JCOMMOPSJCOMM Observing Program Support Centre

M. BelbeochJCOMM 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

AssistanceCooperation

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 programmeThe Ship Observations Team(JCOMMOPS administration, development, I.T. Team management)

– Hester Viola (being replaced by Kelly Stroker NOAA)The Data Buoy Cooperation PanelThe 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 contributionsOr 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 / CoordinatorA 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: budgetFunds available for Technical Coordination and

used for cross program. needs

Budget roughly agreedneed to sustain funding for the « Cruise Coordinator »

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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”

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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.

http://argo.jcommops.org/argo.kml

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 40-60 floats !

• Autonomy 2 months

• Space for (1-4) crew on board

Lady Amber: operating for CSIROCruise #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 choosea 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 SAand his at JCOMM service from Sept./Oct.

• Thank you Susan, Ann for your support !!!

• VOS, SOOP, etc …

Lady Amber: operating for CSIROCruise #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)

ships@jcommops.org 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 belbeoch@jcommops.org

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