The design of drifting buoy systems

In a continuing effort to provide expertise for the development of systems to measure environmental parameters, especially in remote data-sparse regions, the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) Data Buoy Office (NDBO) is actively expanding the application of drifting buoy systems for real-time weather analysis and forecasting and other scientific programs. Success will depend upon the ocean engineering involved in the design of each drifting buoy system. Since systematic model and full-scale testing of drifting buoys is not economically feasible, considerable effort has been directed toward the use of analytical techniques in the design process. In particular, the use of numerical modeling methods and the incorporation of linear programming techniques to select the optimum set of design characteristics will be discussed. The result is a rational approach for designing drifting buoy systems which have the highest likelihood of meeting design objectives for an specific application.