US integrated ocean observing system (IOOS®)-enabling decisions, advancing technologies

The United States Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS^®) is a user-driven, coordinated network of people, organizations, and technology that generate and disseminate continuous data about our coastal waters, Great Lakes, and oceans supported by strong research and development activities. IOOS^® is our Eyes on our Oceans, Coasts and Great Lakes that enable the United States to track, predict, manage, and adapt to changes in our marine environment and deliver critical information to decision makers to improve safety, enhance our economy and protect our environment. IOOS enables decision making every day and fosters advances in science and technology. IOOS, in the United States, has been compared to the National Weather Service but an unanswered question is whether there exists an “ocean enterprise” like the weather enterprise. Technologies must be incubated and rapidly inserted to keep the US IOOS system operating effectively and efficiently. Since oceans know no boundaries, US IOOS is also the United States´ contribution to the Global Ocean Observing System which is part of the ocean contribution to the Global Earth Observation Systems of Systems (GEOSS). US IOOS is supporting the Blue Planet Initiative under GEOSS in a number of efforts.