 2. Drivers
and Trends for SOCD Research
2.5 Trends
Significant internal and external trends affect the Division's science
and technology roadmap by influencing research, development, and
integration approaches. Principal trends are highlighted below.
- Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)
The U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System will bridge the gap between
operational remote sensing and in-situ stations in the United States. It
is the United State's contribution to a Global Ocean Observing System
(GOOS), which is a substantial component of the Global Earth Observing
System of Systems (GEOSS). IOOS "is a coordinated national and
international network of observations and data transmission, data
management and communications, and data analyses and modeling that
systematically and efficiently acquires and disseminates data and
information on past, present and future states of the oceans and U.S.
coastal waters to the head of tide." (First Annual Integrated Ocean
Observing System (IOOS) Development Plan, A Report of the Nation Ocean
Research Council Prepared by Ocean.US, The National Office for
Integrated and Sustained Ocean Observations, Ocean.US Publication No.
9.) The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) will build on, enhance and
supplement existing observing programs to develop a sustained and
integrated observing systemthat provides the data and knowledge required
to: manage and restore healthy coastal ecosystems and living resources;
enable safer and more cost-effective marine operations; forecast and
mitigate the effects of storms; detect and predict the effects of
climate change; and protect public health. The Global Earth Observation
System of Systems (GEOSS) is collaborative effort between 33 nations to
share and blend in-situ and remotely-sensed Earth observations through
existing and new compatible software and hardware. The U.S. and
developed nations have a unique role in developing and maintaining the
system, collecting data, enhancing data distribution, and providing
models to help all of the world's nations.
The national effort to establish an Integrated Ocean Observing System
has assigned a significant leadership role to NOAA. The IOOS National
Backbone includes satellite ocean remote sensing, where the nature of
the roles for NOAA, NASA, and the Department of Defense in support of
this satellite component is still being determined. NOAA clearly has a
role in supporting IOOS with operational ocean remote sensing data.
NOAA's role in providing data from developmental satellite programs is
less clear. SOCD's NOAA CoastWatch/OceanWatch program for providing
satellite ocean remote sensing data and products has been designated as
a component of the IOOS National Backbone. The technology challenge is
linking significantly increasing quantities of satellite ocean remote
sensing data with IOOS and the IOOS Regional Associations. An IOOS
science challenge is working with the IOOS Regional Associations to
provide regional satellite ocean remote sensing data and products, with
a significant focus on the coastal regime.
- Collaborative Computing Environment
Internal NOAA efforts are tending toward establishing a collaborative
computing environment for satellite calibration/monitoring and product
development, validation, and analysis. This new environment poses a
notable technology challenge with respect to coordinating the numerous
high-volume data streams and storage/archive requirements needed for
implementing data quality assurance and scientific stewardship of
climate data records.
- Data Fusion
Data fusion comprises, amongst other aspects, the blending of similar
and complementary data sets to achieve "best value" data sets and the
derivation of new parameters/information through combining different
parameter data sets. Current illustrations of these types of efforts
include: the blending of GOES and POES infrared SST data for a "best
value" infrared SST data set; the blending of infrared and microwave SST
data for the next-generation "best value" SST; and the combining of
altimetry sea-surface height anomalies with scatterometry ocean surface
winds to derive ocean surface currents.
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