IOC Project Office for IODE Wandelaarkaai 7
8400 Ostend
Belgium
| 1 | Overview of marine observing systems |
| 1.1 | Satellites |
| 1.1.1 | Active |
| 1.1.2 | Passive |
| 1.2 | Ships |
| 1.2.1 | OWS, VOS |
| 1.2.2 | XBTs, XCTDs |
| 1.2.3 | ASAP |
| 1.2.4 | Manual observations |
| 1.2.5 | Shipboard AWS |
| 1.3 | Fixed Platforms |
| 1.3.1 | Oilrigs, lighthouses |
| 1.3.2 | Moored Buoys |
| 1.4 | Profiling Floats |
| 1.5 | Drifting Buoys |
| 1.6 | Tsunameters and Tide Gauges |
| 1.7 | Autonomous Vehicles |
| 1.8 | Seabed Observatories |
| 2 | The need for buoy observations |
| 2.1 | Role of oceans in weather and climate |
| 2.2 | Limitations of satellite observations |
| 2.3 | Limitations of ship observations |
| 2.4 | Value for money considerations |
| 2.5 | Specific needs in terms of: |
| 2.5.1 | Observed variable |
| 2.5.2 | Spatial coverage |
| 2.5.3 | Temporal coverage |
| 2.5.4 | Availability and timeliness |
| 3 | Buoy hardware: platforms |
| 3.1 | Fixed platforms |
| 3.1.1 | Construction |
| 3.1.2 | Mooring |
| 3.1.3 | Safety and Vandalism |
| 3.2 | Profilers |
| 3.2.1 | Profiling engines |
| 3.2.2 | Other design issues and calculations |
| 3.2.3 | Ballasting calculations |
| 3.3 | Drifters |
| 3.3.1 | Hull design |
| 3.3.2 | Drogue design and validation |
| 3.3.3 | Drag calculations |
| 3.3.4 | Submersion issues and calculations |
| 3.3.5 | Deployment packages |
| 3.4 | Marine animals |
| 3.5 | Energy |
| 3.5.1 | Sources |
| 3.5.2 | Budget calculations |
| 4 | Buoy hardware: sensors |
| 4.1 | SLP and baro port design |
| 4.10 | Wave spectra |
| 4.11 | Ocean depth, sea level |
| 4.12 | Other (e.g. pCO2, bio, tracers) |
| 4.2 | T (air and sea surface) |
| 4.3 | T(z) |
| 4.4 | Submersion |
| 4.5 | C and the computation of S |
| 4.6 | Wind speed and direction |
| 4.7 | Rainfall and humidity |
| 4.8 | Location (GPS) |
| 4.9 | Current velocity |
| 5 | Buoy hardware: sensor processing |
| 5.1 | Sensor connection and interfacing |
| 5.1.1 | Connectors |
| 5.1.2 | Networking protocols and technologies (Hard-wired, Radio, Optical, Acoustic) |
| 5.2 | Microprocessors, microcontrollers, onboard memory |
| 5.3 | Timing sources |
| 5.4 | Sampling, averaging, despiking |
| 5.5 | Smart data processing |
| 5.6 | Data formats and message handling |
| 6 | Buoy hardware: communications |
| 6.1 | GSM and radio |
| 6.2 | Satellite |
| 6.2.1 | LEOs: Argos, Orbcomm, Iridium, Globalstar |
| 6.2.2 | GEOs: Meteosat/GOES/GMS, Inmarsat |
| 6.3 | Acoustics |
| 6.4 | Energy considerations |
| 7 | Buoy and float deployment |
| 7.1 | Strategic issues |
| 7.1.1 | High impact areas |
| 7.1.2 | Optimisation strategies |
| 7.1.3 | Remote areas |
| 7.1.4 | Contact with national focal points and high level sponsors |
| 7.2 | Practical issues |
| 7.2.1 | Air and sea deployment opportunities |
| 7.2.2 | Coordination with other agencies |
| 7.2.3 | Deployment techniques and handling of deployment packages |
| 7.2.4 | Pre-deployment tests |
| 7.2.5 | Safety issues |
| 8 | Shore-side data processing, dissemination and archiving |
| 8.1 | Data reception |
| 8.2 | Location techniques |
| 8.3 | Data delays |
| 8.4 | Conversion issues |
| 8.4.1 | Transfer functions, calibrations |
| 8.4.2 | End-user formatting (GTS formats) |
| 8.5 | Metadata |
| 8.6 | Dissemination routes |
| 8.6.1 | GTS |
| 8.6.2 | Other data pathways |
| 8.7 | Archival mechanisms |
| 8.8 | Developments by service providers |
| 8.8.1 | Argos |
| 8.8.2 | Iridium |
| 8.8.3 | Inmarsat |
| 9 | Quality Control (QC) |
| 9.1 | Importance of QC |
| 9.2 | Techniques available |
| 9.2.1 | Initial calibration and validation |
| 9.2.2 | Gross error checks (Sensor values, Location accuracy) |
| 9.2.3 | Nearest-neighbour checks |
| 9.2.4 | Comparison with model fields |
| 9.3 | RMS differences and biases |
| 9.3.1 | Météo France real-time QC data |
| 9.3.2 | Delayed-mode buoy monitoring statistics |
| 9.4 | Practical implementation |
| 9.4.1 | Real-time automatic checks |
| 9.4.2 | Delayed mode procedures |
| 9.4.3 | Identification of steady offsets |
| 9.4.4 | Rescaling procedures |
| 9.4.5 | Post-calibration tests |
| 10 | Data access and consultation |
| 10.1 | Data access policies |
| 10.2 | Data pathways (revision: also under section 8) |
| 10.3 | Data centres and their products |
| 10.3.1 | Designated archiving centres: RNODC/DB, SOC/DB |
| 10.3.2 | Operational support centres: JCOMMOPS, OSMC, NDBC |
| 10.3.3 | Other on-line centres: Coriolis, CLS, DBCP, SHOM |
| 11 | International coordination |
| 11.1 | WMO |
| 11.2 | IOC |
| 11.3 | JCOMM and JCOMMOPS |
| 11.4 | DBCP and its action groups |
| 11.5 | Case study : IBPIO, Indian Ocean activities and coordination |
| 11.6 | Argo |
| 11.7 | Other emerging initiatives: GEOSS, EU FP7 |
| 11.8 | Future visions |
| 12 | Conclusions |
| 12.1 | Feedback on assignments and project reports |
| 12.2 | User feedback |
| 12.3 | Next steps |
| 12.3.1 | Network creation |
| 12.3.2 | Continuation support |