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4 Implementation of a Network of Ocean Observatories for Research
Pages 72-137

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From page 72...
... It is beyond the scope of this report to develop a comprehensive implementation plan for ocean observatories; instead, the goal of this chapter is to highlight some of the most important issues to be addressed in such a plan. The first task of the observatory management organization described below, should be the development of a detailed and comprehensive project implementation plan for each of the three major components of the OOI and the review of these plans by knowledgeable and independent experts.
From page 73...
... For this reason, a management structure should be established as soon as possible, and in any case well before the initiation of the OOI. Goals of the Management Structure The development of a network of ocean research observatories will require a large initial investment in excess of $200 million (National Science Foundation, 2002~.
From page 74...
... The role of the program management organization should be one of coordination, oversight, and fiscal and contract management. The management structure will need to work with the scientific community to select, support, and periodically evaluate "community" experiments; define access requirements; provide technical support for individual investigator-initiated experiments; facilitate education and outreach access to selected data streams and products; develop protocols for scientists not involved in deploying experiments to access databases and archives; and negotiate access agreements with other users (such as forprofit entertainment industries and value-added enterprises)
From page 75...
... This structure is modified from a draft management structure developed by the NSF and the DEOS steering committee and is modeled after the highly successful management structure of the international ODP. The ODP management model guided a complex program now in its fourth decade.
From page 77...
... It is critical that a single entity have overall financial and management accountability for the program. In the case of the OOI, this could be the Ocean Research Observatories Program Center (OROPC)
From page 78...
... International participation could be at the level of the entire research observatories program, or with specific components of the program and might range from simple coordination of independently funded and managed efforts to an integrated, jointly funded observatory program. The management of the OOI will need to be flexible enough to accommodate these different modes of international participation, as long as the integrity and transparency of the entire system are not put at risk.
From page 79...
... From the OOI's inception, some of its proponents have argued that use of the MREFC should focus on acquiring the basic elements of an ocean observatory system (e.g., cables, moorings, junction boxes, shore stations, and facilities for data distribution and archiving) , not on acquiring the instrumentation that would eventually utilize this infrastructure.
From page 80...
... , but deciding which sensors or instruments should be part of the basic observatory infrastructure (thus funded through the MREFC account) , and which sensors should be acquired by the scientific programs utilizing the observatories (thus funded through the Research & Related Activities account at the NSF or by other agencies supporting ocean research)
From page 81...
... The core instruments, as defined above, comprise an essential element of the basic observatory infrastructure that should be supported through the MREFC even if that means a reduction in the overall size of the observatory facility. Shore-based facilities for data distribution and archiving are also part of the basic observatory infrastructure that should be supported through the OOI.
From page 82...
... or groups of investigators using the facility would seek funding for "community instruments" from sources other than the NSF's MREFC account via peer-reviewed proposals submitted to the NSF or other agencies supporting ocean research. Since core instrument needs will vary widely from observatory to observatory, it is inappropriate for this report to define a list of core instruments or to specify a certain percentage of MREFC funds that should be utilized for core instrument acquisition.
From page 83...
... The challenges of continuous and autonomous operation are even greater in the context of open ocean observatories. A major, sustained, and well-funded effort will be required to develop a new generation of instruments and sensors for ocean observatory science.
From page 84...
... Ocean Observatory Sensor and Instrument Development The need for sensor development has been clearly articulated in a number of workshops and reports on the future of ocean observing systems and in situ instrumentation. Examples of such discussions include the NSF report Ocean Sciences at the New Millennium (2001~; a previous NRC report on ocean observatories, Illuminating the Hidden Planet (2000~; a workshop on in situ sensors (RIDGE, 2000~; the SCOTS workshop (Dickey and Glenn, 2003~; and the CoOP workshop (Jahnke et al., 2002~.
From page 85...
... This RIN contains a variety of instruments for measuring water temperature, conductivity, and density as well as current speed, sediment load, and chlorophyll concentrations. This RIN will eventually connect to the MARS cabled observatory testbed.
From page 86...
... 86 ENABLING OCEAN RESEARCH IN THE 2 lST CENTURY ommendations and conclusions of these reports all emphasize the critical need for the development of new sensors and instrumentation for ocean observatory science. A sampling of these recommendations is given in Box 4-1.
