The NOAA IOOS Data Integration Framework: Initial implementation report

The US National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) integrated ocean observing system (IOOS) program office has begun the implementation of a data integration framework (DIF) to improve management and delivery of an initial subset of ocean observations. The DIF establishes a Web service layer atop key NOAA data providers, including the National Data Buoy Center (NDBC), the Center for Operational Oceanographic Products and Services (CO-OPS), and CoastWatch. Standardized service types and encodings for in situ and gridded data have been selected; this standardization allows a single client to access data from multiple sources with the same code. The DIF services will provide integrated access to data from both NOAA and regional partners. The standards and protocols used are broadly applicable, though specific decision-support tools and models relevant to harmful algal blooms, integrated ecosystem assessments, hurricane intensity, and coastal inundation have been targeted as initial customer focus areas for the DIF. The data access services are expected to be active shortly before the Oceans 2008 conference. This paper discusses the service layer, the data encoding specifications used, and the status of the implementation effort.