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Progress of SEACOOS as a prototype U.S. Regional Coastal Ocean Observing System

H. Seim and F. Werner / Marine Sciences / UNC-CHJ. Nelson / Skidaway Institute of Oceanography

L. Spence / SC Sea Grant ProgramM. Fletcher / Univ. South Carolina

C. Mooers / Univ. MiamiR. Weisberg / Univ. South Florida

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Rationale: SE region is linked oceanographically, experiences similar forcing (winds and river runoff) and has a shared biogeography. A merged information system for the region will help address scientific and societal issues.

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SEACOOS was initiatedin 2002 with ONR fundingto develop a coastal oceaninformation system forFL, GA, SC and NC

Goal: To increase the quantity and quality of environmental information from the coastal ocean of the SE U.S. and facilitate its use in a range of societal, scientific, and educational applications.

Loop Current/Florida Current/Gulf Stream

Nick Shay, RSMAS

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Founding Members Affiliates Pending Affiliates

University of South Carolina Beaufort TACTS/NSWC/USN NRL/USN

Skidaway Inst of Oceanography CO-OPS/NOS/NOAA SFOMC

University of North Carolina FKNMS/NOAA Field Research Facility/USACE

University of South Florida MMAB/EC/NCEP/NWS/NOAA CLION/DOD

University of Miami Miami WFO/NWS/NOAA Jacksonville WFO/NWS/NOAA

NCSU (Sea Grant) NCDDC/NOAA NAMOC/USN

University of Georgia NDBC/NOAA Florida Spaceport

University of Florida (Sea Grant) SeaKeys/FIO

South Carolina Sea Grant Southeast Fisheries Science Center/NMFS/NOAA

SCDNR AOML/NOAA

Fish Wildlife Research Institute

Caro-COOPS

Beaufort, NC Marine Lab/NOAA

CORMPSAFMC

CSC/NOAA

GRNMS/NOAA

SEACOOS Members (May 2005)

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An observing subsystem (measures and transmits data)

An information management subsystem(organizing and disseminating information)

A modeling and products subsystem (translating data intoproducts for users – computer modeling)

Outreach and education subsystem – to assess users needs, develop educational material and help develop needed products

SEA-COOS includes the coasts of NC, SC, GA and FL, from theEEZ to head of tide, and consists of:

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The National Backbone of NOS NWLON and

NDBC CMAN & Buoys

SEACOOS Partner Additions of in-situ

Buoys/Towers/Coastal

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Observing the Coastal Ocean with varying tools

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Model Nowcast/Forecast System

• NFS Model Domains and Models

USFPOM

West FloridaShelf

UMPOM

Florida StraitsEast Florida Shelf

UNCQuoddy

South Atlantic Bight

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ROMS nested within HYCOM for eastern Gulf of Mexico

A. Barth, USF

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Visualization of real time data (seacoos.org)

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EXTENSION & EDUCATIONEXTENSION & EDUCATION

• Extension – outreach– Utilize existing NOAA Sea Grant network– Identify users in coastal community and their needs– Perceive very different flavors of users

• Superusers – heavy consumer of raw data• User – can use raw data or tailored products• Beneficiary – indirectly benefits from the system

• Education – ties to formal education– Utilize new NSF COSEE network– Focus on teacher awareness, participation– Develop lesson plans for in-class use of OOS data

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Applications

Search and Rescue, spill response, HABs

Living Marine Resources/Fisheries

Storm surge

Rips and sediment transport

User-groups

USCG, NOAA HAZMAT

SAFMC, xNMS, FWRI, SC DNR, etc

NWS WFOs, state EM

State CZM, NWS WFOs

Variables

Currents, winds, water temp, waves

Salinity, species and abundance, etc.

Water levels, bathy/topo

Directional waves, sediment concentration

Phase I

Phase II

Implementation Plan

Initial focus: coastal ocean circulation

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.Build a

SAR Case

Build aSAR Case

AssembleSearch

Plan

AssembleSearch

Plan

Databases Databases

EnvironmentalNow &

Forecasts

EnvironmentalNow &

Forecasts

DisseminateSearch

Plan

DisseminateSearch

Plan

CaptureSearchResults

CaptureSearchResults

Rescue or

Suspend

Search Results

SearchPlans

Results

Field

US COAST GUARD SEARCH AND RESCUE WORKFLOW

REGIONALSYSTEMINPUT

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INTERFACING WITH SEARCH AND RESCUE

• USCG has new sophisticated user interface • Seeking additional information sources, especially

high resolution, nearshore• Need to make available in compatible manner –

already satisfied (using OPeNDAP)• Big requirement – develop real-time error

statistics for all information– semantics, format (underway)– Methodology for assessing errors (challenging)

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Focus on Data Management

• Viewed as biggest missing piece as project began• Devoted 30% of funding to activity• Focus on near real-time physical variables• Guiding principles

– Maintain distributed system as possible– Maintain flexibility (augment, don’t replace)– Open-source

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Regional Data Management Practices

• Engage individual systems• Form DM technical WG of individual systems• Focus on a variable at a time• Enable sharing through standards development• Formalize availability through broad-based

committee (all working groups represented)

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Products/Web Services Provider

Data Access/Web Services

Data Products

Data Aggregation

Data Provider

1. In-situ observations (buoy, water level station, etc)

8. Data scout (polls data providers for new in-situ, model data)

5. DODS/OPeNDAP netCDF server

7. DODS/OPeNDAP clients

4. netCDF files (Regional convention format and data dictionary)

2. Model output (elevation, currents, particle trajectories, etc)

6. netCDF file access via HTTP

9. Regional netCDF to SQL Table Population Data translation

10. Regional relational database

11. DODS/OPeNDAP relational database server

3. Screen-scraping (NDBC, NWS,USGS,etc) or file translation

14. Maps*GIS*Animations

18. Maps*OGC Web Mapping Service (WMS)

12. Data*CSV files*Query&Download

16. Data / Data Sharing*OGC SWE services (SensorML, O&M)*OOSTech services (getLatest)*OGC WFS

13. Graphs*Time series*Depth profile*TBD by users

17. Graphs*Time series*Depth profile*TBD by users

19. QC&Notification*Missing data*Range*Continuity

20. Further products, websites, analysis, conversion tools

15. QC&Notification*Missing data*Range*Continuity

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By-Variable approach (ex. Winds)

1. Standards – name, representation, attributesidentify existing standardsaugment as neededadopt

2. Census – providers, datatypes point observationssatellite windsmodeled winds

3. Description – web presentationdefine target audiences information/backgroundweb pages, layout(publish standards)

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DM summary

• Standards enable aggregation• By-variable approach

– standards→census →description

• Drawbacks– Slow process, slow progress through variables– Data flow increasing quickly, raises resource issues– Haven’t dealt with biogeochem data challenges

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Summary

• SEACOOS – prototype RCOOS in US. Four components: observation, modeling, information management, outreach/education

• Initial focus – ocean circulation• Initial applications

– Search and Rescue– HAZMAT– Fisheries oceanography

• Patience required