For the purpose of the OceanPredict.US effort, the component of the Nation’s Operational Oceanography Enterprise being addressed is the ocean observation value chain and the production and dissemination of knowledge for informed decision-making.
The basic strategy entails beginning discussions within relevant federal agencies, notably the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA). Cross-agency awareness, discussion, and coordination will be targeted within the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC), chartered by the White House Office of Science and Technology Policy (OSTP) Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST), recently reauthorized in the Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2020. Beginning discussions within the IOOC provides an initial framework for both coalescing a national framework and a framework for cascading discussions with vested stakeholders and relevant entities, in particular the IOOC national partner agencies and affiliated global, national, and regional affiliates. Parallel discussions are needed to identify and address stakeholder and user perspectives on what they need with regards to a national operational oceanography enterprise. Such conversations can begin with the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) Regional Associations (RA), as existing and experienced coherent representatives of regional entities extending beyond the federal domain. Comparable conversations are needed with relevant industry and policy entities.
Phase 1 for implementation aims to begin the conversation on the Nation’s Operational Oceanography Enterprise, with specific focus on identifying the breadth of what is considered operational oceanography and coalescing efforts into a synergistic framework, identifying forums for discussion and coordination, capitalizing, where possible, on existing opportunities and efforts and recognizing the breadth and cascade of forums needed to address the different stakeholder mandates, roles, responsibilities, dependencies, objectives, and needed user engagement.
Phase 2 will build on the direction and outcomes of Phase 1, aiming to formalize the framework to be implemented.
Initial Themes
- National agency-level framework
- Regional framework
- National-regional structure