JCOMMOPS JCOMM Observing Program Support Centre M. Belbeoch JCOMM OCG IV/ Hobart, April 2011

JCOMMOPS is involved with the implementation of the main global in-situ observing systems, including: –DBCP (data buoy cooperation panel): Drifting and moored buoys in the high seas and tropical moorings, misc. platforms –Argo: Profiling floats –SOT (ship observations team) : SOOP, ASAP, VOS –OceanSITES: Deep ocean time-series reference stations JCOMMOPS is now “firmly established as a major support facility for operational ocean observing system.” JCOMM co-presidents, 2009 Reality is more modest … JCOMM Observing Program Support Centre

The JCOMM Observing Programme Support Centre, on behalf of JCOMM, aims to: monitor and evaluate the performance of the networks assist in the planning, implementation and operations of the observing systems act as a clearing house and focal point on all programme aspects assist in data distribution on the Internet and GTS encourage cooperation between communities and member states relay user feedback on data quality to platform operators provide technical assistance and user support worldwide develop synergies between observing systems (GOOS) Coordination Monitoring Assistance Cooperation Focus on prog. essential before integration JCOMM Observing Program Support Centre

Infrastructure: office, staff JCOMMOPS, hosted by France (CLS/Coriolis), has recently been renewed, with extended mandate to integrate more components of Observing System JCOMMOPS comprises two Technical Coordinators (IOC employees), a senior scientist, an I.T team: –Mathieu Belbeoch The Argo Profiling Float programme The Ship Observations Team (JCOMMOPS administration, development, I.T. Team management) –Hester Viola (being replaced by Kelly Stroker NOAA) The Data Buoy Cooperation Panel The OceanSITES Program –Yves Desaubies (1/4 time) Scientific Coordination (Ifremer contribution) – EFT. I.T. resource (~2 ½ time software engineers) Students on work experience (an intern has joined the centre for 2 years) New DBCP TC is awaited !! Involvement in JCOMMOPS development will be crucial Part-time activities are not fully compatible with “focus” Difficult to get “team spirit” with I.T. (more sub-contracting)

Infrastructure: office, staff... & funding Funded only through extra budgetary (MS) and host resources –IOC provides crucial support for administration (some progress could be done) Large international support –but it is needed to relieve US support Most of the financial effort supported by the Argo & DBCP SOT funds provided for coordination clarified last week OceanSITES (single countributing country …) JCOMMOPS started sell services … SOT & OceanSITES must increase their contributions Or impossible to develop and sustain a proper service Support to other GOOS/JCOMM obs. systems stopped

Ship time related activities are the base of global array implementation Finding ships is an on-going issue for Argo, DBCP, SOOP (today deployment, tomorrow retrieval) SOT metadata management is not a minor activity There is a lack of centralized cruise information The « JCOMM Cruises » initiatives could be developed further The « JCOMM capacity building » initiatives could be developed further (RMIC, PANGEA, …) We need a focal point, tracking existing ships, one by one, identifying new ships, and channelling the information as appropriate within the community. JCOMMOPS is documenting the terms of reference for a new technical coordinator position, that would be the international focal point on cruises (SOT ships and ancillary initiatives, research vessels, charters, sailing races/individuals, cooperation with PMOs, CCHDO, POGO, etc). Funding sources have been identified for a full time position (to be confirmed) Part of the activity is self-funded via JCOMMOPS incomes (ship chartering) JCOMMOPS ‘host agreed to open a position provided funds available A cooperation with IOCCP and GO-SHIP is in sight provided funding follow Cruise Information Centre / Coordinator A transversal JCOMM Activity SOT contribution agreed. Argo will contribute via the chartering. Could DBCP contribute ? ToR to be prepared by a small committee Such position is seen crucial for a proper support to JCOMMOPS components and the development of the JCOMM integrated concept A pilot experiment will be conducted in 2012 (funds for a year at least)

Infrastructure: budget Funds available for Technical Coordination and used for cross program. needs Budget roughly agreed need to sustain funding for the « Cruise Coordinator »

8 Infrastructure: Information System Ambitious system set up by 2 TCs (DB, GIS, Web) New system gradually set up by I.T. Team an on-going “side work” (waiting the DBCP TC involvement) JCOMMOPS was asked by host to migrate the Oracle database on new server for licences issues (performances boosted, scripts rationalized) I.T. Team trained, and productive (see Argo & Google Earth app.) Development/Delployment achitecture ready New (oracle) database design being finalized New GIS capabilities (ArcGIS 10) being tested Focal Point + Information System = Coordination, services for each prog. + JCOMM Integrated services

