Subscribe to the GoMOOS Observer!
 |
|
WINTER 2007
Welcome to the first edition of the Quarterly GoMOOS Observer. We are excited to bring you the latest news and updates on coastal and ocean observations, information products and activities that we’ve been working on. We would appreciate hearing your thoughts and suggestions on any of the topics below, so please send us an email at info@gomoos.org. |
|
Member Institutions Atlantic Pilotage Authority *New Members |
|
GoMOOS UpdatesWelcome to two new GoMOOS members, MetOc Halifax in Nova Scotia represented by Darryl Williams, and Science Applications International Corporation out of Rhode Island represented by Don Jagoe. GoMOOS extends its gratitude to outgoing board members Sandy Sage from Bigelow Laboratory for Ocean Sciences and Philip Conkling from the Island Institute for their generous contributions as founding board members. Best wishes to GoMOOS board member, Brian Nutter from Maine Port Authority, who has left for a position out of state. GoMOOS welcomes new board members, Don Jagoe with Science Applications International Corporation and Brian Whitehouse with OEA Technologies. GoMOOS mourns board member, Susan Snow-Cotter, who tragically lost her life to breast cancer in December. GoMOOS’ successes in attracting data integration projects, as well as its role in supporting NERACOOS (Northeastern Regional Association of Ocean Observing Systems), GoMODP (Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership), and the SCOOP (SURA’s Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction) program have necessitated additional staff to accomplish this work. Three new IT professionals with private-sector experience have joined GoMOOS to manage and support our regional data management, data integration, and product development efforts. In September, Riley Young Morse joined the GoMOOS team as Product Developer; Ian Ogilvie came on board in January as Senior Programmer; and Tom Gale now serves as Chief Technology Officer, overseeing GoMOOS and SURA SCOOP IT efforts. Finally, Jen Levin joined GoMOOS as Program Coordinator, staffing the development of NERACOOS, and working on communications and customer outreach. The additional focus on end-user needs and community involvement strategies will help GoMOOS maintain and build support for the buoy system, thus enabling more secure funding for that infrastructure. GoMOOS lost COO Charlie Spies when he moved on to the managing director position at Coastal Enterprises, Inc. Given his strong organizational capacity and competence, Tom Shyka was promoted to the COO position. Buoy Program UpdatesLast year GoMOOS faced a significant decrease in federal funding, which seriously threatened our buoy program. Many organizations and individuals throughout the region have come to rely on GoMOOS for real-time ocean and weather conditions. Thanks to significant contributions from the University of New Hampshire, the University of Maine, the State of Maine, along with the efforts of many of our members, we were able secure the funds needed for buoy operations and maintenance through the summer of 2007. The federal funding outlook going forward continues to be challenging and uncertain. However, the GoMOOS executive committee and staff are working on diversifying buoy funding sources so that we can maintain our successful and valuable system well into the future. In October, GoMOOS, in partnership with the New Meadows River Watershed Project, Friends of Casco Bay, and the Maine Coastal Program, deployed the first of its kind near-shore buoy in the main channel of the New Meadows River. This buoy is part of a pilot study to provide useful data to coastal resource managers. Funded by a grant from the Maine Technology Institute, the New Meadows River Buoy (Buoy D01) provides data on wind, temperature, currents, salinity, dissolved oxygen and more. Additionally, the current meter and meteorological sensors will allow for the first long-term measurements of the unique circulation of the New Meadows River, while other specialized sensors for chlorophyll and nutrients will monitor conditions related to red tide events.
Also in October, a new buoy (Buoy D02) was deployed in Harpswell Sound. The buoy is sponsored by NSF and managed by Bowdoin College’s Coastal Studies Center, St. Joeseph's College, and Bigelow Laboratory. The information the buoy collects will augment ancillary real-time studies based at their marine research station. Real-time data from this buoy is available on the GoMOOS site. The University of Maine Physical Oceanography Group reports that all 10 GoMOOS buoys were serviced by December 2006, and a new, smaller buoy (D01) was deployed in the New Meadows River in October 2006. Special thanks to Heritage Salmon in Eastport who provided a barge and personnel to service buoy J. The pressure porting system was redesigned to reduce winter freezing. Dual meteorological sensors were added to the main GoMOOS buoys (except D01). Some buoys received sensor upgrades, including Nortek's Aquadopp current profiler and Aanderaa optodes for dissolved oxygen. In addition to sensor upgrades, several data enhancements have been made, including:
