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6.3 MyOcean, an European example of post-GODAE initiative
Lead author: Pierre Bahurel (Mercator-Ocean)
Author/co-authors: Pierre Bahurel1 and the MyOcean steering team Mike Bell2, Erik Buch3, Fabienne Jacq4, Johnny Johannessen5, Pierre-Yves Le Traon6, Nadia Pinardi7, with international contributions from the International GODAE Steering Team
1Mercator Ocean, France
2Met Office, United Kingdom
3Danish Met Institute, Denmark
4CLS, France
5Nansen Environment Research and Scientific Center, Norway
6Ifremer, France
7Institute National for Geophysics and Vulcanology, Italy
Abstract
MyOcean is the implementation project of the European Marine Core Service, aiming at deploying the first concerted and integrated pan-European capacity for ocean monitoring and forecasting. During years 2009-2011, MyOcean will lead the setting up of this new European service, grown on past investments in research & development, system development and international collaborations. It is indeed in Europe one of the most important legacy of the GODAE initiative.
Implementing a European Marine Core Service is one of the top-three priorities of the GMES (Global Monitoring for Environment and Security) program lead by the European Commission to enhance the development of new services based on Earth Observation, and organize their long-term sustainability. MyOcean is a direct answer to this priority. Co-funded by the European Commission up to 33 M €, MyOcean gathers a total amount of resources in Europe of 55 M €, and a consortium of 60 partners spread over 28 countries, led by the Mercator Ocean. More than 350 persons are involved, representing around 200 FTE. The scientific challenge is the one linked to the development and operation of a reliable global ocean monitoring and forecasting; the technical challenge is to transition to full operations at a pan-european level a distributed system of systems (architecture and organisation that integrate and homogenize the existing capacities) made of a dozen of centres on duty in Europe. The ultimate challenge is to turn our overall approach of operational oceanography to a full service organization driven by user needs, and linked on a sustainable basis with the main stakeholders of operational oceanography in Europe and at the international level. The project is planned to start by the end of the year 2008 or the first days of 2009.
We will illustrate the current plan and status of this European "MyOcean" initiative and the role played by GODAE in its growing phase. Standards on data, exchange of data and model outputs, validation "metrics" methodology, ... are today direct legacy of the GODAE "common" integrated in the European MyOcean organization. Thanks to contribution from the international GODAE steering team members, we will show also other examples of world-leading initiatives that are preparing the post-GODAE phase with practical implementation of services. They will demonstrate, with MyOcean in Europe, the strength and sustainability of the international collaboration invented by GODAE for operational oceanography.
(Last Updated: 13-10-2008)