Plan Text: the Private Sector Should Insert Plan

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Privates CP

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Plan Text: The Private Sector should [insert plan]

Solvency - General

The private sector can do the plan and more. They have innovative technology and experience in oceanographic data collection.

Woll, 12 (Steve, Steve Woll, an active AMS Member, and a meteorologist, is Director of Business Development for WeatherFlow Inc in Poquoson, Virginia. He served as a Meteorology and Oceanography Officer for the United States Navy for over twenty years. He has an MBA degree from the College of William and Mary, an MS degree from the Naval Postgraduate School, and a BS degree from Duke University., The role of the private sector in ocean sensing, October 14-19, http://ieeexplore.ieee.org/xpls/icp.jsp?arnumber=6405082)

Recent years have seen the development of innovative and often lower-cost ocean observing technologies[are], putting more capability than into the hands of private sector ever companies, in some cases for the first time. At the same time, activity by private sector companies in the coastal oceans has increased in support of oil and gas exploration, offshore wind energy, homeland security, maritime shipping, fisheries, and other drivers. Oceanographic data from private sector sources has the potential to fill in existing data gaps in a cost-effective manner. In order to optimize our ability to make use of such data, a discussion of the policy surrounding the use of private sector data (and of the underlying data infrastructure needed to support it) is needed. This paper discusses some of the background, history, and considerations that have a bearing on the use of such private sector data.

The private sector is the MOST efficient when it comes to the collection of ocean data through exploration. Implementing the plan through the private sector would increase the oceanographic data collected and increase economic activity, all while eliminating government spending.

The last twenty years have seen an increase in the number and breadth of various public-private partnerships in both oceanography and meteorology, and the policies of the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) specifically encourage those efforts. On the oceanographic side, the National Ocean Service (NOS) operates the Integrated Oceanographic Observing System (IOOS), which has been very successful at coordinating the efforts of federal government agencies, universities, and private sector companies, establishing a robust Data Management and Communications (DMAC) capability and providing funding to performers through a set of Regional Associations (RAs) that coordinate activities within their regions. At the same time, the technological boom of the last half century has begun to see the broader deployment of some specific types of oceanographic and marine meteorological sensors by private companies for private purposes (e.g. oil exploration, operation of port facilities, wind energy prospecting, etc.). Because specific companies or customers fund the collection of this data for specific business purposes, the resulting data sets have generally been kept proprietary and not shared with the government or the public. As IOOS, NOAA, and most of the federal government face severe budgetary constraints for the foreseeable future, it is prudent for the Oceanography Enterprise to review all of the options available to help IOOS, NOAA, and the broader Oceanography Enterprise meet their collective mission requirements. The NMP has been very successful at getting the NWS access to large numbers of high quality, professional grade meteorological observations via restricted licensing and the MADIS data architecture. Given this demonstrated success, implementing a similar data policy and supporting data architecture at NDBC and other oceanographic repositories should be given serious consideration. At the same time, a data policy of unrestricted licensing and an unrestricted data architecture should also be considered, since such an arrangement is the most flexible, gets the most data into the most hands, and can reasonably be expected to directly support more users and generate more economic activity. Review of these options should be conducted by IOOS and the Oceanographic Enterprise leadership and a working group representing government, university, and private sector interests. Debating the merits, costs, and benefits of these and other options would be an extremely healthy and useful exercise for IOOS and the broader oceanographic community. The resulting decisions and subsequent policy guidance would serve to provide a much-needed clarity, thereby allowing all participants and the Oceanography Enterprise as a whole to optimize their planning for the next decade and beyond.

