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Home  About  NOS Fiscal Year 2016 Year in Review
 U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System® NOS Fiscal Year 2016 Year in Review  IOOS Launches Tools to Increase the Discoverability of Ocean Observing System Resources **Supports NOS priority**: Coastal Intelligence
 Wide view of the Environmental Sensor Map 
	Wide view of the Environmental Sensor Map showing hexagonal bins clustering data points, which can be selected at an individual level when zoomed in.
 In FY 2016, U.S. IOOS®  launched new tools to expand the availability and discovery of integrated ocean  observing data. The  IOOS collection  page debuted on the Office for Coastal Management's Digital Coast site.   This provides coastal communities quick and easy access to coastal and  oceanographic datasets via connectivity to IOOS's 11 Regional Associations  (RAs), which provide observations from areas along the U.S. Coast, Great Lakes,  and Pacific territories.  Previously only available via individual points  of entry, exposing these RA data linkages to Digital Coast users through a  single cohesive collection enables quicker and more comprehensive access to  national ocean observing resources. The Environmental Sensor Map displays real-time environmental data  collected from over 31,000 stations throughout the world, including the 11 IOOS  RAs. The map provides an expansive, integrated visualization of  aggregated real-time data, which is useful during storm events where extreme  values may display a 'bulls-eye' in one area of the nation. This tool accesses  and loads an enormous amount of data from myriad observing networks with  minimal load time that means more information faster when it's needed most, at  any time.   New Sensor to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms Deployed **Supports NOS priority**: Coastal Intelligence,Coastal Resilience
 Deploying the Environmental Sensor Processor 
	Deploying the Environmental Sensor Processor near the Juan de Fuca eddy in the Pacific Northwest in May, ahead of HAB season. Photo Credit: NOAA/UW
 May 2016 saw the deployment of the  Environmental Sample Processor (ESP) to monitor and provide early warning for  harmful algal blooms (HABs) on the West Coast, following successful deployments  in the Gulf of Maine.  The Pacific Northwest deployment was undertaken  through a U.S. IOOS Ocean Technology Transition project [grant] and led by the  University of Washington’s Applied Physics Lab. The ESP—a robotic, marine  biosensor developed by the Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute  (MBARI)—automates sampling and testing and transmits data in near-real time,  addressing an accessibility issue that has previously hindered offshore  observation.  Continuous offshore sampling and data transmission enables  earlier detection of HABs, thereby allowing communities and businesses more  time to mitigate the impacts. Originally scheduled for deployment in  August 2016, the Washington State Department of Fish and Wildlife and other  end-users requested a spring launch following the devastating 2016 West Coast  HAB that occurred earlier in the season. A multi-agency team from NOAA (NCCOS  & Northwest Fisheries Science Center), IOOS, and the University of  Washington came together to make that launch happen, and the new ESP was  successfully deployed May 23 on a mooring within the Olympic Coast National  Marine Sanctuary near the Juan de Fuca eddy, a known HAB hotspot. The resulting  data are the first near-real time ESP observations publically available to  end-users in near-real time on the west coast.   Biodiversity Observing Network Gains Momentum in U.S. **Supports NOS priority**: coastal intelligence, coastal resilience,  place-based conservation
 Sea anemone in the kelp beds of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary
	Sea anemone in the kelp beds of Monterey Bay National Marine Sanctuary, one of the sites of the 3 pilot Marine Biodiversity Observing Networks (MBON).  Photo Credit: Chad King/MBNMS
 The U.S. Marine Biodiversity Observing Network (MBON)--a partnership funded by U.S. IOOS®, NOAA's Office of Ocean  Exploration and Research, NASA, and the Bureau of Ocean Energy Management (BOEM)  has had a successful second year. Researchers are working toward establishing a  long-term national biodiversity monitoring network, through three pilot  projects.  The projects are working in the Arctic Chukchi Sea, the Santa  Barbara Channel, and the Florida Keys, Flower Garden Banks, and Monterey Bay  National Marine Sanctuaries. The Arctic Marine Biodiversity Network (AMBON), a  partnership with a number of regional initiatives (including the NOAA-led  Distributed Biological Observatory), was selected as one of the projects that  will support deliverables from the White House Arctic Sciences Ministerial,  taking place in fall 2016.  The  Sanctuaries MBON project extended to include Flower Garden Banks.  Work in  the Flower Gardens is timely, and MBON researchers are contributing to  understanding of the unprecedented coral bleaching event happening there. An increase in availability of time-series data will make this event, and  future events, easier to understand and forecast. In the Santa Barbara Channel  MBON project, researchers are developing new technology and data handling  methods to identify and fill data gaps.   IOOS Launches EDS **Supports NOS priority**: Coastal Intelligence
