Building Relationships with the Marine Community

Building Relationships with the Marine Community

• Started with a clean slate!– No Preconceived ideas– Started fresh

• Developed the “MUG” (Marine Users Group)– Consisted of the USCG, San Francisco Bar Pilots,

Harbormasters, Commercial and Recreational Fishermen, Yacht Clubs.

History of the MUG

• Started in 2003.• Asked for their needs and requirements

– More and Smaller Coastal Zones (Four to Six Ocean Zone)

– Specialized San Francisco Bar Forecast– WFO Monterey was the 1st offices to highlight the

“Point and Click” page...“Marine PFM”…and the “Marine Tabular” Forecast.

Six Coastal Water Zones and Two Bay Zones1. Pt Arena to Pt Reyes out to 10

nm

2. Pt Reyes to Pigeon Pt out 10 nm

3. Pt Arena to Pigeon Pt 10-60 nm offshore

4. Pigeon Pt to Pt Pinos out 10nm

5. Pt Pinos to Pt Piedras Blancas 10-60 nm offshore

6. Pigeon Pt to Pt Piedras Blancas 10-60 nm offshore

7. San Francisco, San Pablo, Suisun Bay and the West Delta

8. Monterey Bay

New Coastal Zones - Collaboration with the MUG

San Francisco Bar

.....SAN FRANCISCO BAR/FOURFATHOM BANK FORECAST.....

IN THE DEEP WATER CHANNEL...COMBINED SEAS 6 TO 8 FT THISEVENING THROUGH SATURDAY.

ACROSS THE BAR...COMBINED SEAS 6 TO 8 FT THIS EVENING THROUGHSATURDAY. SEAS MOSTLY WIND WAVE THIS EVENING...TRANSITIONING TO MOSTLY SWELL BY LATE TONIGHT. SEAS OCCASIONALLY TO 9 FEET DURING MAXIMUM EBB CURRENT OF 1.4 KT AT 2:45 AM SATURDAY MORNING AND AGAIN DURING MAXIMUM EBB CURRENT OF 2.4 KT AT 2:19 PM SATURDAY AFTERNOON.

Small Craft Advisory for Rough Bar issued if seas are 10 feet or greater on the Bar.

http://forecast.weather.gov/MapClick.php?zoneid=PZZ545

S a n F ra n cisco B a r F o reca st

CDIP Point Reyes Buoy

CDIP San Francisco Bar Buoy

Short Period SeasUSACE disposal site

San FranciscoSafety, Economics, Environment

San FranciscoSafety, Economics, Environment

Long Period Swell

NOAA 46026

USACE Project Site (Regional SedimentManagement)

FY03 FY04 FY05 FY06 FY07 FY08 FY090

20

40

60

80

100

120

IVO of SF Bar

Fiscal Year

Nu

mb

er o

f In

cid

ents

Bar Forecast Begun by MTR

Fiscal Year (FY)

Surf Cases

IVO of SF Bar

Total

FY03 32 98 130

FY04 28 75 103FY05 29 81 110FY06 18 51 69

FY07 20 39 59FY08 19 30 49FY09 11 14 25

TOTAL: 116 203 319

Marine Incidents(rescues) near

SF Bar

Incidents in the Vicinity of SF Bar (IVO)

Data supplied by the CoastGuard. Assimilated and Disseminated by WFO Monterey.

San Francisco - SAFETY

157 388 545TOTAL:

“Building Relationships”Safety & Efficiency

SF NWS“This buoy allows for safer transits, safer pilot boat operations, and efficiency for the shippers that call at San FranciscoBay.” Captain Bill Greig

“The valuable information available from this weather buoy plays a very crucial roll in my decision that relates to safe navigation of ships across the bar.” Captain Carl Martin, Jr.

“This station has been a great benefit to me as a San Francisco Bar Pilot in route planning and risk assessment.” Captain H.W. Kenyon Management Operations Adoption

What the Future Holds

• Daily Briefing from the USCG• Awareness of Marine Events• Near Real-Time data for the Storm Data Program

• New Forecasts utilizing “virtual” buoys (from Scripps)• Partnership with CeNCOOS (Central and Northern California Ocean Observing

System)• Developing a “one-stop shop” site for mariners

• Leading to Effective Decision Support for the Marine Community• Pillar Point – one of the most dangerous areas off the coast. Home of the

“Mavericks” big wave surf contest• Marine Pamphlets

Effective Decision Support

Requires:• Collaboration with end-users and information providers• Understanding of management issues and information gaps/needs (requirements)• Identification of user-driven solutions• Time and resources to develop, test, validate and benchmark solution(s); and• Management operations adoption• Intent is to

• Coordinate instead of Isolate and • Cooperate instead of Compete

Place-based management issues and resource constraints call for regional-scale engagement and collaboration to achieve improved decision support

Collaboration: Better Together

• Desire to improve the way we do business and deliver science and services for the benefit of regional stakeholders

Daily USCG Briefing

Daily USCG Briefing

Daily USCG Briefing

Daily USCG Briefing

Collaboration with Scripps

• CDIP Forecast – “Virtual” Forecast if the Buoy is not operable.

– Tabular Data for the San Francisco Bar Buoyhttp://cdip.ucsd.edu/?moplist=San_Francisco_Harbor&mop=BP142&xitem=pm

– Graphical Data for the San Francisco Bar Buoyhttp://cdip.ucsd.edu/?moplist=San_Francisco_Harbor&mop=BP142&xitem=wwave

– San Francisco Bar Buoy Forecast (can be used if the buoy is inoperable)http://cdip.ucsd.edu/?moplist=San_Francisco_Harbor&mop=BP142&xitem=forecast

CeNCOOS – Part of IOOS

IOOS (http://www.ioos.gov/ )

CeNCOOS Data Portal

CeNCOOS Data Portal (http://204.115.180.244/CeNCOOS/DataPortal.html)

Collaboration with CenCOOS

PORTS – Real Time Observations (http://tidesandcurrents.noaa.gov/index.shtml)

Collaboration with CenCOOS

• Utilizing CeNCOOS Data Portal as a “One-Stop” Shop for mariners– Integrated web portal with different layers

• WFO Monterey asked the MUG what their requirements and needs are• A “Wish List” was developed which included…

– Marine Spot Forecast for SAR– Satellite overlay– Display as many webcams and observations as possible– Out of Service Buoy information– Swell grids– Chlorophyll information– Creation of a mobile version– Printer friendly page

Collaboration with CenCOOS

Proposed example of “One-Stop Shopping” for Mariners (http://www.sccoos.org/data/harbors/sf/fullscreen.php)

Take Away Messages

• Listen…listen…listen! • Go out and visit our customers! The key is open communication!• If something is promised and it can’t be done tell your customers. They will respect you

for it.• Knowing and Understanding your customers is key to understanding issues• Partnership is key to better managing challenges• Recent trends and new National policy affirm regional and local approaches to problem

solving;• NOAA is working to improve our science, services and stewardship responsibilities

through regional and local outreach and collaboration;• Networks like the Regional Coastal and Ocean Observing System and regionally-based

Weather Service are critical intermediaries to improve federal understanding of user needs and to deliver customer required services.