Overview

Context elements : the BRIDGES Priority Research Program

BRIDGES-AVATAR is part of a vast interdisciplinary research program, called BRIDGES. This initiative is mainly funded by the France 2030 investment plan. In a few words, it aims to study the interactions between human fishing activities and local ecosystems in the South Western Indian Ocean (SWIO). The project’s strategy is to follow a global social-ecological approach (using 2 types of social-ecological systems), and to work in concert with researchers, decision makers and stakeholders for the best possible environmental justice. In terms of organization, it consists in six Targeted Projects (TP) - or Projets ciblés (PC) in french. It also has 2 structuring components, which were meaningfully named GOVERNANCE and TRANSVERSE. More information about the BRIDGES program is available on its webpage.

What is going on in the PC3-AVATAR

BRIDGES’s third TP, called AVATAR, focuses on setting up the foundations of a digital twin (or avatar) of the ocean, by developing and / or improving ocean models and other numerical tools. This avatar is intended to simulate system trajectories following different social-economical contexts, but also spatial management procedures. Eventually, these outcomes are to be used as a support to help informed decision making. More information on PC3-AVATAR (including a video description by head of the project Pierre Brasseur) is also available on this webpage.

What is to be available here

In order to facilitate exchange on technical developments and / or scientific knowledge, some tools, but also simulations and observation data that have been used and / or produced within the project are to be listed and detailed on an upcoming data catalog. Although this list does not tend to be exhaustive, it aims to share the most useful pieces of information between the project members.