AIC Report

1. AIC Report Argo TC AST #8 Paris, IOC of UNESCO

2. Argo Status • 2804 Active Floats • 2643 on GTS • 2743 at GDACs • 115 (258) on “grey list”

3. Argo Status 2804 2400 1800 1200 When will we reach 3000 Floats ?- survival rate maintained - Deployment rate 800 year => 3000 by the end of August

4. Argo Status • Distribution not optimal (south hemisphere) Source: SIO/ USA

5. Network Age

6. Argo Status

7. Argo - Implementation

8. Argo - implementation Argo

9. Argo Planning • Argo is entering a new phase: sustain the array • Rational planning of deployment is necessary to: • Maintain an optimal coverage • Make an optimal use of ship time • Deployment opportunities: • Extend regional support • Cooperate with other panels (e.g. DBCP) • Monitor planned cruise (need international tech. coord. process)

10. Argo Planning • Argo needs to organize efficiently its own planning • Regional coordinators have recalled difficulties in gathering plans • TC took step to facilitate their work, • Establishing a centralized mechanism to update all plans • Extending the regular notification process • Draft mode added • Text file loader added • User Guide issued • Many exchanges with float operators • Providing new (R/T) products: web pages, ASCII files, GIS data layers • Monitoring network coverage, age, lifetime • Missing spatial dispersion (ideas ?, volunteers ?)

11. Argo - Planning Goal: cross all data layers: floats, drifters, density, age, plans, SOOP lines, past/planned cruises, etc …

12. Cycle metadata Need to cross check AIC meta-database & GDAC metadata files

13. Argo - Technology

14. Argo - Technology • Float lifetime improving but not yet optimal 2004 2006 2003 2005

15. Argo - Technology

16. Argo - Technology

17. Argo - Technology

18. AIC - Background • Established in Feb. 2001, Toulouse (France), within JCOMMOPS • Became part of the Argo Project Office in 2003 • Staffed with 1 Technical Coordinator (IOC employee) • Funded by Australia, Canada, France, UK and US • Guidance by AST co-chairs and Director • Close collaboration with IOC and WMO secretariats • IOC Res. XX-6 implementation • International Technical Coordination

19. TC Activities • E. Charpentier moved to WMO in Feb. 2006 • replaced by Hester Viola (BOM, Australia) in July 2006 => Impact on TC work load minimal • Information system finalized • New website released in Sept. 2006 • Float database management rationalized: • Weekly/Monthly reports to float operators and data managers • Working time: 1 day/week + 1 day/month • floats activity (4500 deployed, 2800 active) is rigorously monitored

20. TC Activities => See report for daily, weekly, monthly, yearly, biennial and ad hoc tasks. • Need technical (I.S development and maintenance) & secretariat support • 500 Argo emails sent in 2001 • 500 in 2002 • 1000 in 2003 • 1350 in 2004 • 1250 in 2005 • 1800 in 2006

21. 2006 TC Missions • AST#7 Hyderabad • Argo France meeting, Brest • IOC/ABE-LOS #6 meeting, Malaga • IOC Executive Council, Paris • Visit of WMO, Geneva • Visit Webb Research, Woods Hole • DBCP meeting, San Diego • Visit Scripps, Dan Diego • ADMT #7, Tianjin • Argo Workshop, Ghana • Visit Ifremer / IRD / Meteo France, Brest • EURO Argo, NAARC #2 meetings, Brest

22. Weekly/Monthly Report • Report sent to argo-st & argo-dm mailing lists • Most of information is available on-line • New tables added (e.g. metadata files check by Coriolis, GTS reports by MEDS) • Latest versions with index, links working • Reports stored on-line • Will be gradually improved

23. AIC & Data Management • Assistance for data distribution, Argos RT data distribution monitoring • New human resource at CLS … • Daily monitoring (GTS & GDACs) • reports to DACs to optimize distribution => datamissing on GTS/GDACs < 1.5% • Visibility for all GDACs, DACs, ARCs products Send your URLs to AIC • Argo Users Survey (see report)

