Reporting on XBT deployments within JCOMMOPS Hester Viola

Reporting on XBT deployments within JCOMMOPS Hester Viola. Technical Coordinator of the Ship Observations Team. viola@jcommops. org

Outline • Introduction to JCOMMOPS • JCOMMOPS Monthly maps on XBT drops (on the GTS) • SOOP Annual report and maps • Metadata collected about XBT deployments – Format used by operators to report metadata to JCOMMOPS • Assessment of sampling success for recent years • Conclusions and points to consider 2

JCOMMOPS • “Operational Platform Support Centre” for the Observations Programme Area of the Joint WMO-IOC Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology - JCOMM • JCOMMOPS provides coordination at the international level for oceanographic and marine observations from drifting buoys, moored buoys, ships of opportunity and sub-surface profiling floats. – Argo sub surface floats. (Technical coordinator Mathieu Belbeoch) – Data Buoy Cooperation Panel. (Technical coordinator Hester Viola) – Ship Observations Team - SOOP and VOS (Technical coordinator Hester Viola) 3

Aims of JCOMMOPS • More specifically JCOMMOPS is a component of the international coordination mechanism, which aims on behalf of JCOMM to: – Act as a clearing house and focal point on all aspects of observing platform implementation and operation. – assist in the planning, implementation and operations of the observing systems – monitor and evaluate the performance of the observing networks – encourage cooperation between communities and member states – encourage data sharing – assist in data distribution on Internet and GTS – relay users feedback on data quality to platforms operators – provide technical assistance and user support – develop synergies between observing systems. • More general information on http: //www. jcommops. org 4

Monthly GTS status maps • JCOMMOPS provides an international status for all of its observing platforms, each month in a map. • Many groups also prepare monthly reports on XBT drops e. g. AOML USA, OSMC USA, MEDS Canada, Coriolis France. http: //www. jcommops. org/FTPRoot/SOT/SOOP/Maps/2008/ (maps in high resolution) 5

Interactive monthly GTS status map http: //w 4. jcommops. org/Web. Site/SOOPM (monthly dynamic map for GTS data) 6

SOOP Annual Report • JCOMMOPS stores SOOP metadata and reports annually on the sampling success for each line. • The metadatabase can be browsed on the JCOMMOPS website, providing in-depth analyses, on-demand, to those who require it via: http: //wo. jcommops. org/cgi-bin/Web. Objects/SOOPIndicators • From this database a document is produced annually which includes information about the success and summaries for all lines, plus other analysis products produced internationally. • For more information see: http: //www. jcommops. org/soop_report. html 7

SOOP Annual Report Map • Maps are included in the annual report document and available online. • Interactive Map contains: -Annual Sampling success - Data disseminated on the GTS - Drops by operator To view the interactive map, see : http: //w 4. jcommops. org/Web. Site/SOOP 8

Metadata files and SOOP database • Mandatory metadata collected from operators as comma delimited text files (since 2000) and available now (up until end of 2007 for most operators) at JCOMMOPS: – Line number (e. g. AX 01 or IX 10) – Cruise ID (operator builds this ID, should be unique for any SOOP cruise, e. g. CSIRO 1999 S 6 FK 01) – Transect number (integer, assigned by the operator, incremented for each new transect between ports). – Date (YYYYMMDD), Time (HHMM) – Ship's call sign – Latitude (decimal degrees, N>0, S<0), Longitude (decimal degrees, E>0, W<0) – Operator (e. g. SIO, BSH, SEAS, IRD_BREST, IRD_NOUMEA, JMA, BOM etc) – Name of real time telecommunications system (e. g. Argos, Inmarsat. . ) – Instrument type (WMO Common Code Table C 3, see Annex C) – Recorder type (WMO Common Code Table C 4, see Annex C) – Fall rate equation coefficients, coefficient a, Fall rate equation coefficients, coefficient b – Software version description 9

Metadata files and SOOP database • Optional metadata fields collected (since 2000) and available now (up until end of 2007 for most operators): – – – – – Drop number (as counted by the operator) Unique tag Probe batch date (date of manufacture, YYYYMMDD) Argos number (if any) Quality of profile (GOOD/BAD/DUBIOUS) Ship name (delimited with quotes "") End points (within quotes, syntax: "start point - end point“) Programme name (National programme in which this drop belongs) Total depth of profile (m) Comment (string, free format delimited with quotes "") • Instructions on the format to use are on: http: //www. jcommops. org/doc/metadata/submission_format. html (This includes information about the metadata that were collected prior to 2000) 10

Metadata reported annually by operators. • XBT Drops 2003 -2007 11

2005 and 2006 sampling success • 2006 had the least drops for 5 years. • For a total of 45 FRX and HDX UOT lines (some of them operated in both modes) we had the following summarised results for the two years: 12

Conclusion • Things to consider during this workshop: – Metadata storage and provision – is the metadata useful and who uses it? – Simplification and automation – Data exchange formats (self describing) – to include more metadata e. g. BUFR for operational flows – New metadata fields e. g. unique transect number, probe serial number… • Future – how can JCOMMOPS assist SOOP operators best? 13