1. IOC and its IODE Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission of UNESCO
International Oceanographic Data
and Information Exchange
IOC and its IODE
Peter Pissierssens IODE Programme Coordinator IOC of UNESCO

2. IOC IOC: body within UNESCO Headquarters in Paris, France
Field Offices (Colombia, Brazil, Thailand, Kenya, Denmark, Belgium, Australia)
IOC Governing Bodies
136 Member States

3. About the IOC
The IOC was created in 1960 to promote international cooperation and coordinate programmes in research, sustainable development, protection of the marine environment, capacity-building for improved management, and decision-making.
It assists developing countries in strengthening their institutions to obtain self-driven sustainability in marine sciences.
On a regional level, it is coordinating the development of tsunami early warning and mitigation systems in the Pacific, the Indian Ocean, the North-eastern Atlantic and the Mediterranean, and the Caribbean.
It also facilitates interagency coordination through the UN-Oceans mechanism and works with the United Nations Environment Programme (UNEP) in establishing a process for global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment + AoA
Through the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS)—the ocean component of the Global Climate Observing System (GCOS)—the IOC helps improve operational oceanography, weather and climate forecasts and monitoring and support the sustained observing needs of the UN Framework Convention on Climate Change (UNFCCC).
AoA: regular process for the global reporting and assessment of the state of the marine environment, including socio-economic aspects

4. 2008-2013 High-Level Objectives and Associated Activities
Prevention and reduction of the impacts of natural hazards
Mitigation of the impacts and adaptation to climate change and variability
Safeguarding the health of ocean ecosystems
Management procedures and policies leading to the sustainability of coastal and ocean environment and resources
(Resolution EC-XXXIX.1)

5. IOC Programmes 4 main programmes/sections:
Ocean Science: Oceans and Climate-related research and assessment (WCRP. IOCCP, OOPC); Coastal Research monitoring and modelling (HAB, GLOBEC); Science for integrated coastal area management (ICAM)
Ocean Observations and Services: observation of the global ocean and coastal seas (GOOS); integrated marine observations and services (JCOMM), sea level science and observations; oceanographic data and information management (IODE)
Tsunami Coordination Unit
Capacity Development of Member States in marine science for the coastal ocean
GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics)
IOCCP International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project
JCOMM Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

6. IOC Governance/structure
Secondary Subsidiary Bodies
Primary Subsidiary Bodies
Governing Bodies
IOC Assembly/ Executive Council
Scientific and/or Technical Committees
Task Team
Group of Experts
Sub-Commissions
Regional Committees
Joint Subsidiary Bodies
1 Chairman, 5 vice-chairs, 1 exec secretary

7. IOC Governance/structure
Secondary Subsidiary Bodies
Primary Subsidiary Bodies
Governing Bodies
IOC Assembly/ Executive Council
Scientific and/or Technical Committees
Task Team
Group of Experts
Sub-Commissions
Regional Committees
Joint Subsidiary Bodies
Resolution (decision)
recommendation
recommendation

8. IOC Secretariat

9. IOC Secretariat

10. IOC budget and staff All staff 50 All Professional staff 31
Permanent professional staff 9
TOTAL 2008: APPROX M$

11. IOC Programmes 4 main programmes/sections:
Ocean Science: Oceans and Climate-related research and assessment (WCRP. IOCCP, OOPC); Coastal Research monitoring and modelling (HAB, GLOBEC); Science for integrated coastal area management (ICAM)
Ocean Observations and Services: observation of the global ocean and coastal seas (GOOS); integrated marine observations and services (JCOMM), sea level science and observations; oceanographic data and information management (IODE)
Tsunami Coordination Unit
Capacity Development of Member States in marine science for the coastal ocean
GLOBEC (Global Ocean Ecosystem Dynamics)
IOCCP International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project
JCOMM Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission on Oceanography and Marine Meteorology

12. IODE
Established in 1961 ‘to enhance marine research, exploitation and development by facilitating the exchange of oceanographic data and information between participating Member States and by meeting the needs of users for data and information products’

