Authors
Roger Proctor (University of Tasmania), Florian Goessmann (Australian Research Collaboration Service) and Pauline Mak (Australian Research Collaboration Service).
Abstract
The Integrated Marine Observing System (IMOS, www.imos.org.au), a $150m 7-year project (2007-2013) is a distributed set of equipment and data-information services which, among many applications, collectively contribute to meeting the needs of marine climate research in Australia. The observing system provides data in the open oceans around Australia out to a few thousand kilometres as well as the coastal oceans through 11 facilities which effectively observe and measure the 4-dimensional ocean variability, and the physical and biological response of coastal and shelf seas around Australia
The data, a combination of near real-time and delayed mode, are made available publically through the electronic Marine Information Infrastructure (eMII). eMII utilises the Australian Academic Research Network (AARNET) to deliver a distributed database on the Data Fabric and OPeNDAP/THREDDS servers hosted by the Australian Research Collaboration Service (ARCS) at regional computing centres. IMOS instruments are described through the OGC Specification SensorML and most data is in CF compliant netCDF format. Metadata, conforming to standard ISO 19115, is automatically harvested from the netCDF files and the metadata records catalogued in the OGC GeoNetwork Metadata Entry and Search Tool (MEST, http://imosmest.aodn.org.au). Data discovery, access, download and visualisation occur via web services through the IMOS Ocean Portal (http://imos.aodn.org.au). Tools for the display and integration of near real-time data are in development.
About the speaker
A BSc Honours in Mathematics, followed by a PhD in Physical Oceanography led to a career as a research scientist in the UK with the Natural Environment Research Council. Working at the Proudman Oceanographic Laboratory in Liverpool, Roger's most recent position (2000-2008) was as Programme Leader responsible for ‘Modelling and Observation Systems in Coastal Seas’. This focussed on fusing coupled physical-biochemical modelling systems with real-time data streams.
In July 2008 he upped sticks and moved to the University of Tasmania to become Director of the eMarine Information Infrastructure facility of the Australian Integrated Marine Observing System.