 In May 2016, U.S. IOOS®  Environmental Data Server (EDS) Model Viewer debuted as part of the IOOS toolkit. The EDS is a data server that harvests, integrates, and displays  global, national, and regional model output as well as near real-time  environmental observations including the IOOS high-frequency radar network and  NOAA resources including CBIBS, CO-OPS, and the National Data Buoy Center.  By accessing the EDS via the IOOS viewer, a web-based portal, users can  run skill assessments, compare models, and download data from the model source  or via the EDS.  This model viewer provides access to coastal data for a  wide array of applications including marine operations, search and rescue,  modeling, and forecasting, expanding the tools and data available to  communities, governments, and individuals to make decisions for public health  and safety in and around the coasts. Enhancements continue, including  additional models, visualization of parameters at different depths, and contour  and vector animations within the viewer (now available through a video option).  This development and expansion builds on original requirements established by  the U.S. Coast Guard, an IOOS contributor, to develop a resource for integrated  ocean information to support search and rescue operations.   IOOS Releases study of Ocean Enterprise **Supports NOS priority**: Coastal Intelligence
 High Frequency radar dome antenna array on the beach. 
	High Frequency radar dome antenna array on the beach.  Radars such as these provide communities, industry, and the weather service with surface current information, vital for forecasting open ocean conditions.
 In February 2016, U.S. IOOS®  released *The Ocean Enterprise: A study of U.S. business activity in ocean  measurement, observation and forecasting*. This study is the first  national-level assessment of private sector activity in this  critical component of the blue economy, which helps deliver critical safety,  economic, and environmental benefits across the board, advancing maritime  commerce.  Commercial and non-profit activity in this sector has not previously  been examined as a stand-alone sector as it is scattered among numerous  economic activities. By collecting this information into a single analysis,  NOAA and other entities are better able to see opportunities for partnerships  and innovation, as well as identifying information gaps. Key findings include  that this private sector activity contributes USD $7 billion to the US economy  annually and that 85% of businesses surveyed expect to expand going ahead,  indicating that there are opportunities for successful public/private  partnerships to improve public health and safety.   Surface Current Data Delivered to Weather Forecasting Offices in Near Real-Time **Supports NOS priority**: Coastal Intelligence,Coastal Resilience
 'Chá ba,' a buoy off the coast of Washington 
	"Chá ba," a buoy off the coast of Washington, contributes better information about the ocean conditions that oysters can and cannot tolerate. Photo credit: NANOOS
 In FY 2016, U.S. IOOS® and the National Weather Service completed work to integrate high-frequency radar-derived surface current data into the powerful data processing tool AWIPS-II (the Advanced Weather Interactive Processing System), giving Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) in coastal areas new access to ocean data that directly impacts their service areas. IOOS operates the nation’s only high-frequency radar network, providing near-real time 2-D maps of ocean of surface currents speed and direction. This network supports U.S. Coast Guard search and rescue operations, NOAA response to oil spills, port navigation, tracking of harmful algal blooms, and now offers WFOs more insight into offshore and coastal storm movement, storm surge events, and wind movement.
  **IOOS®** Highlights  IOOS Launches Tools to Increase the Discoverability of Ocean Observing System Resources
            New Sensor to Detect Harmful Algal Blooms Deployed
            Biodiversity Observing Network Gains Momentum in U.S.
            IOOS Launches EDS
            IOOS Releases study of Ocean Enterprise
               Surface Current Data Delivered to Weather Forecasting Offices in Near Real-Time
  **NOS Accomplishments**  Fiscal Year 2016 Highlights
          Browse by **Priority**:
          Coastal Resilience Priority
          Coastal Intelligence Priority
          Place-Based Conservation Priority
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          Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services
                              Coral Reef Conservation Program

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