From page 87...
... Multi-lastrument Interface and System Integration issues Some of the major goals of ocean observatories include integrating the data streams of individual sensors and instrumentation in real-time
From page 88...
... . It is clear that the agencies supporting ocean research in the U.S.
From page 89...
... Moored Buoys The oceanographic community has considerable experience with the fabrication and installation of both surface-expression and sub-surface moorings under a variety of conditions. Both types of moorings are easily
From page 90...
... Installation can be handled by medium and large UNOLS vessels. Heavily-instrumented deep-water surface moorings may require anchors approaching 10,000 lbs.
From page 91...
... . Several commercial VSAT C-Band antenna systems, designed primarily for shipboard use, are available and could be adapted for use on a large spar or discus FIGURE 4-3 Artist's conception of a 40-m spar buoy design for a high-bandwidth moored-buoy observatory.
From page 92...
... Even the largest UNOLS vessels cannot deploy the large 40-m spar buoy described in the DEOS Moored Buoy Observatory Design Study (DEOS Moored Buoy Observatory Working Group, 2000) , primarily due to decksize limitations and reel and winch capabilities (which fall short of the 20,000+ lbs lift capability required)
From page 93...
... The inaccessibility of many ocean observatory sites makes the reliability of the basic observatory infrastructure of paramount importance in the design, implementation, and operation of the proposed undersea network. While commercial and research cable systems share a common need for high reliability of the basic infrastructure (e.g., cables, nodes, junction boxes)
From page 94...
... High voltages, however, are difficult to use in the ocean and most ocean cables and connectors are rated at 10 kV or less. Loops and branches complicate the assessment of the maximum power available to an observatory network.
From page 95...
... /MPLEMENTAT/ON OF A NETWORK OF OCEAN OBSERVATORIES FOR RESEARCH 95 also severely limit power available closer to shore. It might be more efficient to power nodes close to shore on separate cables from those powering distant nodes.
From page 96...
... Burial of available commercial telecommunications cables in deep water is not possible for logistical reasons, and armoring would result in serious weight problems at depths greater than about 2,000 m. For observatories in deep-ocean volcanic areas, cable design must include armoring in appropriate sections and must account for adequate slack to prevent long spans.
From page 97...
... Installation Planning and Execution Installation of a cabled observatory system is expected to be a significant fraction of its capital cost. Maintenance of a cabled system infrastructure should be less than that of an equivalent buoyed system since cabled systems do not contain consumables needing replacement on a regular schedule.
From page 98...
... The greatest reliability concerns arise in those parts of the system that are the most difficult to recover, single-point failure locations, and locations that are the most vulnerable to failure. In a cabled system, such locations include the backbone cable system, junction boxes (Figure 4-4)
From page 99...
... The OOI will provide support for junction boxes for both cabled and moored buoy observatories. Figure courtesy of Fred Duennebier, University of Hawaii.
From page 100...
... It should be possible to have several connection levels, ranging from very capable, high-power, high data-rate interfaces for complex experiments to simple connections for analog sensors. An important management decision involves selecting the point at which the observatory infrastructure ends and user experiments begin.
From page 101...
... Annual maintenance and refurbishment costs are estimated to be 20% of the capital cost of the buoy and mooring (DEOS Moored Buoy Observatory Working Group, 2000) and higher costs can be expected in remote regions.
From page 102...
... Tri-moored spar buoys at high-latitude sites and other areas that frequently experience bad weather are likely to experience smaller motions and deliver higher communication efficiency than a discus buoy. There will obviously be a strong seasonal variation in sea state at some sites, and there may be sustained periods where no data can be transmitted to shore.
From page 103...
... Due to the fact that repairs for a research observatory will not be as time-critical as for a commercial telecommunications cable, the observatory operator should be able to negotiate a competitive price for this contract. The majority of cabled observatory maintenance costs are likely to be associated with nodes and instruments.
From page 104...
... Observatory Operation and Maintenance Costs The operation and maintenance of the observatory infrastructure acquired as part of the OOI will require a substantial, long-term financial commitment on the part of the NSF. Experience demonstrates that these
From page 105...
