Aligning Marine Spatial Data Infrastructures and Open Science for FAIR and sustainable ocean knowledge systems

Abstract

Marine Spatial Data Infrastructures (MSDI) and Open Science (OS) have reshaped how marine data are managed, shared, and reused, but have largely evolved as separate domains. This integrative review examines how their alignment can advance FAIR (Findable, Accessible, Interoperable, and Reusable) and sustainable ocean knowledge systems. The study combines a quantitative bibliometric analysis of the broader Spatial Data Infrastructure (SDI) and OS literature with an integrative qualitative synthesis of 54 marine-domain sources, including 41 publications selected through PRISMA screening and 13 additional records identified through snowballing. The bibliometric analysis shows separate development trajectories, but also convergence around metadata, interoperability, standards, ontology, artificial intelligence, big data, reproducibility, and FAIR principles. The qualitative synthesis shows that FAIR provides a practical bridge between MSDI and OS: MSDI contribute technical and institutional foundations for discovery, access, interoperability, stewardship, and preservation, while OS extends these foundations toward transparency, reproducibility, workflow publication, collaborative analysis, and knowledge generation. The Blue-Cloud project illustrates this alignment through federated data infrastructures, virtual research environments, and reusable workflows. We identify four priorities: credible FAIR assessment, semantic and workflow interoperability, enduring governance and maintenance, and a shift beyond data portals toward sustainable ocean knowledge systems.