GoMOOS Software Development UpdatesStandards-based Software for Integrating Ocean Data - OOSTethys GoMOOS has been working to make integration of data sources easier through the development of tools and services that incorporate data from a wider array of providers. Because no two ocean observing systems use the same platforms or databases, there is no “one size fits all” solution to guarantee interoperability. To address this issue, two well-known consortia SURA/SCOOP and MMI (the Marine Metadata Interoperability Project) have created standards-based software to allow for the integration of ocean observing data. This joint effort is known as “OOSTethys”. Developed by GoMOOS staff, the pilot project consists of making sensor data (currently salinity and water temperature) available from a variety of providers in one centralized map, in real-time. The work in progress can be viewed at http://www.openioos.org/testbed/sos and more information about the OOSTethys project and data partners can be viewed at http://www.oostethys.org. OOSTethys was specifically mentioned in a NOAA Coastal Services Center RFP, further espousing its relevance to the IOOS. GoMOOS, through its connection with SURA, has been an integral contributor on this effort. Other regional partners testing OOSTethys include Woods Hole Oceanographic Institute, Martha’s Vineyard Coastal Observatory, and UNH’s Coastal Ocean Observing Center. OGC Ocean Science Interoperability Experiment OOSTethys uses standards developed by the Open Geospatial Consortium (OGC). Because of its success in the area of sensor interoperability, the OOSTethys group has been chosen to work with the OGC on an ocean science interoperability experiment in 2007. A press release with more information on this effort is available at http://www.opengeospatial.org/pressroom/pressreleases/667. SC06 SuperComputing Conference In October and early November the staff at GoMOOS were heavily involved in preparing the SURA Coastal Ocean Observing and Prediction (SCOOP) technology infrastructure to be demonstrated at the SC06 Conference (http://sc06.supercomputing.org/) in Tampa. SC06 is an international conference on high performance computing technologies put on by IEEE and the Association for Computing Machinery (ACM). The SCOOP demonstration at SC06 was featured in the IBM, Louisiana State University and University of North Carolina booths and was presented by GoMOOS CEO Dr. Philip Bogden. The demonstration featured a simulated hurricane event and showed how the SCOOP infrastructure automatically distributes the computationally intensive and time-critical task of ensemble forecasting of hurricane inundation. The demonstration was well received by its audience of coastal scientists and computer scientists as well as NOAA and NSF program managers. Coastal Habitat Monitoring Web Tool GoMOOS partnered with the Gulf of Maine Council on the Marine Environment, the University of New Hampshire, the Massachusetts Office of Coastal Zone Management, US Geological Survey, and Maine Department of Marine Resources to develop a web-based system that will enable sharing, integration, and use of coastal habitat monitoring data. This on-line tool (http://www.gomoos.org/gomc/map) enables monitoring programs to easily enter and safely store their data, while also facilitating simultaneous use of information from multiple sources. This effort is a proof of concept that will serve multiple partners around the Gulf of Maine and enhance the understanding of coastal ecosystems. Partnership UpdatesStakeholders from Nova Scotia to Connecticut are realizing steady progress on the development of the Northeastern Regional Association of Coastal Ocean Observing Systems (NERACOOS). The Advisory Committee representing end users, researchers, and data providers is guiding the process, focusing primarily on product development and governance issues. GoMOOS has been contracted to coordinate this work through a grant from NOAA Coastal Services Center. For more information, including meeting notes, presentations, and a list of contributors to this effort, visit www.neracoos.org. Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership The Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership (GoMODP) held its annual meeting on December 7, 2006 at the Pease Tradeport in Portsmouth, NH. In addition to an update on ongoing partnership activities, the attendees heard two detailed presentations. Krish Narasimhan of Lockheed Martin presented on IOOS development, a large scale conceptual plan. Chuck Spooner of the US EPA presented on the Exchange Network, which is a specific example of successful data exchange and integration. At the annual meeting, the partnership adopted a workplan for 2007 focusing on data accessibility and interoperability. Multiple projects and initiatives are underway involving many of the 23 partner organizations, including two pilot projects. The Shrimp Pilot Project intends to provide retrospective data on catch and ocean conditions useful to the Northern Shrimp Technical Committee. The Monitoring Locations application is to provide a web-based mapping tool showing the locations where environmental monitoring is being done and provide information on the responsible organizations and the parameters being monitored. An EPA grant application has been submitted to further the goals of this project. The partnership maintains a website at www.gomodp.org where meeting notes, reports and workplans are available. Information on the 23 partner organizations is posted there as well as information on upcoming events and activities. Seasons of the Sea Education Program GoMOOS is pleased to be a contributor to an exciting new hands-on program, Seasons of the Sea (http://www.seacoastsciencecenter.org/about/news/detail.php?news_id=30). The exhibit, created through collaboration between University of New Hampshire’s Coastal Ocean Observing Center and Seacoast Science Center staff, utilizes GoMOOS buoy and satellite data. Two GoMOOS buoys, one in the coastal zone and another offshore in deeper waters, send real-time data to a six-foot display where viewers can compare and update information using dials on the display. Programs like this enable greater public understanding of the inner workings of the Gulf of Maine, including how scientists utilize ocean observing data to predict things such as changes in climate and ocean ecology.
GoMODP - Gulf of Maine Ocean Data Partnership February 16, 2007 - GoMOOS Board of Directors Meeting, Portland, ME March 1 - 3, 2007 - Maine Fishermen's Forum, Rockport, ME April 26, 2006 - NERACOOS Advisory Committee Meeting, Portsmouth, NH Please send comments and suggestions to: GoMOOS Phone (207) 773-0423 |
|
You are receiving this newsletter because you are a member or partner of GoMOOS, or you have opted in from our website.
| |
