How is Ocean.US Helping IOOSGOOS Move Towards Realization

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How is Ocean.US Helping IOOS/GOOS Move Towards
Realization

• Mary Altalo
• Ocean.US

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The Ocean.US Planning Office Charter

• To develop a National capability for integrating
  and sustaining ocean observations and predictions
  to meet common research and operational needs in
  the 7 societal areas
• To serve as a National Focal Point for relating
  U.S. ocean observing system elements to the
  international Global Ocean Observing System, GOOS
  (ocean component of GEOSS)

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What Ocean.US Does

• Visions, Contexts and Coordinate IOOS
• Represents and Promotes IOOS in GOOS/GEOSS
• Assesses, Analyzes and Benchmarks IOOS Progress
• Develops Strategic and Tactical Plans with
  milestones and performance metrics for the
  implementation of IOOS
  
• Provides Guidance and Process
• criteria for certification, criteria for
  performance, compliance manuals and metrics
  
• Provides oversight on the execution of those
  plans
  
• Educates and Trains at all levels including
  workforce
  
• Evaluates and Certifies system development

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Ocean.US Reports and Guidance Documents

• The First US Integrated Ocean Observing System
  (IOOS) Development Plan 2006
  
• Inventory of existing Ocean Programs Supplements
  to the First US IOOS Development Plan)
  
• Data Management and Communications (DMAC) Plan
  for Research and Operational Integrated Ocean
  Observing Systems I. Interoperable Data
  Discovery, Access, and Archive (March 2005)
• Proceedings of the Second IOOS Implementation
  Conference Multi-Hazard Forecasting (May 2005)
  
• Building Consensus Toward an Integrated and
  Sustained Ocean Observing System (IOOS). (Airlie
  House Report 2002)

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Directed Activities

• Develop and maintain document outlining long
  range vision of an integrated observation and
  prediction federationThe First U.S. IOOS
  Development Plan, and biannual implementation
  conferences to inform new versions
• Ensure integration of the elements
• Serve as the focal point to coordinate Ocean.US
  activities with IWG, ORRAP and FOFC
  
• Provide annual assessment of system status,
  products and planned directions
  
• Recommend enhancements, need for research and
  development and identify system components
  suitable to transition from research to
  operations

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Activities and Goals for 2006 Focus on Process

• Task 1 Integrating existing and planned
  elements
  
• Certification/Decertification Criteria developed
  and adopted (integrating conventions)- together
  with RAs and Agencies- both must comply
  
• DMAC Standards and protocol manuals developed and
  adopted (ensuring compatibility and
  interoperability data access and documentation
  conventions)
• Building the Research to Ops On Ramps and
  technology readiness and insertion Assessment
  criteria ( identify system components suitable
  to transition, promote collaboration between
  agencies, recommend needs for research)
• Systems Engineering Scoping- coordination with EA
  and budgeting processes
  
• Integration with GEOSScreate similar IGOOS
  standards and protocol development/certification
  criteria (IGOOS VC, POGO member), USGSC
  
• Task 2 Sustaining the observing system
• Sourcing and validating the IOOS Budgets
  (providing information useful for assisting
  agencies in the development of their budget
  submissions)
• Creating a long range investment strategy in the
  Federal Enterprise Architecture
  
• Task 3 Enhancing the use of information from the
  observing system
  
• Public Health Workshop- acknowledging ORRAP
  guidance
  
• Education- 1. Develop community of Educators
  (COSEE, NMSP, NERRS, SG) and 2. Create
  workforceOcean Workforce BAA in NOPP
  
• Industry Workshops-East and West coast

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Defining the Program Elements Based on
Knowledge
Information
Data
Observations
Know-how
-Maritime Safety -Homeland Security -Natural Ha
zards -Climate Change -Public Health

-Ecosystem mngt -Marine Resources Research -
Beta test Feedback
Alpha test
Societal performance metrics
Technology performance metrics
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Research
Pre- Operations
Demonstration
Operational
Level 1
Level 2
Level 3
Level 4
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Certification Criteria

