The Ocean Enterprise and the Coastal Zone (Invited Presentation)

Analogous to the Weather Enterprise, the Ocean Enterprise includes all entities in the public, private, non-profit, research and academic sectors that provide infrastructure and capacity for ocean observation, measurement and forecasting, or who deliver operational ocean information products and services. As well as providing important economic, societal and environmental benefits, the Ocean Enterprise is a significant economic activity in its own right, generating more than $8 billion per annum in US business revenues.

As a major contributor to this Ocean Enterprise ecosystem, NOAA collects the authoritative ocean data needed to meet its mission, making these data and the information it derives from associated models and analytical tools, freely and openly available for use by other public and private sector organizations. This keynote presentation will describe how NOAA is seeking to further improve the accessibility of its ocean data and information for beneficial secondary use by reducing discovery and access challenges.

It will also explore how NOAA is working with businesses and academia to help build the future Ocean Enterprise services required to support a thriving coastal economy, while addressing pressing societal and environmental challenges. A particular focus will be on activities which aim to help to grow the Ocean Enterprise services needed to support resilience and adaptation to climate-driven hazards. This will include reference to recent Inflation Reduction Act initiatives which seek to accelerate the growth of Ocean Enterprise businesses supporting climate resilience solutions.