Distributed system for remote wave data collection and visualization as a part of operational oceanography in Croatia

Hydrographic Institute of the Republic of Croatia (HHI) has modernised its oceanographic equipment buying new DATAWELL DWR-MkIII Waverider, with possibilities of measuring the wave height, direction and period. Waverider buoy deployed in the survey sea area is anchored at the sea bottom. An anchored waverider buoy has a certain freedom of motion. Due to a risk of losing the buoy, HHI has developed the SMS (Short Message Service) based system for alarm and graphic representation of the buoy motion using Google Earth™ application to facilitate the buoy tracking and searching in case of its loss. The paper also describes communication technologies and methods of remote data collection and production of safety copies. In addition, sensor for measurement of wind speed and direction is usually installed in the survey area concurrently to wave measurements. By simultaneous collection of the waverider data and the wind direction and speed data, the correlation between parameters can be analysed for each survey area. The measured and analysed waverider data are essential input parameters for numerical oceanographic models, important for designing coastal and marine structures, as well as for improving the safety of navigation at sea.