13. IODE: global network Data centres: NODC Marine Libraries
Now 80 (~)
Marine Libraries
National coordinators (DM & IM)
Long-term archival through ICSU WDCs
Let us now have a closer look at IODE. As I said before the International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange Programme was established in 1961 and in fact is the oldest programme within the IOC.
Over the past 45 years IODE has developed into a global network of 64 national oceanographic data centres in as many countries around the world. As you can see in this map geographic coverage is now fairly homogenous including most coastal countries. Every year we have one or more countries joining the network.
In addition to the NODCs there are also 3 World Data Centres Oceanography (in the United States, Russia and China) and 1 World Data Centre for Marine Environmental Sciences (in Germany).
The World Data Center (WDC) system was created by ICSU to archive and distribute data collected from the observational programs of the International Geophysical Year. The WDC system now includes 52 Centers in 12 countries. Its holdings include a wide range of solar, geophysical, environmental, and human dimensions data. These data cover timescales ranging from seconds to millennia and they provide baseline information for research in many ICSU disciplines, especially for monitoring changes in the geosphere and biosphere—gradual or sudden, foreseen or unexpected, natural or man-made.

14. Objectives?
to facilitate and promote the exchange of all marine data and information including metadata, products and information in real-time, near real time and delayed mode;
to ensure the long term archival, management and services of all marine data and information;
to promote the use of international standards, and develop or help in the development of standards and methods for the global exchange of marine data and information, using the most appropriate information management and information technology;
to assist Member States to acquire the necessary capacity to manage marine data and information and become partners in the IODE network; and
to support international scientific and operational marine programmes of IOC and WMO and their sponsor organisations with advice and data management services.

15. Data types? Traditionally focused on:
physical oceanographic observations (CTD, current, wave, Argo,…)
Chemical data (nutrients, carbon, oxygen,..)
Some biological data (eg chlorophyl)
Since 2000: special attention to biological and chemical data management (GE-BICH)
: delayed-mode
>1990: GOOS: gradual move to also real-time

16. Strategy
July 2007: IOC Assembly adopts the IOC Strategic Plan for Oceanographic Data and Information Management
“A comprehensive and integrated ocean data and information system, serving the broad and diverse needs of IOC Member States, for both routine and scientific use.”

17. Deliverables:
Assembled, quality controlled and archived data on a diverse range of variables according to scientifically sound and well-documented standards and formats;
Timely dissemination of data on a diverse range of variables (observations and model outputs) depending on the needs of user groups and their technical capabilities (automatic dissemination as well as “on demand”); and will
Facilitate easy discovery and access to data on a diverse range of variables and derived products (including forecasts, alerts and warnings) by users who have a broad range of capabilities. .

18. Elements Adherence to the IOC Oceanographic Data Exchange Policy;
Acceptance and implementation of agreed interoperability arrangements including technical standards and specifications for processing, quality control, storing and disseminating shared data and information;
A global network of data centres and related national distributed networks, and permanent long term data archiving centre(s) for all data, which operate to agreed standards, providing seamless access to data and information;
Capacity building through continued development of Ocean Data and Information Networks (ODINs) whilst extending the OceanTeacher capacity building tool through cooperation with WMO, JCOMM and others as appropriate;
Governance by an Advisory Group that brings together the various programme elements of IOC as well as of bodies and organizations collaborating closely with IOC.

19. Advisory Group linkages

20. 2000: JCOMM
The Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology
Close cooperation with IODE and WMO
(2007)

21. IODE Ocean Data Portal
Within the oceanographic community, although there are still improvements to be made, the global archiving of some of the individual streams of data is not bad.
There are consistent ways to manage profiling float data, or surface drifters, current meter data, or satellite data, etc. But what we do not have is a consistent and unified way to deliver the data to researchers, modellers or anyone else.
One way we can look at this is to draw a parallel with the commercial world, in particular banking. A target for what our data delivery system should be like could be the ATM system. By identifying yourself to an ATM, you can carry out a limited number of financial transactions and in many if not all places in the world. We want an “Oceanographic or Marine Data ATM”. This will connect data assembly centres to data users wherever they exist in the world.
2015 target: Consistent and unified way to deliver data to clients

22. Participate!
Why?
Expose catalogue of your national researchers data
Make available your national researchers data
Promote your country’s research work
Actively contribute to global programmes
How?
Install data provider software
Use Light Data Provider

