Mike Smit is the Deputy Scientific Director for the Ocean Frontier Institute, and the PI for the Atlantic Regional Association of the Canadian Integrated Ocean Observing System. He is a Professor and Acting Dean in the Faculty of Management, Dalhousie University, where he studies how information systems can benefit people, organizations, and society, while also mitigating risks emerging technology poses. His work on research data management brought him to oceans data early in his career. He has published in a wide variety of disciplines thanks to a broad set of collaborations, and has received various research, service, and teaching awards.

Adeline Souf is the Head of Division Prospective and European Affairs at Shom (French oceanographic and hydrographic services) .  

With a degree in Offshore and Ocean Technologies (Opt. Renewable energy), MSc. from Cranfield University (UK) and an Engineering diploma in Geology, Unilasalle (Fr), she has been working for more than 5 yrs in the offshore wind farms industry in France and in the UK to model the ground and locate wind turbines considering geohazards at EDF Renewables. She then has been a project officer for funding marine natural resources projects, especially in projects related to marine research vessels, plastic litters and fishing harbors in Indonesia and France at AFD (French Development Agency). 

She joined Shom as the head of the Maritime Spatial Planning unit in 2021 overviewing several projects cofunded by the EU with specific focus to better integrate navigation safety stakes while making MSP plans and strengthen data standardisation and completeness during the process in coordination with the State Secretariate of the Sea and the French General Secretariate of the Sea. Now head of prospective and european affairs unit she aims at facilitating IHO (International Hydrography Organisation) and EU Commission network as well as being the point of contact for DG MARE. 

PHD in geographical information system, foreign affairs management post of NMDIS, research interests including marine data mining, sharing and application. Participated in the National key research and development project and projects within the IODE framework. She also provides volunteering services to UNESCO to support the DCO for Ocean Data Sharing.