Within the Global Monitoring for Environment and Security program (GMES) and its Marine Service Fast Track , the European community consolidates past efforts in pre-operational ocean monitoring and forecasting capacity in Europe developped through precursor European projects as MERSEA, BOSS4GMES, GSE MARCOAST and POLARVIEW.

Today, Ocean Monitoring and Forecasting is a reality. The time has come to consider the consolidation of this capacity and its pre-operational validation. Via MyOcean, we are preparing the transition to a fully operational phase.

The GMES Marine Fast-Track Service chain and its Ocean Monitoring & Forecasting (OMF) component.

MyOcean Objectives & Challenges

1. A USER-DRIVEN SERVICE COMMITTED TO EXCELLENCE

. BENEFITS

MyOcean aims at providing a sustainable service for Ocean Monitoring and Forecasting validated and commissioned by users. The MyOcean information includes observations, analysis, reanalysis and forecasts describing the physical state of the ocean and its primary biogeochemical parameters. It also contributes to research on climate by providing long time-series of reanalysed parameters.

. USERS

MyOcean’s products & services bring added-value to European organisations in charge of Ocean-related issues, public and private organisations within the Member States (Meteorological Agencies, Ocean centres, Environmental Agencies, Research Centres, Navies, Coast guards …), commercial service providers, and intergovernmental bodies in charge of Ocean protection.
When MyOcean Users are themselves service providers (also called “intermediate users”), they deliver a service to end-users and run downstream services in all application areas.

2. A PAN-EUROPEAN ORGANISATION

MyOcean proposes a first model of governance for a Marine Service organisation while also preparing a long-term roadmap. By including major European centres involved in operational ocean monitoring & forecasting, by involving users from day one and by fostering scientific excellence, MyOcean coordinates the effort to avoid duplication through an integrated pan-European capacity for ocean monitoring and forecasting.

3.  AN INTEGRATED EUROPEAN CAPACITY

Up to now, European member states have built their own capacities in operational oceanography, at global or regional scales, but the organisations, processes and levels of operationality vary from one state to another. In that sense, MyOcean has built a “system of systems”. By setting up robust and sustainable production and service infrastructures, MyOcean benefits from economies of scales.

4. MyOCEAN CHALLENGES

To achieve these ambitious objectives, MyOcean adresses the following challenges:

• To avoid resources overlaps.
• To make interoperable European sub-systems.
• To harmonise operational processes and quality standards qualification among production centres.
• To make this organisation reliable, robust, sustainable and compliant with the highest European services.
• To bring value to ocean-related users and marine service providers on duty at regional, national or European levels