• What is the Purpose of the RA Certification?
• Proof of a demonstrated capability, expertise and
  capacity of the collective body of members of a
  regional association to perform the requisite
  activities and functions necessary for the
  governance, coordination, operation and
  management of observing system assets of the
  members and the production of products and
  services for the users in their region.
• Ensure that there is a legal entity or
  partnership which will be able to accept funds,
  both grants and contracts, from many sources as
  well as distribute those funds in an equitable,
  transparent and accountable manner.
• It can be likened to being accepted on a GSA
  (General Services Administration) Schedule which
  certifies that these named entities have all of
  the necessary qualifications and experience
  necessary to bid on contracts issued by Federal,
  State and Local governments. This does not
  entitle RAs to a funding stream it certifies
  that they are eligible for funding.
• The reason that this is needed is that the IOOS
  system is envisioned as the U.S. sustained
  contribution to IEOS and GEOSS which must be
  capable of routinely delivering data and
  information 24x7, in an interoperable and
  accountable way, to users in the general public,
  academic, government and private sector.

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• What is the Decertification Process and what does
  it mean?
  
• A process for decertifying a Regional Association
  based on poor performance
  
• Ensure that the observing system components
  within a region will not fall behind in their
  development because of poor governance or
  performance.
• Does not mean that a region goes away or is not
  represented. It means that the governing body,
  the incumbent so to speak, will be eligible for
  replacement.
• In addition, it must be recognized that the
  original boundaries may change. Fixed geographic
  boundaries of the initial RAs may evolve over
  time and adjacent RAs may merge or one RA may
  divide if there are compelling scientific,
  technical, management, political, fiscal or
  societal reasons to do so. All parties involved
  must prepare a merger/division plan for
  consideration by the Ocean.US and its interagency
  governing board.

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What are the levels of certification and what do
they mean?

• To ensure that regional enhancements to the
  National Backbone are in place and evolve and
  progress in an orderly fashion towards maturity
  
• Certification at various performance levels
  ensures that evaluations are tied to a timeline
  for IOOS development and to chart the progress of
  the system and evaluate their return on
  investment for the system
• The performance levels correspond roughly to the
  research, pilot, pre-operational and operational
  levels spelled out in the IOOS Development Plan.
  
• It is the RAs responsibility to ensure that
  their regional system progresses up the maturity
  scale which they have developed as part of their
  strategic and tactical plans
• The levels of performance are set to fulfill the
  goal of developing and maintaining an
  interoperable, cutting edge, integrated,
  coordinated and used system at all levels of
  the system.
• All standards, protocols and best practices will
  be clearly articulated in Guidance Manuals to be
  created and updated annually by the committees of
  the Ocean US and or its delegates.
  Internationally accepted protocols will be
  fostered. Federal Agency programs, to be
  considered part of the IOOS must become compliant
  as well.

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Level 1 - Creation of the Legal Regional
Governance Structure, The Regional Association
(RA)

• Certification at Performance Level 1 indicates
  the existence of an IOOS regional governance
  structure
  
• capable of guiding and coordinating the
  development of an RCOOS that serves the needs of
  user
  
• groups in the region and is interoperable with
  other IOOS elements including those of the
  National
  
• Backbone and the global ocean module of GOOS.
• Criteria
• A legal governance structure in place
• A Mission Statement, Goals, Objectives, and
  Preliminary Evaluation of the Regional Issues
  expressed as Users Needs completed so as to
  define the program in terms of strategic
  direction and justification for Board Composition
  
• The regional priority issues to be reflected in
  the composition of the stakeholder council
  
• The geographic boundaries set based on the
  regional needs assessment allowing for the
  establishment of new boundaries as described
  above. In addition, recognizing that functional
  boundaries are determined by the problem being
  addressed (e.g., boundaries for ecosystem-based
  management of salmon will be different that
  boundaries for ecosystem-based management of
  point source discharges), RAs should formulate
  plans for collaborating with other RAs (and GRAs
  if international) when observations and analysis
  require cross-boundary data.
• Board has met at least once
• At least 1 stakeholder meeting held
• Have extant observing system assets within the
  region
  
• Anticipated time to attain Certification at Level
  2 1-2 years after initial planning grant funding
  awarded
  

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Level 2- Definition of System Requirements,
Inventory and Initial Implementation Phase

• For certification at this level, inventories of
  observing system assets are complete. A
  
• business plan has been developed which
  articulates the vision, mission, users needs,
  
• assessment of current state, gap analysis,
  observing system requirements, marketing,
  
• system development and fiscal plans for the
  development of the regional system.
  