23. Data Policy
Clause 1: Member States shall provide timely, free and unrestricted access to all data, associated metadata and products generated under the auspices of IOC programmes.
Clause 2: Member States are encouraged to provide timely, free and unrestricted access to relevant data and associated metadata from non-IOC programmes that are essential for application to the preservation of life, beneficial public use and protection of the ocean environment, the forecasting of weather, the operational forecasting of the marine environment, the monitoring and modelling of climate and sustainable development in the marine environment.
Clause 3: Member States are encouraged to provide timely, free and unrestricted access to oceanographic data and associated metadata, as referred to in Clauses 1 and 2 above, for non-commercial use by the research and education communities, provided that any products or results of such use shall be published in the open literature without delay or restriction
Clause 4: With the objective of encouraging the participation of governmental and non-governmental marine data-gathering bodies in international oceanographic data exchange and maximising the contribution of oceanographic data from all sources, this Policy acknowledges the right of Member States and data originators to determine the terms of such exchange, in a manner consistent with international conventions, where applicable.
Clause 5: Member States shall, to the best practicable degree, use data centres linked to IODE’s NODC and WDC network as long-term repositories for oceanographic data and associated metadata. IOC programmes will co-operate with data contributors to ensure that data can be accepted into the appropriate systems and can meet quality requirements.
Clause 6: Member States shall enhance the capacity in developing countries to obtain and manage oceanographic data and information and assist them to benefit fully from the exchange of oceanographic data, associated metadata and products. This shall be achieved through the non-discriminatory transfer of technology and knowledge using appropriate means, including IOC’s Training Education and Mutual Assistance (TEMA) programme and through other relevant IOC programmes. .

24. IOC Governance/structure
Secondary Subsidiary Bodies
Primary Subsidiary Bodies
Governing Bodies
IOC Assembly/ Executive Council
Scientific and/or Technical Committees
Task Team
Group of Experts
Sub-Commissions
Regional Committees
Joint Subsidiary Bodies
1 Chairman, 5 vice-chairs, 1 exec secretary

25. IOC Governance/structure
Secondary Subsidiary Bodies
Primary Subsidiary Bodies
Governing Bodies
IOC Assembly/ Executive Council
Scientific and/or Technical Committees
IODE
Task Team
Group of Experts
Sub-Commissions
Regional Committees
Joint Subsidiary Bodies
1 Chairman, 5 vice-chairs, 1 exec secretary

26. IODE Structure Projects are managed by Steering Groups
IODE Groups of Experts
Chair SG-OBIS
IODE Committee
GE-OBIS Chair
ODINs are managed by Steering Committees
Officers =
2 co-chairs
- past chair
chairs of GEs
- Chair JCOMM DMCG
(With proposed amendment for OBIS, November 2009)

27. IODE activities 20 projects at global level:
Data management: GODAR, GTSPP. GOSUD, JCOMM, MarineXML, MEDI, Ocean Data Portal, WIGOS, Virtual Lab, Data Publishing, Data Standards
Information management: OceanDocs, ASFA, OceanExpert, OpenScienceDirectory
7 regional platforms: ODINAFRICA, ODINCARSA, ODINCINDIO, ODINECET, ODIN-PIMRIS, ODIN-WESTPAC, ODINBlackSea
Regional products: AMA, CMA

28. IODE “Capacity Building”
ODIN strategy
Linking training, equipment, operational support
Regional context
Product and service oriented
Multi-stakeholder approach
Strong focus on inter-personal and institutional networking
Strong focus on E2E process: from observation to product delivery
Focus on data AND information
ODINCARSA

29. Regions: ODIN

30. Training Tool: OceanTeacher
Expert and training resource for marine data and information management
Focus audience:
data/information managers
ocean researchers
University students
Increasing focus on continuous professional development
New service: OceanTeacher Multimedia
Integrated Expert and Training System for Oceanographic Data and Information Management
To provide in a single integrated e-learning and expert system providing all the expert and training resources for marine data management and marine information management needed by professional ocean data and information managers and scientists involved in data management, as well as to provide ocean researchers and students with the necessary knowledge to interact effectively with their national oceanographic data centres

31. “Binary” model
Digital Library Classroom

32. IOC Project Office for IODE
International Training and Conference Centre
Based in Ostend, Belgium
Major funding Gov Flanders
Host IODE OceanDataPortal

33. IOC Project Office for IODE
About events per year, half training courses
Each training course: students
Biggest course: 70 students (SeaDataNet)

34. OceanTeacher Academy New project: 2009-2013
Annual assessment of needs (survey of Member States)
“Packaged” courses: ready-to-teach
Classroom courses (+ train the trainer)
Distance learning: live or recorded (2009-)
We need content providers and lecturers!

35. Thank you