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SYLVIE POULIQUEN
activities with an internationally agreed framework. It interacts with other
international bodies to integrate this system in a wider perspective.
3.3
Data management
Finally data processing and distribution must be designed properly to be
able to deliver the data in time for operational use. First, data have to be
publicly available in real-time for forecasting activities, and within a few
months for re-analysis purposes. This is a revolution in a scientific
community where scientists have kept data private for years until they
publish and sometimes forever. This is an important data policy element to
be solved by the funding agencies at national and international levels.
Second is the organisation of the data flow among the different contributors
in order to have an efficient data management network able to answer the
operational needs listed above. For a long time, data management aspects
have been neglected in projects and a too small funding was devoted to this
activity both for in-situ and satellite data processing. With the arrival of
operational ocean systems, the question has started to be crucial and
examples like WOCE have shown that it was very energy demanding to get
integrated quality-controlled data sets when it is not organized from the
beginning. It is now clear that operational observing systems have to be
processed by professional data centres that are sustained in the long term,
that distribution has to be tailored to fulfil operational user needs
All the above has lead to the fact that attached to an observing system,
there must be an effective management structure to address the
implementation, coordination, data management, advertising and funding
issues.
4.
Prime examples of observing systems
4.1
ARGO project
To monitor and understand ocean circulation and water mass
characterization on a global scale, systematic observation of temperature and
salinity are essential. In the 90's, during the WOCE program, a new
instrument was developed: the autonomous profiling float. Now the
technology has become mature enough to start implementing an ambitious
program that would deploy a large number of these instruments to cover the
global ocean: the ARGO program was born. It aims to deploy and maintain
an array of 3000 autonomous floats, one per 3°x3° box, measuring
temperature and salinity from 2000m to the surface every 10 days for 3 to 5
SYLVIE POULIQUEN
activities with an internationally agreed framework. It interacts with other
international bodies to integrate this system in a wider perspective.
3.3
Data management
Finally data processing and distribution must be designed properly to be
able to deliver the data in time for operational use. First, data have to be
publicly available in real-time for forecasting activities, and within a few
months for re-analysis purposes. This is a revolution in a scientific
community where scientists have kept data private for years until they
publish and sometimes forever. This is an important data policy element to
be solved by the funding agencies at national and international levels.
Second is the organisation of the data flow among the different contributors
in order to have an efficient data management network able to answer the
operational needs listed above. For a long time, data management aspects
have been neglected in projects and a too small funding was devoted to this
activity both for in-situ and satellite data processing. With the arrival of
operational ocean systems, the question has started to be crucial and
examples like WOCE have shown that it was very energy demanding to get
integrated quality-controlled data sets when it is not organized from the
beginning. It is now clear that operational observing systems have to be
processed by professional data centres that are sustained in the long term,
that distribution has to be tailored to fulfil operational user needs
All the above has lead to the fact that attached to an observing system,
there must be an effective management structure to address the
implementation, coordination, data management, advertising and funding
issues.
4.
Prime examples of observing systems
4.1
ARGO project
To monitor and understand ocean circulation and water mass
characterization on a global scale, systematic observation of temperature and
salinity are essential. In the 90's, during the WOCE program, a new
instrument was developed: the autonomous profiling float. Now the
technology has become mature enough to start implementing an ambitious
program that would deploy a large number of these instruments to cover the
global ocean: the ARGO program was born. It aims to deploy and maintain
an array of 3000 autonomous floats, one per 3°x3° box, measuring
temperature and salinity from 2000m to the surface every 10 days for 3 to 5