NOAA/IOOS Integrated Model and Observed Data Visualizations

The NOAA U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System, or IOOS, is our eyes on the ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes.  It has been described as “a Weather Service for the ocean.” Thousands of observing systems and tools are in use every day—satellites in orbit, gliders, buoys, high-frequency radar, sharks with satellite tags, sensors on the ocean floor, and more—all operated by different federal and nonfederal organizations and researchers. IOOS gathers and integrates that data and builds the tools to make those observations compatible and accessible by science, industry, government, and curious citizens all over the world. This benefits everyone from governments to corporations to small businesses and individuals by enabling them to make plans and timely decisions to safeguard lives and livelihoods, drive the economy forward, and foster environmental stewardship.

Our work is integration, so partnerships are essential. Our partners generate the science our tools are built upon. We work with 17 federal partners and 11 regional (nonfederal) associations, who also disseminate data from local data providers, to aggregate observation data and coastal intelligence. We also partner with private sector groups for product development.  We then use that network and information to develop and maintain tools and resources that help everyone better understand—and manage—our ocean, coasts, and Great Lakes.

Through IOOS, this observing data also becomes part of the Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) and the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS), where it is integrated with environmental observations worldwide. From the local to the national and the global, IOOS is an essential partner for a comprehensive, integrated, and effective ocean observing system.

IOOS recently released two quasi-operational web-based products on ioos.us that provide access to and visualization of model output and real-time environmental data. 

IOOS Model Viewer

Model output and supplemental observations from a variety of federal and nonfederal sources are harvested by the Environmental Data Server (EDS).  The EDS was originally developed for the US Coast Guard to aid in Search and Rescue Operations, and leveraged by IOOS to integrate model data for the nation.  The IOOS Model Viewer harvests a subset of data from this server to provide the public with access to integrated model output and basic data analysis via time-series comparisons.  Model sources include the National Ocean Service (NOS) Operational Forecast Systems, NOAA Wavewatch III, NOAA HYCOM, and various regional forecasts that leverage ADCIRC, ROMS, and FVCOM models, among others.  Variables provided include forecast currents, winds, waves, water levels, water temperature, and salinity.  Supplemental real-time observations include NOAA National Data Buoy Center and NOS water level stations, and surface currents from IOOS Regional Association high-frequency radar sites.

IOOS Sensor Map

The Environmental Sensor Map integrates regional, national, and global real-time data across the IOOS enterprise. Data from observing systems operated by IOOS Regions and local data providers within these regional footprints can be directly accessed through the map. Data includes water temperatures, air temperatures, barometric pressure, chlorophyll and many other marine and atmospheric variables.  Overall, the map connects to over 31,000 stations providing the latest information on oceanographic and meteorological conditions. Features included in the map are:

• Individual stations are clustered in hexagonal bins to reduce clutter when zoomed out, and summary information is provided;
• Individual stations and sensors can be selected when zoomed in;
• Time-series data show the past two weeks, and provide options for downloading recent data and finding source information;
• Dynamic graphs provide overview statistics for individual sensors or regions;

These two data access products are being improved with additional datasets and capabilities over the upcoming year.  In the meantime, access remains available through the IOOS website.

Web pages:  http://ioos.us/ http://eds.ioos.us/  http://sensors.ioos.us/