A nonfederal organization can do the plan and still capture their leadership benefits

Orcutt et al, 3 - Professor of Geophysics and Deputy Director Scripps Institution of Oceanography (John, also Interim Dean of Marine Sciences University of California San DiegoNov. 4, 2003 “Major Ocean Exploration Effort Would Reveal Secrets of the Deep” http://www8.nationalacademies.org/onpinews/newsitem.aspx?RecordID=10844)

WASHINGTON -- A new large-scale, multidisciplinary ocean exploration program would increase the pace of discovery of new species, ecosystems, energy sources, seafloor features, pharmaceutical products, and artifacts, as well as improve understanding of the role oceans play in climate change, says a new congressionally mandated report from the National Academies' National Research Council. Such a program should be run by a nonfederal organization and should encourage international participation, added the committee that wrote the report. Congress, interested in the possibility of an international ocean exploration program, asked the Research Council to examine the feasibility of such an effort. The committee concluded, however, that given the limited resources in many other countries, it would be prudent to begin with a U.S. program that would include foreign representatives and serve as a model for other countries. Once programs are established elsewhere, groups of nations could then collaborate on research and pool their resources under international agreements. "The United States should lead by example," said committee chair John Orcutt, professor of geophysics and deputy director, Scripps Institution of Oceanography, University of California, San Diego. Vast portions of the ocean remain unexplored. In fact, while a dozen men have walked on the moon, just two have traveled to the farthest reaches of the ocean, and only for about 30 minutes each time, the report notes. "The bottom of the ocean is the Earth's least explored frontier, and currently available submersibles -- whether manned, remotely operated, or autonomous -- cannot reach the deepest parts of the sea," said committee vice chair Shirley A. Pomponi, vice president and director of research at Harbor Branch Oceanographic Institution, Fort Pierce, Fla. Nonetheless, recent discoveries of previously unknown species and deep-sea biological and chemical processes have heightened interest in ocean exploration. For example, researchers working off the coast of California revealed how some organisms consume methane seeping through the sea floor, converting it to energy for themselves and leaving hydrogen and carbon dioxide as byproducts. The hydrogen could perhaps someday be harnessed for fuel cells, leaving the carbon dioxide – which contributes to global warming in the atmosphere – in the sea. Likewise, a recent one-month expedition off Australia and New Zealand that explored deep-sea volcanic mountains and abyssal plains collected 100 previously unidentified fish species and up to 300 new species of invertebrates. Most current U.S. funding for ocean research, however, goes to projects that plan to revisit earlier sites or for improving understanding of known processes, rather than to support truly exploratory oceanography, the report says. And because the funding bureaucracy is discipline-based, grants are usually allocated to chemists, biologists, or physical scientists, rather than to teams of researchers representing a variety of scientific fields. A coordinated, international ocean exploration effort is not unprecedented, however; in fact, the International Decade of Ocean Exploration in the 1970s was considered a great success. The new program proposed in the report would complement more traditional oceanographic research, and should be operated by a nonfederal contractor chosen through a competitive bidding process, the committee said. Having an independent organization manage the program has many benefits, including the creativity, cost savings, and performance incentives that the competitive bidding process inspires. Contractors also can receive funding from multiple government agencies as well as private contributors. Federal agencies are more frequently turning to independent contractors to carry out special projects, the committee noted. It recommended that any contractor chosen to run the ocean exploration program should be subjected to regular external review. The most appropriate part of the federal government to house the ocean exploration program and oversee the contractor is the National Oceanographic Partnership Program, an existing collaboration of 14 federal agencies, the committee decided. Before this can happen, however, Congress needs to revise the partnership program charter so it can receive direct and substantial appropriations of federal funds. If this funding issue is not resolved, the ocean exploration program could be sponsored by the National Science Foundation or the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. Implementing the proposed program would cost approximately $270 million the first year, and about $100 million annually thereafter, the committee estimated. A less extensive program could be run for about $70 million a year, the report notes. Education and public outreach need to be an integral part of the ocean exploration program, especially to build global support, the committee emphasized. Ocean discovery "easily captures the imagination of people of all ages," the report adds. Yet a recent survey by a consortium of aquariums, zoos, and museums revealed that for the most part Americans have only superficial knowledge of how oceans function and are connected to human well-being. Teachers should be involved in the program from the start so that they understand the science and can incorporate it in their lesson plans. Keeping Congress and other government officials informed about plans and accomplishments also will be critical to the program's success. The report also says that the program's dedicated flagship should be given a name that the public will come to associate with the program, much as Jacques Cousteau's Calypso became a household term. In addition, satellites and the Internet could be used to maintain real-time communications between the vessel and classrooms or the general public. In addition to a main expedition ship, the ocean exploration effort will need a fleet of new manned and unmanned submersibles. The manned subs should be capable of diving to at least 6,500 meters, while remotely operated vehicles should be designed to reach depths of 7,000 meters or more. Additional autonomous underwater vehicles that are programmed to travel a specific route, collecting information along the way with sensors and cameras, also are needed. An upcoming National Research Council report will discuss plans to replace Alvin, the 35-year-old manned submersible that was used for groundbreaking research, such as the discovery of deep-sea hydrothermal vents, and took the first human visitors to the wreck of the Titanic. The ocean exploration study was mandated by Congress and sponsored by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration. The National Research Council is the principal operating arm of the National Academy of Sciences and National Academy of Engineering. It is a private, nonprofit institution that provides science and technology advice under a congressional charter. A committee roster follows.

