Framework for Ocean Observing Developed following Ocean Obs meeting in 2009 GOAL: To establish an integrated and sustained global observing system RESULT: Internationally accepted process with expanded and well-defined collaboration The Task Team’s objective was to use lessons learned from the successes of existing ocean observing efforts and outline a Framework that can guide the ocean observing community as a whole to establish an integrated and sustained global observing system – one that includes ocean physics, biogeochemistry, and ocean biology and ecosystems, and addresses the variables to be measured, the approach to measuring them, and how their data and products will be managed and made widely available to modeling efforts and a wide range of users. Achieving this step-change in ocean observing will require internationally accepted processes and expanded collaboration.

Requirements/Benefit driven system 3 overarching themes, supported by ~12 societal benefit areas ”drive” the requirements for the observing system: Climate, Operational Ocean Services, and Ocean Health The Task Team agreed that the Framework and its coordination processes should be organized around “essential ocean variables (EOVs),” rather than by specific observing system, platform, program, or region. The group also agreed that implementing new EOVs will be carried out according to their readiness levels, allowing timely implementation of components that are already mature, while encouraging innovation and formal efforts to improve readiness and build capacity. Systems engineering approaches provide a common language and consistent handling of requirements, observing technologies, and information flow among different, largely autonomous observing elements linked in a collaborative Framework.

Essential Ocean Variables EOV’s are the organizational “unit” of this framework (rather than specific observing system, platform, program or region). EOV’s allow for innovation in observing technology, encourages tradeoffs where possible, and focuses the observing system on sustaining quality observations of the natural system, regardless of how the underlying observing techniques and programs may change over time. Overlap between “essential observables” of different programs (e.g. GCOS) is explicitly recognized. The Task Team agreed that the Framework and its coordination processes should be organized around “essential ocean variables (EOVs),” rather than by specific observing system, platform, program, or region. The group also agreed that implementing new EOVs will be carried out according to their readiness levels, allowing timely implementation of components that are already mature, while encouraging innovation and formal efforts to improve readiness and build capacity. Systems engineering approaches provide a common language and consistent handling of requirements, observing technologies, and information flow among different, largely autonomous observing elements linked in a collaborative Framework.

FOO Governance Model In addition to the Framework STEERING COMMITTEE, which oversees the overall governance; PANELs are responsible for recruiting the experts to define the requirements, best practices, data managements strategies, etc. for each EOV; Implementation TEAMs The Task Team agreed that the Framework and its coordination processes should be organized around “essential ocean variables (EOVs),” rather than by specific observing system, platform, program, or region. The group also agreed that implementing new EOVs will be carried out according to their readiness levels, allowing timely implementation of components that are already mature, while encouraging innovation and formal efforts to improve readiness and build capacity. Systems engineering approaches provide a common language and consistent handling of requirements, observing technologies, and information flow among different, largely autonomous observing elements linked in a collaborative Framework.