mix of public grants, philanthropic contributions, industry partnerships, and international collaborations. The foundation operates independently with governance that ensures neutrality and scientific integrity. For more information, please refer to HUB Ocean’s annual report available here.

Data safety: ODP uses industry-standard security and access controls. Sensitive or licensed data is handled carefully, while open data remains accessible.

Access Control: Datasets are classified as Published/ Public (Shared to anyone)/ Shared to you /Private. The users cannot access others private datasets. 

Encryption: API Key grants access to the ODP API and SDK. API key is convenient when users don’t have browser access and can be integrated with standalone scripts. API Key has 6 month expiration date. Any application which integrates with ODP will be through Client ID/Client Secret with a default validation of 12 months

Open datasets on ODP will always remain free. HUB Ocean is a non-profit, so the mission is to keep access open. Some premium services or private collaborations may involve costs, like extended compute and storage options, but the core open platform is free.

ODP combines datasets from trusted open sources, industry partners, and user-contributed content. We check that all datasets have proper source attribution, licensing, metadata, and copyright.

Ocean data is complex:

• Some datasets are raw observations, others are processed into standard formats (like Darwin Core for biodiversity data).

• Quality can be excellent for one purpose but not another. It is up to the user to check whether a dataset is fit for their use case.

Examples:

• TGS biota data (mammal & turtle observations offshore Brazil): available as raw data on ODP and as processed Darwin Core format published to OBIS/GBIF.

• Aker Biomarine EK60/EK80 echosounder data: uncalibrated sonar data from Krill fishery operations but still valuable to science as shown in this 2025 publication, mapping encounters between krill and predators from raw data using image recognition.

Signing in allows you to:

• Access collaborative workspaces to analyze, store, and share data projects

• Track usage rights and licensing correctly

• Personalize your experience and keep your work safe

• Ensure secure access to datasets with restrictions

This makes ODP both open and secure, while enabling collaboration between researchers, industry, and NGOs. We continue to evaluate how to open up the platform for maximum usefulness for science and we welcome your feedback (link to email/form)

ODP is used by the public, researchers, policymakers, NGOs, industry, and international organizations for science, sustainability, and innovation.

Because ODP provides standardized, interoperable formats and APIs, it can serve as a powerful backend for external application,  or to integrate geospatial data into your local environment.

Yes. ODP is built on the FAIR principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable).

Metadata

• JSON metadata using schema.org: All datasets carry machine-readable metadata (in JSON, following schema.org), improving discoverability and integration.

What it covers: provenance/ source, licensing & attribution, spatial/temporal coverage, and method notes—so users can judge fitness-for-purpose.

Data

• SDK & STAC API: Discover, search, and access datasets programmatically using our SDK and STAC-compatible API, making it easy to plug ODP into external tools and workflows.

• Tabular format: We support an ODP tabular format for cross-tool analysis, alongside common tabular types.

• Raw files welcome: ODP accepts raw, non-standardized files as well as standardized data, so different quality levels can coexist.

• Geospatial services: Vector tiling and related services enable fast mapping and visualization of large ocean datasets.

• Optional reformatting: When needed, datasets can be reformatted (e.g., to Darwin Core) for publishing to portals like OBIS/GBIF—this is possible, not required.

This lets standardized and non-standardized data live together, while still being easy to find, integrate, and reuse.

Users are responsible for ensuring data is appropriate for their needs.
See our Terms of Use for details