480
JOHN HARDING AND JAMES RIGNEY
5.
Research & development needs
These last examples are specifically provided to illustrate that, while
useful to an operational oceanographer, the present operational and nearoperational capabilities still require significant R&D effort to realize their
full potential. These efforts can be roughly divided into four areas.
The first area includes data collection, fusion, and exploitation, focused
primarily on coastal domains around the globe but including deep water
areas as well. These efforts include the development of new sensors, sensor
technologies, platforms (e.g., autonomous underwater vehicles), and
adaptive sampling techniques to name a few. Improving techniques to
extract remotely sensed data near coasts would serve to improve the limited
volume of data now available for assimilation into coastal models.
Similarly, any development that improves coastal ocean data sharing and
communications could increase the quantity of available data on the GTS.
Second, high-resolution coastal analysis and prediction efforts are needed
to specifically address improved coastal and estuarine models and
assimilation techniques. One key area is the need for improved quality
control techniques for coastal data to minimize the amount discarded. This
would partially alleviate the lack of adequate coastal information available
for assimilation and validation in many regions.
Third, and most closely related to GODAE, are the global/regional
analysis and prediction R&D efforts targeting improvements to global and
regional models and assimilation techniques. The need to account for
dynamic processes with high temporal and spatial variability, as highlighted
at the end of the previous section, provides a notable example.
The fourth and final area covers real-time and near-real-time evaluation,
visualization, and applications. The operational oceanographer needs tools
to rapidly evaluate prediction system output in order to assign confidence
measures to any product sent to the warfighter. Direct warfighter
applications are also required, such as the drift tools for search and rescue.
6.
Summary
U.S. naval operational oceanography has a long history of evolving as
different ocean warfare challenges arise, fade, and rise again. The role of the
operational oceanographer is to translate the available oceanographic
knowledge into accurate information relevant to the warfighter, namely
within his tactical decision loop and specifically focused on his particular
warfare challenge. Finally, GODAE plays a key role providing state-of-thescience, global capability supporting open-ocean warfighter issues including
ASW, as well as providing boundary conditions to high resolution, coastal
prediction systems applicable to those warfare areas with greater shallow
water emphasis such as NSW, AW, and MIW.
JOHN HARDING AND JAMES RIGNEY
5.
Research & development needs
These last examples are specifically provided to illustrate that, while
useful to an operational oceanographer, the present operational and nearoperational capabilities still require significant R&D effort to realize their
full potential. These efforts can be roughly divided into four areas.
The first area includes data collection, fusion, and exploitation, focused
primarily on coastal domains around the globe but including deep water
areas as well. These efforts include the development of new sensors, sensor
technologies, platforms (e.g., autonomous underwater vehicles), and
adaptive sampling techniques to name a few. Improving techniques to
extract remotely sensed data near coasts would serve to improve the limited
volume of data now available for assimilation into coastal models.
Similarly, any development that improves coastal ocean data sharing and
communications could increase the quantity of available data on the GTS.
Second, high-resolution coastal analysis and prediction efforts are needed
to specifically address improved coastal and estuarine models and
assimilation techniques. One key area is the need for improved quality
control techniques for coastal data to minimize the amount discarded. This
would partially alleviate the lack of adequate coastal information available
for assimilation and validation in many regions.
Third, and most closely related to GODAE, are the global/regional
analysis and prediction R&D efforts targeting improvements to global and
regional models and assimilation techniques. The need to account for
dynamic processes with high temporal and spatial variability, as highlighted
at the end of the previous section, provides a notable example.
The fourth and final area covers real-time and near-real-time evaluation,
visualization, and applications. The operational oceanographer needs tools
to rapidly evaluate prediction system output in order to assign confidence
measures to any product sent to the warfighter. Direct warfighter
applications are also required, such as the drift tools for search and rescue.
6.
Summary
U.S. naval operational oceanography has a long history of evolving as
different ocean warfare challenges arise, fade, and rise again. The role of the
operational oceanographer is to translate the available oceanographic
knowledge into accurate information relevant to the warfighter, namely
within his tactical decision loop and specifically focused on his particular
warfare challenge. Finally, GODAE plays a key role providing state-of-thescience, global capability supporting open-ocean warfighter issues including
ASW, as well as providing boundary conditions to high resolution, coastal
prediction systems applicable to those warfare areas with greater shallow
water emphasis such as NSW, AW, and MIW.