Promoting interoperable ocean sensors the Smart Ocean Sensors Consortium

As we continue to expand our activities on and beneath the surface of our oceans, there is an ever-expanding requirement to monitor and collect oceanographie and meteorological data in increasingly remote and harsh marine environments. Ocean Observing systems provide critical information; information in support of problem solving, decision making, prediction and forecasting as well as in support of offshore engineering and design activities. In short, these systems enable us to better understand the oceans around us. Ocean data are often expensive and logistically challenging to collect. It is crucial that maximum value is derived from the investment made in ocean observation. Collecting and delivering data in a cost effective and timely manner is essential to its viability and ultimately its value to the end user. Over the last two decades there has been an explosion in the use of GIS (Geographic Information Systems) in ocean observation across a wide range of sectors from aquaculture to defense and security. As acceptance and usage of GIS continues to grow in these disparate sectors, many applications have developed their own data standards and their own proprietary software for processing, analysis and presentation. The concept of Open GIS was conceived with the vision of creating a set of open interface standards to enable diverse geo-processing systems to share data and communicate directly and efficiently. The Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC) was formed to develop these open interface specifications as well as to lead the education and outreach components of the initiative. In broadest terms, an ocean observing system is comprised of three primary functional layers. The "top" layer, from the point of view of the end user, is the application layer, the software tools that enable the user to process, interpret and act upon data. The second layer is the service layer, the hardware and software necessary to move, store and manage data. The third layer is the data collection layer consisting of the sensors and systems that are the physical interface with the ocean environment. The OGC promotes the concept of Sensor Web Enablement. A Sensor Web is a World Wide Web accessible network comprised of geographically distributed sensors and archived data. The sensors may monitor any physical parameter depending on the location and the application. The data, whether directly from sensors or from archived sources, can be located and accessed using standard communications protocols and programming tools. Fully implemented, OGC specifications will ultimately enable access to geospatial data regardless of source or location. It will enable data from different sources to be integrated and analyzed and will promote "common look and feel" visualization and display of information. There is considerable interest in the marine user community to define a new class of standards-based ocean sensors. These sensors can be located and identified over the World Wide Web, demonstrate "plug and work" interoperability in the field and offer data that can be shared, processed and presented to end users across many disciplines and applications. Ultimately these "smart" ocean sensors will result in new and increased market potential for sensor manufacturers as well as reduced costs to the end user. The Smart Ocean Sensors Consortium (SOSC) has been formed by a group of ocean sensor manufacturers and end users with the collective vision of improving the reliability, utility and cost-effectiveness of ocean observing sensor networks through the adoption, development, and promotion of appropriate standard interfaces and protocols. A primary SOSC objective is the submission of an interoperable ocean sensor specification for adoption by the Open Geospatial Consortium and ultimately dissemination to the wider oceans community.