It should be managed through a private contractor

NRC 03 – Committee on Exploration of the Seas, Ocean Studies Board Division on Earth and Life Studies. (“Exploration of the Seas: Voyage into the Unknown”, National Research Council, the National Academies Press, http://explore.noaa.gov/sites/OER/Documents/national-research-council-voyage.pdf, pg. 84-86)

An ocean exploration program could be managed within the sponsoring agency or through a contract to an independent entity. In the past, it was common for major programs to be managed from within the sponsoring agency, even at NSF, which maintains a lean administrative structure and no in-house research or facilities. The advantages of retaining the management for major programs within the sponsoring agency are that the agency retains ownership of the program, connections to other internal agency programs are tight, and those within the agency who have nurtured the program are rewarded by assuming leadership. In fact, this is the route that NOAA has adopted for its current ocean exploration program. In recent years, agencies are increasingly turning to nongovernmental groups to take on the day-to-day operations of large programs. The advantages of this approach are several. First, the process of competitive bidding for the management of the program leads to creativity in program design, cost savings, and incentives for excellent performance. Second, as programs build up and close down, there is no need to accommodate the personnel requirements through agency headcount. NSF chose the independent contractor route in selecting the Joint Oceanographic Institutions (JOI) (Box 5.2) to run ODP (Box 4.1), and has recently issued a request for proposals for management of the Ocean Observing Initiative. NASA will be selecting an independent contractor to manage the International Space Station (ISS) (Box 5.3). The advantages of an external contractor are potentially even greater for an ocean exploration program. For example, if NOPP were to lead the effort, management by an independent contractor would provide a neutral third party to balance the interests of the various agency partners and accept contributions from a variety of public and private sources. If NOAA were to lead the program, management by an external group could mitigate some of the perceived inadequacies in the present, internal-NOAA program. For example, the program would be an “arm’s length” away from the pressures of the agency mission and subjected to regular external review. Depending on the choice of the external managing organization, grant processing, priority-setting, connection to the external community, and transparency of decision making could be improved. If NSF were asked to lead the program, the agency would almost surely choose this route rather than build internally the infrastructure to manage the exploration-specific assets and data system. Finding: Management of large-scale ocean research programs can be effectively and efficiently operated through the use of independent contractors. Nonfederal operators can receive support from multiple government agencies and receive financial support from private sponsors. Independent audits of program performance can be used to ensure the program is achieving the desired outcomes. Recommendation: A nonfederal contractor should be used to operate the proposed U.S. ocean exploration program. The original contract should be awarded following a competitive bidding process. The program should be reviewed periodically and should seek to leverage federal resources for additional private contributions.