HR: 15:25h
AN: SF43B-08    [Abstracts]
TI: MERSEA, the European Gate to Ocean Data
AU: * Blanc, F P
EM: blanc@cls.fr
AF: CLS Space Oceanography Division, 8-10 rue Hermes, Ramonville SaintAgne, 31526 France
AU: Manzella, G
EM: manzella@santateresa.enea.it
AF: ENEA CRAM, P.O. Box 224, La Spezia, 19100 Italy
AU: Maudire, G
EM: Gilbert.Maudire@ifremer.fr
AF: IFREMER, BP70, Plouzane, 29280 France
AU: Bahurel, P
EM: Pierre.Bahurel@mercator-ocean.fr
AF: MERCATOR OCEAN, 8/10 rue Hermes, Ramonville SaintAgne, 31520 France
AU: Bell, M
EM: mike.bell@metoffice.com
AF: Met. Office, Fitzroy Road , Exeter, EX1 3PB United Kingdom
AU: Haines, K
AF: Reading e-Science Centre (ReSC Reading University, 3 Earley Gate, Reading, RG6 6AL United Kingdom
AB: Mersea ('Marine Environment and Security for the European Area'), a European project to manage the oceans, aims to develop by 2008 the GMES ocean component ('Global Monitoring for Environment and Security'), a system for operational monitoring and forecasting on global and regional scales of the ocean physics, bio-geochemistry and ecosystems. Mersea project started on April 1st, 2004. This ocean monitoring system is envisioned as an operational network that systematically acquires data and disseminates information to serve the needs of intermediate users and policy makers, in support of safe and efficient off-shore activities, environmental management, security, and sustainable use of marine resources. Three real-time data streams have been identified: remote sensed from satellites, in situ from ocean observing networks, and surface forcing fields from numerical weather prediction agencies. Mersea will ensure the availability of near real time and delayed mode products over the period 2004-2008, global and regional products optimised for supporting operational oceanography. Historical data sets for the last 15 years will also be prepared. Mersea is also the European center serving Godae goals ('Global Ocean Data Assimilation Experiment', 2003-2005). The timely delivery of high quality and reliable information to many user categories is essential for the success of such integrated project. There is consequently a large effort to coordinate all delivery actions giving special attention on the users' needs. This effort will cover many issues like product presentation, products and web services catalogue and how to deal for an interdisciplinary and integrated use. A first major difficulty is to reach at many levels product coherency and standardisation, which is needed to facilitate the visibility, understanding and exchange of the ocean observing data. A first task will therefore be to write a common unified framework guide, a kind of member chart, which will require from partners to 1- Apply or define standard for ocean products and associated information, 2- Harmonise the data exchange procedure (ie. rely on a decentralised but compatible system architecture for distribution on Internet), 3- Allow federation and cluster of individual data centers in order to facilitate the routine real-time exchange of high quality and appropriate environmental information, both in real-time and delayed mode (ie. set up a unique common ocean portal, an information management system for ocean products and services on Internet, which will allow the users to identify and access spatial or geographical information from a wide range of sources, from the local level to the global level, in real time and in an inter-operable way for a variety of uses). This presentation will comment on this member chart and requirements, and the ocean portal concept. We will review here also what has bee done for the precursor project Mersea Strand-1 and strengths and weaknesses raised (the participating ocean models FOAM- United Kingdom, Mercator- France , MFS Italy, Topaz- Norway , the unified framework, the distribution choice with Opendap e-technology, the manipulation and visualisation for education and public outreach or real-time complementary intercomparison expertise with a Live Access Server). [See also S. Baudel's presentation for an overview of what already exists.]
UR: http://www.mersea.eu.org
DE: 9820 Techniques applicable in three or more fields
DE: 4255 Numerical modeling
DE: 4263 Ocean prediction
DE: 4275 Remote sensing and electromagnetic processes (0689)
DE: 4299 General or miscellaneous
SC: Special Focus: Advances in Data Acquisition, Management, Analysis and Display [SF]
MN: 2004 AGU Fall Meeting