JCOMM-5/INF.7, p. 1

World Meteorological Organization &
Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (of UNESCO)
JOINT WMO/IOC TECHNICAL COMMISSION FOR OCEANOGRAPHY AND MARINE METEOROLOGY
Fifth Session
Denpasar, Bali, Indonesia, 25 to 29 October 2017 / JCOMM-5/INF.7
Submitted by:
WMO and IOC Secretariats
11.X.2017

CONSOLIDATED SUMMARY REPORT ON THE ACTIVITIES OF THE

JCOMM OBSERVATIONS PROGRAMME AREA

REFERENCES

Meeting reports:

  1. WMO-IOC/JCOMM-4/3, WMO No. 1093, Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology, Fourth Session, Executive summary of the abridged final report with resolutions and recommendations (JCOMM-4, Yeosu, Republic of Korea, 28-31 May 2012)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 95, Second JCOMM Marine Instrument Workshop for the Asia Pacific region (Tianjin, China, 3-6 December 2012)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 97, Seventh session of the Ship Observations Team (SOT-7, Victoria, Canada, 22-26 April 2013)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 108, Third JCOMM Marine Instrument Workshop for the Asia Pacific region (Tianjin, China, 22-25 July 2013)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 118, Fourth JCOMM Marine Instrument Workshop for the Asia Pacific region (Weihai, China, 21-23 October 2014)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 107, Fifth Session of the Observations Coordination Group (OCG-5, Silver Spring, USA, 5-7 September 2013)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 106, Twenty-ninth session of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP-29, Paris, France, 23-27 Sept. 2013)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 119, Thirtieth Session of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP-30, Wehai, China, 27-31 October 2014)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 120, Eighth Session of the Ship Observations Team (SOT-8, Cape Town, South Africa, 20-24 April 2015)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 121, Sixth Session of the Observations Coordination Group (OCG-6, Cape Town, South Africa, 27-30 April 2015)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 124, Thirty-first Session of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP-31, Geneva, Switzerland, 19-23 October 2015)
  1. JCOMM TR No. 87, Recommendations of the Second WIGOS/JCOMM Technical Exchange Workshop on Marine Instrumentation for the WMO Regional Association-IV with Focus on Wave Measurements from Buoys (Gulfport, Mississippi, USA, 29 February - 2 March 2016)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 126, Seventh Session of the Observations Coordination Group (OCG-7, Esporles, Mallorca, Spain, 4 to 6 April 2016)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 129, Thirty-second Session of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP-32, Ja Jolla, USA, 17-27 October 2016)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 132, Eighth Session of the Observations Coordination Group (OCG-8, Qingdao, China, 22 to 25 May 2017)
  1. JCOMM MR No. 134, Ninth Session of the Ship Observations Team (SOT-9, London, 27-31 March 2017)
  1. Thirteenth Session of the GLOSS Group of Experts and 80-year Anniversary Workshop for PSMSL (GLOSS-GE-13, Liverpool, United Kingdom, 28 October - 1 November 2013)
  1. Fourteenth session of the Group of Experts for the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS-GE-14, Dona Paula, India, 19 - 23 October 2015)
  1. Fifteenth session of the Group of Experts for the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS-GE-15, New York, USA, 8 - 9 July 2017)

Other documents and references

  1. OPA Webpages
  1. JCOMMOPS

JCOMM Observations Programme Area Activities Summary.

Since the JCOMM 4 session (Yeosu, Republic of Korea, 28-31 May 2012), the Observations Coordination Group (OCG) has met four times. During this time (2013, 2015, 2016, and 2017), the Grouphas increased the frequency of its meetings to annually with additional funding from the IOC, established a work plan to progress cross network activities inter-sessionally, and established an expanded governance model to support the increased activity. There was also annual meetings of the Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP), and biennial meetings of the Ship Observations Team (SOT, in 2013, 2015, and 2017) and the Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) Group of Experts (GLOSS-GE, 2013, 2015, 2017).

A short summary of OCG meetings is included below, followed by the progress made in establishing the work plan and governance. Further information on the forward planning is provided in the OCG Vision document (JCOMM-5/7.1 Document). Refer to the final reports of OCG, DBCP, SOT and GLOSS-GE for further details (links above).

OCG-5, 5-7th September 2013, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, Silver Spring, USA.

The 5th Session of OCG was held overlapping with the GCOS[1]-GOOS[2]-WCRP[3] Ocean Observations Panel for Climate (OOPC). Areas of synergy were discussed, including OCG input to the OOPC Work plan, which was published as part of the OOPC meeting report.

Emerging global networks, the Global Alliance for Continuous Plankton Recorder Surveys (GACS) and the Ocean Glider community (represented by Everyone’s Glider Observatory) were invited to attend.

