Reliable scientific data and their transparent use are essential for evidence-based decisions in politics, society, and the economy. In particular, data plays a crucial role in understanding the global climatic system within the marine sciences. The German government explicitly acknowledges the importance of robust research data infrastructures, the protection of academic freedom, and the role of data repositories and digital spaces in science in its 2025 coalition agreement. The oceans are also viewed as a space rich with digital opportunities. Functional data flows and infrastructures, international connectivity, and planning capability are essential for this purpose.

The German Alliance for Marine Research (DAM) coordinates research data management in marine research as a contribution to national and European infrastructures such as the National Research Data Infrastructure (NFDI) and the European Open Science Cloud (EOSC). The goal is to foster innovation through data science, as modern research data management is fundamental for processes like artificial intelligence (AI) and machine learning, aligning with the federal government's high-tech agenda.

In the field of data management and digitization, the DAM particularly advocates for FAIRe principles (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, Reusable) and openly accessible "In Transit" research data from the German research fleet. The project "In Transit" has been funded since 2021 by the Federal Ministry of Education and Research (BMBF), now known as the Federal Ministry of Research, Technology, and Space (BMFTR), and is coordinated by DAM. Ship-based measurements are vital for global ocean observation, weather forecasts, and climate models. Research vessels continuously provide high-quality data on (geo)physical, chemical, and biogeochemical parameters, especially in hard-to-reach regions. These research data are crucial for understanding and modeling ocean-atmosphere processes, improving predictions, and validating remote sensing data. They contribute to the development of climate models and the monitoring of environmental changes such as ocean acidification and warming.

The "In Transit" research data project establishes a standardized, cross-institutional data infrastructure for continuously collected measurement data from German research vessels. The data is processed according to FAIR and Open Science principles and integrated into (inter)national infrastructures such as PANGAEA, the German Marine Research Data Portal, GEBCO, and Copernicus. Through international connections (GOOS, OceanOPS, SDG 14), it also contributes to the global ocean observation system. Knowledge of the seabed surface shape (bathymetry) is fundamental to understanding ocean circulation, resource management, tsunami prediction, sediment transport, and environmental change, as well as the laying of cables and pipelines. Furthermore, bathymetric data typically serve as the cartographic basis for research expeditions of German research vessels and thus play a central role in voyage planning. The aim is to ensure and expand this data flow in the long term. Technologically, a forward-looking approach involves the establishment of automated data and metadata flows, AI-supported evaluations, and digital innovations on board. The second project phase (2023–2025) also integrates regional vessels, and efforts are underway to extend and stabilize the data infrastructures and flows on new platforms (e.g., METEOR IV, CORIOLIS). The project demonstrates how data-driven science, digital sovereignty, and open innovation can be effectively implemented in the marine sector.

As a result, a fully established infrastructure exists for the systematic collection, quality assurance, and publication of "In Transit" research data following FAIR and Open Science principles. This data flow enables visualization, services, international networking, and long-term reuse by the scientific community, exemplifying the practical implementation of the goals of the planned Research Data Act and the Innovation Freedom Act, which aims to facilitate data usage.

The activities of the "In Transit" research data project are supported by the recommendations for the further development of the German marine research fleet from the Science Council in 2023, the recommendations of the DAM Evaluation Commission from 2025, the coalition agreement of 2025, which explicitly mentions the stabilization of the German Alliance for Marine Research, and the heightened need to strengthen data sovereignty in Germany and Europe due to recent political developments.

The Leibniz Institute for Baltic Sea Research Warnemünde (IOW) is mainly focused on analyzing, planning, and developing standards and tools (software) for CTD operations, CTD measurements, and resulting data, which can ultimately be applied on all ships of the German research fleet. The main focus is on the steps "CTD measurement and raw data generation," "quality assurance of measurements," "processing of raw data and validation," and "archiving and publication in PANGAEA."

The goal of the work at IOW, in addition to quality control, assurance, and publication of CTD data for all German research vessels, is to develop, provide, and establish SOPs and standards, as well as software tools and frameworks for standardized CTD operations with subsequent automated data processing and availability. Software tools and modules developed during the pilot project lay the groundwork for further development and new developments, responding to the specific needs of small and medium-sized research vessels.

To ensure the usability and acceptance of the products and tools, significant attention is given to documentation and reporting, which are continuously created or updated. The involvement of DAM members, as well as networking, coordination, and consultation with the national and international CTD community, rounds out the IOW's task spectrum.

Developed software components will be further tested in practice on all German research vessels, assessing their technical functionality and acceptance among various user groups. The data obtained in this way will help eliminate errors and improve acceptance, for example, through the development of new features. This will be an incremental and iterative process. To access scientific data and information more quickly and reliably, a key focus of work at IOW will be on "Near-Real-Time" (NRT) and "delayed mode" transfer of research data.

In addition to integrating other sensors (e.g., oxygen, turbidity, chlorophyll, PAR radiation, pH), the creation of Best Practice Reports will also be an important aspect of the task spectrum. Here, positive synergy effects with the work at HEREON and AWI (Ferry-Box and Thermosalinograph) will emerge.