Getting Started

Developing an effective Digital Twin of the Ocean (DTO) with the aim of providing decision support tools to the fishing fleet always start with engaging with the target end users - vessel owners and fishers. DTOs should have clear target usage for it to be relevant. Creating fancy tools and predictive models are useless if they won’t be utilized after development. Hence, it is important to get the essential inputs from the target users from the very beginning of the development of a DTO. In this section, we will share our experiences and the lessons we have learned in collaborating with local players in our DTO. Section 1 will give you an overview of how we engage with different Belgian stakeholders in the fisheries sector. In Section 2, we will share the steps we have undertaken to gain and keep the trust of vessel owners and fishers. Lastly, Section 3 will show you the best practices that have worked in our fleet and these might be essential to your fleet as well.