The meeting report can be found at

OCG-6, 27-30 April 2015, Cape Town, South Africa

The 6th Session of the OCG was chaired by David Legler (USA) and David Meldrum (UK). The main outcome of OCG-6 was the development of a work plan focusing around five thematic areas based on sponsor needs, synergies, and target opportunities in the future to deliver on JCOMM objectives. A inter-sessionally across the panels. A corresponding work plan was also developed to identify objectives and actions addressing these thematic areas: :

●Requirements

●Implementation and observing system monitoring

●Standards and Best Practices

●Data and Integration

●JCOMMOPS oversight.

David Meldrum stepped down as co-chair, as David Legler assumed the chair responsibilities. A new governance model was developed in order to support the agreed work plan, comprising a chair and 4 vice chairs supporting particular areas requiring extra resources; WMO/WIGOS connections (under requirements), new technologies (under implementation), Standards and Best Practices, and Data and Integration. Particular effort was focussed on providing input to the GCOS Status Report.

A horizon scan of non-OCG ocean observing systems identified several potential networks that should be approached and engaged the future by the OCG. The High Frequency Radar (HF Radar) community attended for the first time, represented by the Group on Earth Observation (GEO) HF Radar Community of Practice.

Meeting report and OCG 5 year work plan can be found at

OCG-7, 4-6th April 2016, IMEDEA[4], Majorca, Spain.

The 7th Session of the OCG was held overlapping with the Ocean Observations Panel for Climate. The meeting was chaired by David Legler (USA) with Jon Turton (UK) as Vice Chair for WMO/WIGOS[5]. Discussions of Essential Ocean Variable requirements and the clarification of Network missions and targets were main foci of the meeting to feed into the new JCOMMOPS website performance monitoring and underpin actions in the GCOS Implementation Plan. Initial plans were developed for a JCOMM Ocean Observations Report card to be released at JCOMM 5 Session. The OCG Work Plan provided the basis for the agenda; and a Work Plan update was published as part of the meeting report, which can be found at

OCG-7

OCG-8, 22-25th May 2017, State Oceanic Administration First Institute of Oceanography, Qingdao, China.

The 8th Session of OCG was chaired by David Legler, with Jon Turton (Vice Chair for WMO/WIGOS connections) and Juliet Hermes (South Africa – Vice Chair for Standards and Best Practices).

Key outcomes included the identification of cross network areas where OCG could add value in a lead or coordinating role, the adoption of 2 emerging networks, OceanGliders and HF Radar and OCG support for developing global coordination for a third, Animal Borne Sensors, was agreed. The Animal Borne Sensors community participated for the first time. OCG has made progress in identifying and collating gaps in Standards and Best Practises(S&BP) and needs across EOVs and networks. Standards and Best Practices (S&BP) Workshop is planned for November 2017, IOC, Paris.

OCG-8 discussed thestrategy for improved broadened engagement with biogeochemical observations through globally coordinated networks and common observing platforms. The role of OCG in adopting new technologies was discussed with an agreement to establish a task team to explore a roadmap.

Increasing connection between observations, services and data management is an ongoing need, OCG is working actively to enhance coordination between the JCOMM program areas. OCG actions in this area include input into the JCOMM Data Management Programme Area (DMPA) Strategy, Open Global Telecommunication System (GTS) Pilot Project (being presented at JCOMM-5 Tech), the work of the JCOMM in situ Observations Programme Support Centre (JCOMMOPS) (see below) and support for networks to utilize ERDDAP[6] technologyto increase data accessibility.

JCOMM (WMO & IOC) has committed to support the regional project Tropical Pacific Observing System (TPOS) 2020. This has significance as a key example of a regional project. OCG networks (oceanographic and marine meteorological) contribute to this multi-platform system and its success.

JCOMMOPS provides coordinated technical support for efficient network operations within and across networks. JCOMMOPS is leading the development of Key Performance Indicators (KPIs) for networks and a JCOMM Ocean Observing System Report Card (an authoritative cross-network view of the ocean observing system) will be launched at JCOMM-5. A review of JCOMMOPS is proposed for 2017/2018 to assess the future role, organizational relationship and future sponsorship and management of JCOMMOPS.

As OCG considers the increasing number of ocean observing networks of relevance to its sponsors, the OCG mission to coordinate their implementation, develop standards and best practices, and visualize and track functionality and performance of these networks, must consider a number of new challenges.

Detailed meeting report is available at OCG-8

Summary.

The OCG has been successful in establishing a forward looking, outcome focussed work plan, capitalising the synergies across the observing networks and has been proactive in engaging new networks. The OCG is making progress in establishing the governance required to support the work plan areas; under the leadership of David Legler. Vice Chairs have been appointed for managing the WMO/WIGOS Connection and Standards and Best Practices; Vice chairs for New Technologies, and Data and Integration are still vacant.

The 9th Session of the JCOMM Observations Coordination Group will be held 14-18 May 2018 at the JCOMMOPS Office in Brest, France.

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[1]WMO-IOC-UNEP-ICSU Global Climate Observing System

[2]IOC-WMO-UNEP-ICSU Global Ocean Observing System

[3] WMO-IOC-ICSU World Climate Research Programme

[4]Mediterranean Institute for Advanced Studies (IMEDEA), Spain

[5]WMO Integrated Global Observing System

[6]