... The O&M cost estimates are based on the DEOS Moored Buoy TABLE 4-1 Estimates of Ocean Observatory Operations and Maintenance Costs Observatory Type Approximate Annual O&M Costs Global Network Observatorya O&M (20 nodes) $7M Ship time (20 months/yr; 10 with ROV; 10 without)
From page 106...
... Coastal observatories are assumed to be a mix of moorings and cabled observatories. Since the required coastal observatory infrastructure is not well-defined at this point (see Chapter 3)
From page 107...
... These costs are difficult to estimate, but certainly could amount to a significant fraction of the annual O&M costs. A successful observatory program will require sufficient funding for both maintenance and operation of the observatory infrastructure and the science and instrumentation that this infrastructure will enable.
From page 108...
... There are also other modalities by which such arrays could be used for detection. In addition, some of the proposed OOI global network sites raise concerns because they may be near regions of SSBN operations.
From page 109...
... Procedures need to be put in place so access to the junction boxes is controlled and the Navy has full advance disclosure about the capabilities of the instruments connected to the boxes. Moreover, the Navy will not be comfortable if data streams are encrypted or other actions are taken to limit its availability, and will want real-time access to the data.
From page 110...
... The NOPP National Ocean Research Leadership Council (NORLC) already has a security subcommittee, an inter-governmental infrastructure which may be capable of working out these security problems.
From page 111...
... . There are several challenges that an ocean observatory data management system must address: · Heterogeneity of data sets: Data products are generated from various instruments and have different characteristics in format, metadata, resolution, validation of data, and other similar characteristics.
From page 112...
... Ocean Observatories Initiative Data Management Architecture The software system architecture defines the performance and relationship of various data management services including data processing, data archiving, data mining, operational and science user interfaces, and data distribution services. Each service will be described by a set of components allowing for the construction of the software system.
From page 113...
... , it is hard to take advantage of new technology without affecting data architecture. The technology architecture specifies basic communication middleware between geographically distributed data systems, a common software component framework, and methods
From page 114...
... Data summaries and metadata should be available in near real-time. The OOI-DMS should provide reliable continuous deliveries of real-time data streams from observing system Requires professionally managed DMS and data repositories.
From page 115...
... Data from core and community instruments should be available without restriction to any interested user or the general public. Data products from core instruments should be supported by basic observatory operating costs.
From page 116...
... Figure 4-6 illustrates the components that would be required to support DMS in a typical observatory network (Hughes et al., 2001~. Several recommendations in this report are adopted from the IOOS DAC components definition (Appendix V.8 in Ocean.US, 2002a)
From page 117...
... 117 o tL — ~7 c~ 07 c5 ~ ~7 c5 {~7 O ~ Q ~7 tL ~ CD C 7 ~ — CD ~ ~ ~ CD tL `~ 07 cay C5 c5 c.7 -1 ~ ~0 I~\ #~.
From page 118...
... While some data types are managed through NOAA's National Oceanographic Data Center (NODC) , not all investigators submit their data to NODC, nor does the NODC archive all of the many kinds of data collected by ocean researchers today.
From page 119...
... Data mining techniques should be included to allow the user the ability to identify and retrieve "features" such as "a decrease in transport of the Gulf Stream" or "abnormal seismic activity along the fuan de Fuca Ridge." Data System Security Data should be protected based on policies adopted by the global, regional, and coastal observatory community. Some data products might be restricted to the U.S.
From page 120...
... Such an assessment will be extremely important for regional and coastal cabled observatories due to concerns over homeland security. Administration and Operation From an administrative and operational standpoint, the OOI-DMS should: · guarantee day-to-day system operations (e.g., for data acquisition, data and metadata portals, monitoring, and evaluation of system performance)
From page 121...
... A common interchange format and a data dictionary should be developed through working groups and joint research opportunities for the national and international science community. As specified in the IOOS recommendations, depending on the ocean observatory network the following topics need to be addressed and implemented by surveying existing implementations and adapting them to fit the ocean observatory network: · robust networking technology to transmit data between sensor subsystems, assembly centers, modeling centers, product generating centers, archival centers, and data users in both real-time and delayed modes; · extensible data Codeless that assure interoperability of diverse classes of transmitted data, which should be created if an appropriate model does not exist; · software strategies that translate data, as accessed from diverse data management systems, into an interoperable data model, which should be created if none exist; and · software strategies that assure security, performance monitoring, and fault detection of the OOI data management network, which should be created if none exist.
