A roadmap for designing a virtual interface to explore a digital twin of the oceans for marine ecosystems monitoring

Many marine monitoring infrastructures continuously collect biological and abiotic data, yet user-friendly interfaces for visualizing and translating this knowledge remain limited. This gap persists due to challenges associated with effective frameworks and tools for processing and analysing biological data in real-time. In this paper, we outline a roadmap for developing a Graphical User Interface (GUI) tailored to the continuous monitoring of ecological data with a focus on supporting marine scientists and engineers. To guide this process, we reviewed existing GUIs for visualizing marine ecological data and surveyed 43 experts to identify current gaps and key priorities. Our findings revealed a key dichotomy: GUIs either represent diverse array of biological data or perform inadequately when attempting to transfer qualitative observations to quantitative insights. Finally, we propose a stepwise roadmap for GUI development within the Digital Twin of the Ocean framework by starting from spatial mapping and progressing to data navigation. Ultimately, this study outlines critical considerations for integrating complex ecological data from diverse sources into an effective GUI. This GUI aims to support real-time monitoring, control remote monitoring for data collection, inform policymakers, and enhance public engagement in marine science.