• Criteria
• Business Plan completed including strategic and
  tactical plan with budgets and milestones
  
• Web site developed training and outreach program
  active
  
• Inventories of existing observing, DMAC and
  modeling capabilities completed
  
• Relevant User decision support tools identified
  and dependencies with observation system
  parameters determined
  
• Regional Users Requirements Documents (for
  academic, private sector and government sectors)
  prepared and matched with observing system
  inventories
• Concepts of Operation Document prepared
• At least one demonstration projects undertaken
  with users
  
• Anticipated time to attain Certification at Level
  2 2-3 years after initial planning grant funding
  awarded

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Level 3- The Interoperability and Integration
Phase

• This is primarily the systems engineering phase
  which ensures that the system
  
• will be interoperable and networked so data and
  information-products from any
  
• of the distributed sources can be used by any
  other. All of the evaluation for
  
• certification at this level will be based on the
  compliance to the sets of codes,
  
• standards, protocols and practices as laid out in
  Guidance Manuals and
  
• Systems Manuals produced by Ocean.US coordinated
  working groups
  
• (patterned after DMAC.
• Criteria
• Demonstrated Conformance to Observations
  standards and protocols
  
• Demonstrated Conformance to Data Management and
  Communications protocols (DMAC compliant)
  
• Demonstrated Conformance to Models standards and
  protocols
  
• Demonstrated conformance to national and
  international network and transport standards and
  protocols as defined by the Enterprise
  Architecture Documents
• Anticipated time to attain Certification at Level
  3 5-7 years after establishment after initial
  planning grant funding awarded

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Level 4- Sustained Activities and Build out
Phase

• Sustained activity phase does not mean that the
  system stays at the
  
• same level but is constantly evolving through the
  integration of new
  
• technologies and methods. Thus monies identified
  for this sustained
  
• phase will include research and development
  monies as well as
  
• maintenance money.
• Criteria
• Sustained funding achieved for extant programs
• System enhancements begun based on the plans
  developed in the regional business plan
  
• Refreshing technologies, science, practices in
  place
  
• Products and services streamed to end users and
  feedback supplied
  
• Anticipated time to attain Certification at Level
  4 7-10 years after initial planning grant
  funding awarded.

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What is the Role of Ocean US?

• Ocean.US as mandated by their charter specifies
  the certification process including criteria and
  levels of performance and is responsible for the
  development of the performance metrics, the
  development of the standards and protocol
  Guidance Manuals upon which the performance
  metrics are based. It is anticipated that the
  Manuals and Guidebooks will be completed within a
  year. Ocean.US will conduct the Certification
  site visit and provide the evaluation to the
  IWGOO for consideration.1
• 1 The authority for this process comes from
  the IWGOO as stipulated by the Ocean Act and
  Ocean Action Plan . The IWGOO will approve the RA
  certification based upon the site visit
  recommendation of the Ocean.US evaluation team.

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What would be the end results of a successful
certification process?

• The certification process would demonstrate
  measurable progress of the development of the
  IOOS towards maturity. This proof of progress
  is used to document development and justify
  future investment based on performance necessary
  to obtain sustained funding for the system.
• Ensure that there are legal regional governance
  structures
  
• Ensure accountability/transparency for the fiscal
  transactions
  
• Ensure National and International
  Interoperability
  
• Ensure National and International Integration and
  Networking
  
• Ensure a Cutting Edge Evolving System through
  new science and technology insertion.
  
• Ensure free and open access and open exchange of
  the data and in an accepted format (i.e. web
  based)
  
• Ensure societal value through the creation of new
  products for users

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What can Ocean.US give IOOS/GOOS?

• Definition- the strategic plan and Tactical plan
• Process- to activate the plans, answer the how
• Order- sequence
• Budget sources
• Discipline, rules based
• Visibility- to stakeholders
• Buy in from funders
• Advocacy
• Certification, authenticity