U.S. Commission on Ocean Policy - Joint Ocean Commission Initiative

Recommendation 26–12The National Ocean Council should oversee coordination of the Integrated Ocean ObservingSystem with other existing and planned terrestrial, watershed, atmospheric, and biologicalobservation and information collection systems, with the ultimate goal of developing anational Earth Observing System.Recommendation 26–13The National Ocean Council (NOC) should promote international coordination and capacitybuilding in the field of global ocean observations.Specifically, the NOC should:• lead the interagency implementation of the 2003 Declaration on Earth Observing.• encourage and support developing nations’ participation in the Global Ocean ObservingSystem.• continue to advocate full, open, and meaningful data access policies and contributetechnological expertise to ensure access by all participants.Chapter 27: Enhancing Ocean Infrastructure and Technology DevelopmentRecommendation 27–1The National Ocean Council (NOC) should develop a national ocean and coastal infrastructureand technology strategy, including detailed plans for funding and implementation, to supportscience, resource management, assessments, enforcement, and education. The strategyshould guide agency plans for facility construction, upgrading, or consolidation and for newtechnology development.In particular, the national strategy should:• be developed through the NOC’s Committee on Ocean Science, Education, Technology,and Operations.• set specific priorities for acquiring and upgrading ocean and coastal infrastructure,including vessels, facilities, instrumentation, and equipment.• build on the existing capabilities of federal, state, academic, and private entities.• identify emerging technologies that should be incorporated into agency operations.• promote international partnerships to deploy and share major oceanographic assets.Recommendation 27–2The National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration should establish an Office ofTechnology Transfer with responsibility for expediting the transition of proven ocean-relatedtechnologies into operational applications. This office should work closely with the NationalScience Foundation, the U.S. Navy, the National Aeronautics and Space Administration, academicinstitutions, regional organizations, and private industry to achieve its mission.Recommendation 27–3The National Ocean Council should undertake an assessment of U.S. ocean and coastalinfrastructure and technology every five years. These assessments should account for all federal,state, academic, and private assets and should be used to create and update a nationalfacilities database.The assessments should build on this <strong>Commission</strong>’s efforts (Appendix 5), including informationon:• the location, ownership, availability, remaining service life, and replacement cost for awide range of ocean infrastructure assets.• maintenance and operational costs associated with these assets.• associated human resource needs.• the outcomes of past federal investments in ocean technology and infrastructure, withrecommendations for improvements.518 A N O CEAN B LUEPRINT FOR THE 21ST C ENTURY