IOOS Data and Products reduce search and rescue times
Providing real-time and enhanced information to marine operations has been one of the most successful aspects of the early development of U.S.IOOS®.
Commercial and recreational boating safety, efficient shipping, safe offshore oil and gas operations, and informed and efficient offshore renewable energy production are aspects of marine operations that impact human health and economic vitality in the US. Each will be significantly improved by enhanced observing capacity.
Mariners and ocean resource industries are eager for access to timely information on sea and weather conditions.
Oceanographic models interpolate conditions between observations and support the development of forecasts and other tools.
NOAA has several programs that make important information available to meet the needs of the marine operations community.
The U.S. Waterway Data is a collection of data related to the navigable waters in the United States, including inland waterways, off-shore waters, the Great Lakes, and the Saint Lawrence Seaway.
High frequency (HF) radar systems measure the speed and direction of the ocean surface currents in near real time. This ability to track ocean currents is aiding search and rescue crews in mapping the probable path of people lost at sea. Knowing how currents will move in the water reduces the area that crews must look for victims or survivor craft. Combing less area takes less time and increases the chance of getting to the victim sooner. The National HF Radar Network makes this surface current data available to the U.S. Coast Guard and other marine operations users.
Monterey Bay Aquarium Research Institute, MBARI's Division of Marine Operations, under an agreement with the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA), sent a high-tech robotic submersible to the oily waters of the Gulf of Mexico. The goal is to collect information about the oil plume from the Deepwater Horizon drilling rig accident for NOAA
http://ocgweb.marine.usf.edu/~
liu/oil_spill_ensemble_forecast.html
Robotic submersible sent to the oily waters of the Gulf of Mexico in order to collect information about the oil plume.