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Part I. Overviewthough documented and well supported, are often not sufficiently interoperable to address this requirement.With the development of GOOS, similar standards issues are also being addressed byJCOMM, the IODE, and the OITP.Defining data standards is a slow and expensive process. Typically a group of technical experts mustmeet repeatedly over a period of years to develop and agree upon a data standard of modest scope.Thus the DMAC development cannot wait upon a systematic redesign of marine data standards,alone, to achieve the required level of interoperability. Rather, the focus of this Plan is on the useof protocols and translators that can achieve an acceptable level of interoperability building uponstandards that exist today. This approach is discussed in greater detail in Part II and in the DataTransport Appendix.Adopting this approach represents a compromise. The level of interoperability that can be achievedamong differing standards is often limited by mismatches in the information content of the standards,or differences in the semantic data models that underlie them. In the long term, achievingthe desired level of data interoperability will require that the community develop and utilize fewerstandards that are of greater breadth.In parallel with building the interoperable Data Communications Infrastructure, this phasedDMAC Implementation Plan recommends that DMAC begin work to foster an improved standardsprocess. The DMAC standards process must be open so that it represents community consensus.It must be highly visible so that the standards are broadly used, and it must carry officialstature so that the standards will be respected and used appropriately. It must also build on existingstandards and standards processes whenever possible. To be fully successful, IOOS must foster theadoption of community standards that encompass quality control, scientific analysis, data-set versioning,metadata, products and services, data discovery, network data transport, file formats, anddata archival.USER OUTREACH(see Appendix 4 for complete User Outreach Team Report)The recognition and incorporation of users’ needs is essential to the success of IOOS and all othercomponents of GOOS. This effort extends well beyond the boundaries of the DMAC Subsystem.Indeed, from its inception IOOS is envisioned as an “end-to-end” system tailored to address theneeds of the “end user.” True end users are generally not information technology specialists, butprofessionals who rely on information that has been developed from data by other professionals.Examples of end users include the commercial fishery manager, the oil spill response team leader,the U.S. Coast Guard watch officer, and the harbor master.38