EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon Demonstrates the Usability of the European Digital Twin Ocean

The EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon, held from 22 to 24 October 2025, brought together data scientists, ocean numerical modellers and programmers from across Europe and beyond for an ambitious mission: to transform ocean data into actionable information.

From a high-profile launch during the 2025 United Nations Ocean Conference in Nice to a final 48-hour sprint in Toulouse, the Hackathon showcased how users can already employ the functionalities of the European Digital Twin Ocean (European DTO) for their needs in ocean data access, numerical modelling, simulation, and visualisation.

Building Momentum: From Policy to Practice

The EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon launch coincided with the announcement of the European Ocean Pact, a landmark commitment to deliver a fully operational European Digital Twin Ocean by 2030. The pact reinforced the importance of digital innovation and data-driven science in achieving sustainable ocean management, setting the stage for this hands-on, community-driven event.

Within this framework, the EDITO initiative, comprising the Horizon Europe projects EDITO-Infra (2022–2025), EDITO-Model Lab (2023–2025) and EDITO 2 (2025–2028), is building the core engine of the European DTO. Together, these projects are building the infrastructure, combining the numerical models, and creating the simulation tools that will make Europe’s digital replica of the ocean a reality.

EDITO-Model Lab focuses on developing advanced numerical models, simulation tools, and two types of user-oriented applications, Focus Applications (FAs) and What-If Scenarios (WiS), that enable different users to explore, test, co-create, and visualise solutions for real ocean issues using the European DTO.

Building on the digital infrastructure developed by EDITO-Infra, which integrates cloud computing, high-performance computing (HPC) and a shared data lake, EDITO-Model Lab equips the European DTO with the numerical models and simulation capabilities that allow users to design new solutions for ocean knowledge, resilience, policy, and innovation.

Capacity Building and Community Engagement

Long before the final sprint, our hackathon was designed as a true capacity-building exercise. Throughout summer 2025, a series of online training modules introduced participants to the EDITO Platform and the simulation tools developed by EDITO-Model Lab. The goal was to enable intermediate users (such as marine scientists, data specialists, numerical modellers, and ocean innovators) to build new FAs, integrating datasets and numerical models through accessible, interoperable interfaces.

These preparatory sessions ensured that the hackathon was not a one-off competition, but part of a continuous process to grow the user ecosystem around the European DTO. Participants learned to navigate the EDITO Platform, connect to data and HPC resources, and collaborate across disciplines, fostering a shared understanding of how the EDITO combined modelling environment can be used for real-world applications. This approach reflects EDITO-Model Lab’s mission to make ocean data and simulations accessible to a broader community of experts and innovators.

The 48-Hour Hackathon Sprint

After months of preparation, the Hackathon culminated in an intense 48-hour sprint that brought participants, mentors, and organisers together, both in Toulouse and online, to apply their knowledge and creativity. Working within the EDITO-Model Lab environment, 13 international teams developed brand-new FAs showing how the European DTO can already help address some of today’s most pressing ocean and coastal challenges.

“What makes the EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon original compared to other innovation events is its dual nature,” explained organiser Mary Malicet of Mercator Ocean International. “We designed it as a hybrid between a training programme and a true hackathon. Having participants both online and in-person created an incredible energy that really fuelled collaboration.”

The final sprint embodied the Hackathon spirit: fast-paced collaboration, intensive problem-solving, and a vibrant exchange of ideas. Participants leveraged advanced numerical models and simulation tools to prototype new applications with real potential for integration into the broader EDITO ecosystem.

Results and Highlights

Forty participants, organised into thirteen teams, took part in the hackathon. Their outcomes reflected remarkable creativity, technical skill, and the ability to translate data into meaningful solutions. The event concluded with a dynamic pitching session, jury evaluation, and an award ceremony celebrating the most innovative projects.

First Place – Team Lumever: MedGuard
MedGuard is a data-driven dashboard and simulation tool designed to check and mitigate overfishing and marine biodiversity loss in the Mediterranean Sea. Leveraging EDITO’s FAs, particularly marine biodiversity and marine pollution, the tool visualises high-risk zones, forecasts juvenile catch events, and simulates policy interventions such as Marine Protected Area (MPA) expansions.
Second Place – Team MacaronesiaConnection
This team explored the movement of marine particles across the Macaronesian archipelagos (Azores, Madeira, and Canary Islands). Using the OceanDrift module, they studied connectivity patterns between regions, offering insights into ocean transport and ecosystem linkages across the North Atlantic.
Third Place – Team IrelandMapMarine
Combining national and international datasets, this team developed a tool to identify and visualise offshore renewable energy sites off the coast of Ireland. Their application aims to support sustainable energy planning and can be replicated or adapted by other regions.

These projects, together with all the other new FAs developed from scratch during the hackathon, illustrate the diversity of challenges the European DTO can already address, from sustainable fisheries and marine connectivity to renewable energy, all united by a common objective: turning ocean data into actionable knowledge for decision-making.

“I’m surprised, even impressed, by the level of technical detail the teams achieved,” said Renaud Dussurget of Mercator Ocean International. “They really engaged with the code, reproducing their day-to-day scientific workflows directly on the EDITO Platform, something that can now be shared and extended to other use cases.”

Collaboration at the Core

A defining feature of the hackathon was its collaborative structure. Mentors, organisers and participants worked side by side throughout the process, embodying the co-development philosophy that underpins the entire EDITO initiative.

“I’m fully into this solution, it’s open for all to use,” said Patrick Obumselu, from Team Lumever, first-prize winner. “This hackathon is one of the best ways to show what the EDITO-Model Lab tools can do, and how they can be used to create new, meaningful solutions."

The collaborative approach not only accelerated technical progress but also strengthened the community of users contributing to the European DTO. By fostering dialogue between scientists, developers, and policy-oriented participants, the hackathon exemplified how co-creation adds long-term value. Every participant, whether a numerical modeller, data scientist or mentor, helped refine the usability, interoperability, and overall experience of the EDITO tools that will power the ocean applications of tomorrow.

Final Steps Before the End of the Project

The EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon concluded on a high note, celebrating not only the winners, but the collective progress of the entire community. The journey from training to final sprint showed how structured engagement, shared infrastructure, and open collaboration can bridge the gap between research and real-world impact.

“It’s been a great learning opportunity,” said one participant. “The training modules were excellent, and the mentors were absolute stars.”

As Europe moves closer to its 2030 goal of a fully operational Digital Twin Ocean, initiatives such as the EDITO-Model Lab Hackathon will remain vital to connecting data, people, and purpose. The lessons learned about collaboration, community, and innovation will continue to ripple outward, informing new projects and partnerships under EDITO 2.

“We can now see how these tools directly help tackle societal challenges,” concluded Felix Dols of Deltares. “And we have a much clearer vision of the next steps and what these teams could do in the future.”

The EDITO-Model Lab project will conclude on 31 December 2025, with its outcomes directly feeding the operational phase of the European DTO, now under EDITO 2. As the project enters its final months, its legacy is already visible: a functional, tested, and open-access digital environment where numerical models, ocean data, and a diverse community of users converge to deliver actionable knowledge for the ocean.

Stay tuned for our final stories on the legacy of EDITO-Model Lab and follow EDITO on LinkedIn and X as we transition into the next phase of Europe’s Digital Twin Ocean.