From page 122...
... Although a distributed framework will be used for data management, centralized coordination of observation planning, data process requests, and access is required. Coastal Observatories Since coastal observatories may include both relocatable moorings and fixed cabled or moored observatory systems, they share requirements with both global and regional observatories.
From page 123...
... 77) Seafloor observatories have the potential to provide unique opportunities for educational outreach by conveying the excitement of discovery of ocean sciences to the public (National Research Council, 2000~.
From page 124...
... The EPO program should use ocean research data to help students and teachers meet NSES, not just to entertain (National Research Council, 1996~. The ocean observatory EPO program should be implemented through a collaborative effort with the National Sea Grant Program and with the recently funded Centers for Ocean Sciences Education Excellence (COSEE)
From page 125...
... Using funds provided by the NSF, designated Sea Grant and COSEE offices could expand their EPO efforts to encompass the broader aspects of ocean science research associated with the national seafloor observatory network. This leverage of expertise would mean involved Sea Grant programs would have to accommodate a more global perspective in order to ensure that all aspects of the global, regional, and coastal observatory networks are utilized in the EPO activities.
From page 126...
... There are also other model EPO programs that can be emulated by the OOI. The NSF or, once it is established, the OOI Program Office, should solicit proposals for a workshop to address the EPO issues raised in this report and to develop a specific EPO implementation plan for ocean research observatories, including recommending a budget for EPO activity.
From page 127...
... Scientific planning will allow individuals, groups, and programs to compete through a peer-reviewed mechanism for research time, bandwidth, and power usage on observatory infrastructure.
From page 128...
... In considering possible phasing of construction and installation of the ocean observatory infrastructure over this five-year period, a number of different criteria have been considered including scientific and technical readiness, risk, cost considerations, timely payoff, and leveraging opportunities. Table 4-3 summarizes these criteria for each of the three OOI
From page 129...
... Global Observatory Network Scientific planning for the global observatory network is mature and nas proceeded to the level of identifying specific sites and multidisciplinary instrumentation requirements for each node (Chapter 3; Figure 31~. Site selection is being coordinated at the international level and there are significant opportunities to leverage the investment the NSF makes with additional nodes funded by other nations (Appendix E)
From page 130...
... As described in Chapter 3, however, a large, plate-scale cabled observatory like NEPTUNE presents some major engineering challenges. The progress in developing and testing new technology to meet these engineering requirements and the long lead times required for many of the tasks in
From page 131...
... Scientific planning still in early stages; relative importance in OOI of mobile Pioneer Arrays, cabled observatories, and long time-series sites requires more community input. Relationship to IOOS coastal sites needs definition.
From page 132...
... As presently funded, however, MARS will provide only a partial test of the key power and data telemetry sub-systems since its relatively short, single-cable, single-node design will not test the operation of these sub-systems with the more complex multi-node, looped network topology of a NEPTUNE-like observatory. A full system integration test of all major sub-systems (power, telemetry, timing, and command and control)
From page 133...
... There is, however, no agreement on whether this need can be met by the moorings that Ocean.US is planning to deploy as part of the coastal IOOS, or whether the OOI will require moorings specifically dedicated to coastal ocean research. The coastal community will need to develop a consensus on the appropriate balance of Pioneer Arrays, cabled observatories, and long-term measurement sites required to meet future coastal research needs.
From page 134...
... Coastal moorings have not been outfitted with bistatic radar arrays and they rarely integrate the new generation big-optical sensors required for biogeochemically relevant measurements. For the coastal radar arrays, the de
From page 135...
... assumes construction of two Pioneer Arrays, the establishment of a coastal instrument testbed, a new coastal cabled observatory, and the augmentation of the IOOS national network of long-term coastal time-series moorings with additional instrumentation to make them suitable for interdisciplinary coastal research.
From page 137...
... A Data Management advisory committee should be established by the OOI Program Office to oversee the implementation strategy outlined in Box 4-5.


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