Working together beyond GODAE for Operational Oceanography

1. Working together beyond GODAEfor Operational Oceanography Dr. Craig Donlon JCOMM Service Programme Area Coordinator The Met Office, United Kingdom

2. Outline • Introduction • GODAE and JCOMM SPA since IGST XI • Expert Team for Operational Ocean Forecasting Systems (ET-OOFS) • Summary

3. Services Program Area To coordinate and facilitate the sustained provision of global and regional coverage data products and services to address the continued and expanding requirements of the maritime user community for MetOcean services and information. • Key challenge for the SPA: integration of science & standards into operational services supporting Maritime Safety, Emergency response, Disaster Risk Reduction and Maritime Hazards with full user support and interaction

5. JCOMM Expert Teams… • These teams are for you and your needs • ET members are Scientists not ‘Operators’ • ET’s coordinate they don’t ‘do’ • It is not the case that there is an ‘Us’ (Researchers) and ‘Them’ (Operational JCOMM heavies) separation

6. The rapid rise of Operational Ocean Forecasting Systems (OOFS) • JCOMM has a functional community working towards full integration of OOFS • OOFS is always now on the agenda at SPA meetings (MAES, MSS, SI, WS) • There is a clear and growing user requirement for OOFS outputs • Especially graphical forecasts of currents, surface drift and all information for emergencies • The OOFS is the integrator of JCOMM and has a pivotal role to play in the future of JCOMM

7. JCOMM Ocean Services (GODAE) Ocean SatelliteObservations Information Preparation QC Data Assimilation Data Production and management System QC Information Delivery Operational Ocean Model QC Data Assimilation QC In Situ Ocean Measurements QC QC QC User Feedback

8. Key GODAE work-plan priorities include JCOMM • GODAE Products • In collaboration with JCOMM, product standardisation will be developed and interoperability between systems ensured. • Transition from demonstration to operational systems • GODAE will work with JCOMM to define its role for operational oceanography. Examples of transition to operations for the different nations will be promoted. • Observing Systems • The most critical issue for GODAE is the sustainability of the global observing system - especially satellite components. JCOMM -OPA

9. Rapporteur for Operational Oceanographic Forecasting Systems • Terms of Reference: • Provide advice on operational ocean forecasting system requirements and outputs; • Provide advice on the standards and nomenclature used by operational ocean forecasting systems; • To act asa focal point and JCOMM SPA representative at GODAE meetings; • To advice on the limitations and strengths of operational ocean forecasting systems.

10. Future of IGST: R&D • The R&D component should be managed as a Scientific group that feeds recommendations to the formal JCOMM group • Mechanism well established and effective for other ETs (e.g. Sea Ice) • The IGST members could remain doing the science as part of the IOC Ocean Sciences Working Group on Marine Modelling

11. JCOMM activities to pull through GODAE R&D to operations • Proposal has been accepted to harness the legacy of the GODAE program in an ET-Operational Ocean Forecasting Systems. • Such a team is well placed to coordinate legacy GODAE activities including: • the ocean forecast system inter-comparison project, • the management of the GODAE metrics technical documentation, • the GODAE symbology and nomenclature for ocean forecast systems, • a Guide to ocean forecast systems of the world and their outputs (GODAE-IP), • defining and refining observation requirements and data management requirements.

12. Top Level Objective “To inject the rigor and discipline of the Meteorological Systems into Operational Oceanography”

13. ToR for ET-OOFS • Develop and maintain 'The Guide to Operational Oceanographic Forecasting systems of the World" • Provide advice to JCOMM teams and member states on the application, nomenclature, symbology and standards used by operational ocean forecasting systems; • Develop and operate an inter-comparison framework for NRT monitoring of OOFS outputs building on the legacy of GODAE; • Work effectively with the Scientific community developing and maintaining OOFS (e.g., GODAE and GODAE follow on); • Provide observation requirements for OOFS to the JCOMM Observations Programme Area (OPA); • Provide advice to the JCOMM Data Management Programme Areas (DMPA); • Provide advice to Members/Member States on operational Ocean Forecast systems.

14. IGST Co-Chair comments to SPA on ET-OOFS ToR • The following points were provided by the GODAE Co-Chairs: • ET-OOFS and any future GODAE/IGST follow-on science group ToRs should be coordinated. • The IGST has developed and maintains, with annual updates, coordinated technical descriptions of ocean forecast systems of the world that provide a foundation for the proposed ET-OOFS OOFS of the world • The JCOMM ET-OOFS should coordinate and develop an inter-comparison framework building on GODAE • The membership and work-load of the ET-OOFS and any follow on GODAE/IGST type activity should be coordinated

15. Proposed Structure of ET-OOFS • Membership: ET-OOFS should comprise of: • 1 Chair • 5 members covering the following areas of expertise: • Ocean Forecast systems, • data assimilation using ocean models, • satellite and in situ data requirements for ocean models, • operational model inter-comparisons; • Additional experts (up to 20) may be considered to represent ocean forecasting systems/groups; • Ad hoc members (up to 20) representing ocean forecasting systems/groups

16. ET-OOFS: Timeline • Presented and approved at JCOMM MAN-VI, Paris December 2007 • Chair (G Brassington) selected and appointed March 2008 • Initial team needs to be agreed now (here?) • Inaugural meeting planned in November 2008 two days before GODAE symposium • Need an agenda ASAP • Formal presentation at the JCOMM-III, Commission, Casablanca, Morocco, September 2009

17. Summary • JCOMM provides overall governance of standards for operational oceanography • GODAE has greatly assisted the development of the SPA that should continue in a formal manner • Implementing a new ET-OOFS to transition GODAE into the International Operational JCOMM system • Will work with post GODAE R&D groups in Ocean Sciences and Marine Modelling • Request IGST to endorse this approach and to work together with the JCOMM SPA ET-OOFS for the common benefit of OpOc.