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Part III. Appendix 4: User Outreach2. Recreational Boating—Huge user group in Florida and in the Gulf of Maine, as examples—Recreationalboaters are interested in general availability of current information, waterlevel, winds, temperature, and salinity for a variety of different reasons related to port operations.They use all of the data they can get their hands on. Competitive sailors use wind andcurrent information to determine tactics during races. Fishermen use wind, current, water level,and wave information to determine the best fishing spots or even whether to go fishing. In termsof number of hits or calls to the Tampa Bay PORTS, this is the largest user group.3. Real-time open-ocean meteorological and oceanic buoy data coveragefor safe operations—Coastal waters in the Gulf of Maine require pilots to maneuver tankersand merchant ships over tracks of hundreds of kilometers of open-ocean conditions. Pilotsneed real-time buoy data because ocean and weather conditions vary rapidly on scales that remainunmeasured by the NDBC network of buoys and C-MAN stations. They use the data fortrip planning and performing safe operations at sea. Existing NDBC buoys are too distantlyseparated, and C-MAN stations don’t provide waves. These users have grown dependent on theenhanced spatial and temporal coverage provided by GoMOOS buoys.4. Commercial fishing and trip planning—Anecdotal information from fishermen ofvarious types in the Gulf of Maine (e.g., scallopers, ground fishermen, lobstermen) indicatesthat many mariners either don’t believe or don’t trust weather forecasts, and they use the last 12hours of real-time data (whenever available) to determine their ability to go to sea. User testimonyindicates that the enhanced coverage of GoMOOS buoys allows fishermen to determine thelocation of weather fronts and whether it makes economic sense to go to sea on any particularday.5. Real-time measurements of fog for trip planning for large and small vessels—GoMOOSprovides visibility measurements from its buoys. Mariners of various typeshave reported that the visibility measurements are accurate and helpful for planning a varietyof sea-going activities. USCG representatives have indicated that fog data can influence SAR response(e.g., aircraft and sea-going vessel needs), but we’re not aware that USCG in the Gulf ofMaine is actually using the visibility data in this manner right now.6. Commercial and Recreational Fishing and Sea-Surface Temperature—Tunafishermen, for example, are knowledgeable about the relationships among ocean temperature,productivity, and fish location. They use AVHRR data and estimates of front location to plantrips, and desire access to more and higher-resolution data. Such data products underlie thebusiness model for some private companies, and there has even been objection and legal actionto prevent federally funded groups from providing this information for free.229