24. Communication with users • 1) Direct support to users • Support Centre on AIC website (doc., simple form) • Coriolis codac@ifremer.fr evaluated • Generic ( operational) email set up: support@argo.net • Need relay when TC unavailable • Monitored by AST/ADMT (request open/closed) • FAQs gradually added • 2) Feedback from data users • No clear mechanism today • See SOLO/FSI pb… • Website / email • support@argo.net => appropriate relay to float operator, data source, dm operator, etc. • 3) Communication to all data users (pb., updates, … ) • New mailing list probably needed • SOLO/FSI pb good opportunity to start

25. AIC Information System

26. AIC I. S. • Notification in advance is essential: • Law of the Sea requirements (IOC Res. XX-6) • Monitoring by AIC (maps, stats, tables, etc) • Deployment Planning • Tracking of Iridium floats • Interim systems developed … • AIC needs a single and independent access point

27. AIC I. S. • JCOMMOPS web services monitored by CLS operators • Procedures being tested • Target: 24/7 operational web services current 2007

28. New AIC website • New hardware/software • JCOMMOPS integrated design • New products, statistics, … • Sections improved • Ask TC for a demo …

29. AIC www • Audience >> target • 11000 visits/monthsince 2004 • Users survey Survey made before the release of the new site …

30. AIC www: Suggestions • improve website speed and stability (ongoing) • provide hard copies of content to developing countries (ongoing on Argo CDROM) • add a real-time density coverage layer to the interactive map (being finalized) • Add a web form to ask for WMO Ids (being discussed with WMO) • Access to download publications (legal issues) • More FAQs on trivial questions • Better bibliography • More visibility to oxygen pilot project • Forum to answer and discuss questions/doubts about Argo data use ( => argo@jcommops.org) • AIC & APO/AST websites => integration ? • Better design of www.argo.net

31. New AIC website • Homepage • Visibility for all participating countries • Direct access to national statistics • Argo Operations • Implementation • What is Argo … • Participating countries (deployment tables, stats, chronology, …) • New notification interface (more metadata gathered, planning table, netCDF loader being tested) • Beached floats retrieval (list, safety guide) • Monitoring • Project Status statistics (see presentation on “Argo Status”) • Statistics , tables for all contributions, direct access to interactive map • Map Room • New design for monthly maps • Google Earth daily files • Daily Ice edge for interactive map

32. New AIC website • Instrumentation • Survival charts for all float models • More accurate survival charts can be done on demand • Data • Tables on data distribution status (GTS/GDACs) tuned • DAC-less table added • Support page to be added • Links to DACs, RDACs reviewed/added • Common JCOMMOPS sections • Platform • New search engine (many more criteria for query) • Many more metadata added to result list • Statistics available for any float group • Complete float detail page netCDF metadata explorer developed • Documents • doc. & press releases checked/added • Contact • Links: updated • Meetings • Gallery • Help: Site Map added

33. New AIC website • AIC toolbar • Shortcuts • Search engine (Google & AIC) • Direct link to platform detail page • Brief news • Links GDACs, national websites, • Ideas ?

34. Samples

35. Samples

36. AIC www monitoring … …

37. Argo – International issues • Law of the sea (IOC/ABE-LOS) • Better and better thanks to international cooperation • !!! Notifications please !!! • Careful with new sensors or gliders … • Donor programmes: • Achieved: Mexico, Costa Rica, Argentina, Mauritius, Brazil, Chile • Ongoing: Ecuador, Dominican Rep. , Kenya, Morocco, Ivory Coast • Caribbean Region, Philippines, Columbia • Cape Verde, Sri Lanka

38. Argo – International issues • Beached floats • 1-2 % • Retrieval is a long process • Solution: send an expert if needed • Good opportunity to strengthen regional support • Promote Argo (and other ocean . Obs) to coastal people (GOOS ?)

39. AIC Communications • Articles in French press (Thalassa magazine) • Article for Mercator newsletter • Float shown at national TVFrench TV ready for the 3000th … • NASA request: movie of float deployment • JCOMMOPS initiative with CNES, “Argonautica”

40. AIC Planning • Address any issue with new website • Highlight Argo project progresses (Products) • Improve reporting • finalize tools to assist deployment planning • Set up the Support Centre • Monitor progress in DM data processing • Improve Argo portal, www.argo.net • Finalize donor programmes with IOC/WMO • Finalize retrieval procedure • Establish new contacts (e.g. research cruises) • Improve modestly Argo media coverage

41. Argo Information Centre Thank You … Mathieu Belbeoch, Argo TC belbeoch@jcommops.org