Products & Services: Examples Real-time... Very early on, JCOMMOPS provided online, interactive GIS–based, real-time tracking tools for ocean platforms and is now working on a partnership with Google to include JCOMM/GOOS observing system status and products within Google Ocean Interoperability targeted: Web Map Services, XML metadata exports, etc. Monthly... JCOMMOPS Status maps are widely recognized as authoritative and giving an up- to-date, verified status of the arrays, encouraging community to share the data and showing how the programmes assess and meet their requirements Requires a careful assembling and quality control of metadata following some rather labour intensive tasks, and privileged links with implementers and platform operators JCOMM OCG components “identity”

10 Metadata essential to compare what is being done at sea and what reaches the Data Centres (Quantitative, qualitative, timeliness, etc)

Products & Services: News Density map for any dataset Scoring system for deployment planning Bilateral EEZ warning system (IOC Res. XLI-4) Metrics are designed, and gradually finalized according to the requirements of each component of JCOMMOPS.

Monitoring, Operations, Promotion, Outreach and humanization of the GOOS …

JCOMMOPS has started to charter a 20m sailing vessel the “Lady Amber” for the community Ship was first inspected by a SAWS PMO (essential) Ship has been sailing for a two weeks test cruise in December 2010 and deployed 4 floats for CSIRO (modest... but promising opportunity) Contacts were established with SA Argo, and local oceanographers JCOMM Cruise: sailing ship Lady Amber

JCOMM Cruises Price is 20 k€/month (non profit base) or 500 € / unit (if full of floats ) An overhead is taken for JCOMMOPS (to secure the activity on the medium run via a dedicated resource, and cover extras) Area of operations: ANY(except high piracy zones) including high latitudes. Full flexibility for deployment locations Promotional/media activities planned Capacity floats ! Autonomy 2 months Space for (1-4) crew on board

Lady Amber: operating for CSIRO Cruise #1 Ship has left Cape-Town mid March for a 2.5 months cruise in the Indian Ocean to deploy ~20 units for CSIRO UNESCO and IMO security department helped us to choose a safe route Ship will go check two RAMA moorings on his way We track it in RT via a GPS/Argos beacon Ship will load some more floats in Perth Green platform, flexible, dedicated, “JCOMM” oriented, Promising communication potential

Ship will load more floats (~40) in Perth before sailing to Bali and then in the West IO A total of 65 floats will be deployed for Australia I will go to see them in Perth (or Bali) to formalize cooperation via proper contracts Ship will not necessary need to go back to SA and his at JCOMM service from Sept./Oct. Thank you Susan, Ann for your support !!! VOS, SOOP, etc … Lady Amber: operating for CSIRO Cruise #2 With Maria Hood help, we are establishing contacts with individual sailors, sailing races to deploy units …. This community wants to help (Yves Parlier, Mike Horn, etc) Promising activity to be developed by the “Cruise Coordinator” Positioning for the future …

JCOMMOPS Expansion IOCCP –Encouraging discussions –Actions needed GO-SHIP –Need for coordination identified Gliders, Marine Mammals/CTDs (regional coordination) –They are aware of JCOMMOPS –We did help them The cruise coordinator position could also serve those ship-based programmes JCOMMOPS to also better define the potential services OCG to encourage its new components to not reinvent the wheel outside its Support Centre for coordination.

Priorities Renew the MoU with France (Ifremer) to become a “Programme Office” according to UNESCO guidelines – Almost Done! IOC Exec. Sec. to meet with French Ambassador. MoU ready. Find new resources (firstly from host country) and eventually from European mechanisms Establish the position of Cruise Technical Coordinator and develop further cooperation across the obs. system elements, in particular regarding operations at sea (ship time and deployment opportunities) develop a new generation of integrated web tools and services (on-going and long run activity)

Conclusion JCOMMOPS is at a cross-road –2 Focal points are not sufficient to deliver proper services to 4 programmes –Common resources are still limited (arrangements with hosts have reached their limit) We need to set up our “ship champion” position Foundations of the I.S. are being rebuilt IOC is renewing the MoU with France (some hope !) Some activities to be developed in Brest New partners (IOCCP, GO-SHIP, Gliders) are welcome ! JCOMM and its support centre is the way forward … … but without proper cross-programme means it will fail achieving the integration of its services If the I.T. support team strengthened (to become « dedicated ») If the Ship Champion position is set up If the hosting country makes an effort … JCOMMOPS will round a new cape

Thank you 21