Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC)
The Interagency Ocean Observing Committee (IOOC) is currently managed by the Consortium for Ocean Leadership. More information about the IOOC can be located on the official IOOC website.
IOOS Summit 2012
The IOOC convened the U.S. IOOS Summit on November 13-16, 2012. The Ocean.US Workshop Proceedings in 2002 set the stage for the nation’s first Integrated Ocean Observing System. Ten years later, IOOS has evolved significantly to meet the nation’s ocean observing needs. With the foundation of an integrated system now in place, the ocean observing community can begin developing a comprehensive ocean observing plan that addresses technical, scientific, and management components for the coming decade. The U.S. IOOS Summit Report is posted on the IOOC website at: www.iooc.us/summit.
National Ocean Council (NOC) and The National Ocean Research Leadership Council (NORLC)
While the ICOOS Act officially names the NORLC as the primary body responsible for IOOS policy coordination and oversight, that National Ocean Council is currently carrying out this role through the Deputy-level Committee. The NORLC, or the NOC in this case, is charged with approving and adopting comprehensive IOOS budgets, and ensuring IOOS is well coordinated with other domestic and international earth observing activities like GOOS, the Global Ocean Observing System and GEOSS, the Global Earth Observation System of Systems. In addition, this body is required to promote intramural and extramural research and development, as well as a process to transition developing technology methods into IOOS System operations.
National Oceanographic Partnership Program (NOPP) and the Interagency Working Group on Ocean Partnerships (IWG-OP)
The NOPP is a collaboration of federal agencies working to provide leadership and coordination of national oceanographic research and education initiatives. The IWG-OP provides direction to the NOPP office, and advises and assists the Subcommittee on Ocean Science and Technology (SOST) on matters related to ocean partnership programs, including continuation and expansion of partnership efforts established through the NOPP.
IOOS has consulted regularly with the IWG-OP since 2009 to coordinate planning and interagency contributions to its funding announcements, to advise and co-sponsor community-wide discussions on development of a Marine Biodiversity Observing Network, and to gather input on directions for marine sensor technology developments. In July 2010, NOAA published the first NOPP-IOOS funding announcement, which was viewed by partner agencies as an opportunity to enhance the regional coastal and ocean component of IOOS and to address areas of mutual interest, including evaluation of sensors for monitoring coastal and ocean environments; study of marine animal interactions with offshore renewable energy devices; and improved production, stewardship, and coastal application of sea surface temperature data. (http://www.nopp.org/ and http://www.nopp.org/committees/iwg-op/ )