# Presentation: 782441

## Recommendations for the Implementation and Operation of an Integrated Ocean Observing System

**Remarks** **to the Marine Navigation Services Community**
**July 30, 2004**
**Kenneth W. Turgeon**
**Associate Director for Research, Education and Marine Operations**

## USCOP Objective: To recommend a comprehensive national ocean policy that would provide for:

- Protection of life and property against
-        natural and manmade hazards
- Responsible stewardship of ocean and
-        coastal resources
- Protection of the marine environment
-        and prevention of marine pollution
- Enhancement of marine-related
-        commerce and transportation

## USCOP Objective: To recommend a comprehensive national ocean policy that would provide for:

- Expansion of human knowledge of the
-         marine environment
- Investment, development, improvement
-         & application of marine technologies
- Close cooperation and partnering among
-        federal agencies and the private sector
- Preserving the role of the US as a leader
-        in ocean and coastal activities

## USCOP Position on an IOOS

**The Commission strongly endorses creation and implementation of an Integrated Ocean Observing System**
**The nation has the technology and the expertise to develop an IOOS, and its implementation is long overdue**

## Existing Situation

**Currently, the United States has more than forty coastal ocean observing systems, operated independently or jointly by various federal, state, industry, and academic entities – BUT THEY ARE NOT TIED TOGETHER**
**They measure different variables at**
**different scales for different purposes**

## USCOP Vision for an IOOS

**     ****The Commission’s vision is for the IOOS to be the “saltwater” equivalent of our weather observing, forecasting and warning system **
***  ******We need an ocean observing system that satisfies real ***
***	******world needs, just as the National Weather Service does ***
***	******with its suite of environmental forecasts and warnings.  ***
***	******Anything less will not garner the national support ***
***	******necessary to its success and maintenance over time. ***
***	******	******	******	******Admiral James D. Watkins ***
***	******	******	******	******Chair***
***	******	******	******	******U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy***

## The Commission’s Vision for the 

**IOOS is Strongly User Oriented**

**To justify large federal investments in the **
**IOOS, the system must result in tangible **
**benefits for a broad and diverse user **
**community, including the general public, **
**scientists, resource managers, coastal **
**managers, emergency responders, policy **
**makers, private industry, educators, and **
**officials responsible for homeland security**
**  **

## Critical Attributes of an IOOS

-   Sustained over time
-   Operational nowcasts & forecasts & warnings
-   Partnership of government, industry, academia
-        and others
-   Utilizes land-based, water-based, air-based &
-    space-based observation technologies
-   Strong coastal component
-   Provides timely generic & tailored information
-   Broad user community incl. general public
-   Regional/local, national & global coverage
-   Linked to other Earth observing systems
-   Transition of R&D to operations & products

##      Integrated and Sustained

-      **I****ntegrated and ****S****ustained**
**   ****O****cean and ****C****oastal ****O****perational**
**   ****O****bserving and ****P****rediction **
**   ****S****ystem**

## Slide 10

## Cost of an IOOS

**  ****The Commission estimates the cost of **
**    ****operating an IOOS is on the order of $750 **
**    ****million per year; this includes dedicated **
**    ****satellite operations and data collection, **
**    ****assimilation and dissemination costs**
**  ****Economic, societal and environmental **
**    ****benefits will far outweigh the cost, but these **
**    ****benefits have not yet been fully calculated nor **
**    ****well articulated   **

##   1) The National Ocean Council should make development and implementation of a sustained, national Integrated Ocean Observing System a central focus of its leadership and coordination role. 

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**2) Ocean.US, with NOC oversight, should **
**be responsible for planning the national **
**IOOS. NOAA should be the lead federal **
**agency for implementing and operating **
**the IOOS, with***** *****extensive interagency **
**coordination and subject to NOC approval.**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**3) Congress should amend the National **
**Oceanographic Partnership Act to **
**formally establish Ocean.US, with a **
**budget appropriate to carry out its **
**mission.  Ocean.US should report to the **
**National Ocean Council’s (NOC’s) **
**Committee on Ocean Science, Education, **
**Technology, and Operations (COSETO).**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**4) Ocean.US should proactively seek **
**input from coastal and ocean stakeholder **
**communities to build cross-sector support **
**for the IOOS and  develop consensus **
**about operational requirements **

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**5) Ocean.US with NOC oversight should **
**develop a set of core variables to be **
**collected by all components of the **
**national IOOS**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**6) Ocean.US should recommend priorities **
**and long-term plans for space-based **
**missions as an essential component of **
**the national IOOS.**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**7) NOAA, NSF, Navy and NASA should **
**require investigators who receive federal **
**funding related to ocean research **
**observatories, including the NSF Ocean **
**Observatories Initiative, to develop plans **
**for transferring new technologies to an **
**operational mode in the IOOS**
** **

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**8) Congress should transfer NASA’s Earth **
**environmental observing satellites, along **
**with associated resources, to  NOAA to **
**achieve continued operations. NOAA and **
**NASA should work together to ensure **
**the smooth transition of each Earth **
**environmental observing satellite after**
**its launch.**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**9) Congress should fund the IOOS as a line item **
**in NOAA’s budget, to be spent subject to NOC **
**direction and approval. IOOS funds should be **
**appropriated without fiscal year limitation. **
**NOAA should develop a streamlined process **
**for distributing IOOS funds to other federal **
**and nonfederal partners.** **lined process for **
**distributing IOOS funds to other federal and **
**nonfederal partners.**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**

**10) The NOC should oversee coordination of the **
**IOOS with other existing and planned terrestrial, **
**watershed, atmospheric, and biological **
**observation and information collection systems, **
**with the ultimate goal of developing a national **
**Earth Observing System.**

## USCOP IOOS Recommendations

**	****	****	****	****  ****should promote international coordination **
**	****	****	****	****  ****and capacity building in the field of global **
**	****	****	****	****  ****ocean observations**

**USCOP IOOS Recommendations**
**  ****From the Preliminary Report**