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IOOS Planning and Coordination
Recent events, such as Hurricane Katrina and the Indian Ocean tsunami underscore the immediate and growing need for a more integrated approach to ocean observations. Prior to these events, the federal government had already begun planning for an Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) that efficiently links observations and modeling via data management and communications in order to provide the data and information necessary to significantly improve the nation's ability to achieve seven societal goals.
Over a dozen federal agencies or departments currently have environmental observing programs which include ocean and coastal measurements tailored to fulfill their specific missions and goals. A National Federation of Regional Associations has also been established to coordinate the development of interoperable regional coastal ocean observing systems and to collaborate with federal agencies to help guide IOOS development as a whole.
IOOS implementation is guided by IOOS Development Plans, which are “living” documents that are updated and improved periodically as needed. These Plans describe a new approach to data management, communication and modeling that link global, national and regional elements and can be used to nowcast and forecast the combined local effects of larger scale changes occurring in the oceans and on land. Needed are effective mechanisms to finance planning, architectural design studies, and the coordination necessary to make diverse data streams interoperable and networked.