Project Deliverable D50 Report on Best Practices ... - ESONET NoE

2 Introduction
Background:
Within the ESONET NoE project all major European research groups and manufacturers being
engaged in long-term, deep-sea observations came together to plan for and promote ocean
observatories, and to investigate related scientific and technical topics. The series of best practices
workshops within ESONET are the forum to present the state of the art in the technical field and to set
up links to and get groups from observatory initiatives in other countries outside Europe engaged in
the discussions.
Ocean observatories are new types of infrastructure that are capable of providing long-term, highresolution
observations of critical environmental parameters. Although a number of basic instruments
are ready for long-term deployment, other important parameters cannot be measured over long time
periods with adequate accuracy. This has to do with the fact that not enough experience with
according instruments or components and particular technical limitations exist. Deployment of
infrastructure for long-term deployment requires specific cares.
The potential scope of instrumentation needs and readiness for ocean observing is very broad, beyond
what could be covered in a single workshop. Therefore the ESONET Best Practices Workshop will
focus on the most pressing issues where by bringing according experts together an accelerated
information exchange process shall be generated.
Workshop topics:
In particular the following aspects shall be addressed:
o Learning from templates where instruments have been well investigated
o Learning from particular instrument issues with certain parameters
o Harmonizing procedures of handling instruments
o Addressing platform specific issues and related intervention procedures
o Establish quality assurance and standardization procedures
o Identify future sensor development needs
One of the aims of ESONET is to define a label that can be assigned to instruments and procedures to
assure compliance with the developed requirements of long-term observation systems. The Best
Practices Workshop #2 will contribute to this discussion. Within nine working groups few selected
presentations will stimulate discussions on according topics. Case studies will help to demonstrate the
developed procedures. The outcome of the workshop will consist of reports that describe
recommendations for the according field.
3 Organization
The workshop was organized immediately after the All Regions workshop #2 (5-6-7 October in Paris).
It was convened in Brest at IFREMER campus on October 8 th and 9 th 2009.
The plenary sessions were targeted on a presentation of the status of ESONET NoE and its
Demonstration missions (Roland Person), an introduction and presentation of Best Practices workshop
#1 in Bremen (Christoph Waldmann). The three groups (Generic Instrumentation, Infrastructure and
Standardisation and interoperability) were presented (see the agenda in Annex A).
Most presentations are available with videos on the ESONET website http://www.esonetnoe.org/news_and_events/esonet_workshops_and_meetings/2009_11_20_best_practices_2_oral_prese
ntations.
70 persons from 11 European countries and USA attended the workshop (see Annex B).
<strong>Deliverable</strong> #50 - update October 2010 6