National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) support of the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS)

The National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) began implementing Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS) principles in 2001, when they partnered with the Gulf of Maine Ocean Observing System (GoMOOS). NDBC and GoMOOS collaborated on a project to transmit meteorological and oceanographic data from the GoMOOS buoys to NDBC in real-time. NDBC´s data quality control, data format, and communications services to were then used to transmit the data to the NWS Telecommunications Gateway (NWSTG), which disseminated the data to the Weather Forecast Offices (WFOs) in the region. As IOOS has matured and Regional Associations (RAs) have developed, NDBC has been a partner. NDBC shares ocean observation expertise, develops data management techniques and quality control algorithms, and keeps the RAs and IOOS informed by participating in Regional Association meetings and workshops. Using a scalable system that is able to receive increasing numbers of observations, while maintaining quality control, NDBC has increased the number of partner data providers to more than 40 and the number of partner platforms to more than 600. Many of the providers are members of RAs and Ocean Observing Systems (OOSs). The number of observations handled by NDBC will approach 10 million a year by the end of 2010. As NDBC and partner data are quality controlled at the gateway, any data that do not meet the stringent quality control algorithms are automatically assigned quality flags. The flagged data are transmitted to NDBC, where analysts reexamine the data. NDBC has also been involved in the IOOS effort to establish the technical infrastructure, standards, and protocols needed to improve delivery of ocean data through the Data Integration Format (DIF). NDBC, along with NOAA´s Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS) provide these services. Services include the NDBC Sensor Observation Service (SOS), which provides ocean temperatures, salinities, currents, waves, and winds from NDBC C- astal Buoys, IOOS Regional Coastal Ocean Observing Systems, and TAO moorings. In addition to these data, high Frequency Radar derived coastal surface currents are available through the NDBC THREDDS Data Server. A new partnership between NOAA´s National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) and NDBC will lead to the capability to preserve all of NDBC´s marine datasets to meet the standards for climate observation requirements established by NOAA and the Global Climate Observation System (GCOS). Taking advantage of new techniques using Ocean Geospatial Consortium (OGC) Inc. standards and the SOS described above and funded by NOAA´s IOOS Program, will enable a new degree of interoperability within and between NDBC and NODC and properly archive all NDBC Partner observations.