Private Sector Involvement in the Southeast and Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing Systems

Mark E. LutherCollege of Marine ScienceUniversity of South Florida

AndMarine Science Associates, Inc.

AAPA IOOS-Industry MeetingJuly 30, 2004

Tampa Bay PORTSPhysical Oceanographic Real-Time System

Operated in collaboration with NOAA/NOS/Center for Operational Ocean Products and Services (CO-OPS) and local maritime interestsFunding for operations from State and County trust funds and local users

www.co-ops.nos.noaa.gov/or

ompl.marine.usf.edu/PORTS

Tampa Bay PORTS operated by Not-for-Profit Corporation through cooperative agreements with NOAA/NOS and USF Marine Science, with private contractors to provide day-to-day operations

CEO and Chairman: Steve Fidler, Director of Operations, Tampa Port Authority

CFO: Jeff Buck, formerly General Manager, Tampa Bay Pilots

COO: Mark Luther, Marine Science Associates, Inc. and USF

Board of Directors: Gray Gordon (Cargill Crop Nutrition), Paul MacDonald (Progress Energy), Adm. Bill Merlin (TB Harbor Safety and Security Committee), Capt. Mike Buffington (Tampa Bay Pilots)

Pilot Carry-on Units Display Real-Time PORTS Data aboard ships as part of an operational Vessel Traffic Information System (VTIS)

Since PORTS became operational in 1992, ship groundings have decreased by 60%

Optimization of ship loading increases revenue by $60K to $250K per foot of draft

TB-PORTS is a building block of both the Southeast Atlantic Coastal Ocean Observing System (SEACOOS) and the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS).

SEACOOS and GCOOS are actively partnered with SeaGrant Extension Network to engage private sector collaborators/partners in both regions

SEACOOS

IOOS-Industry Workshop – March 2004, HoustonPrivate Sector Companies Represented

• Aanderaa Instruments, Inc.• American Petroleum Institute• Applied Science Associates, Inc.• ASRC Communications• Benthos• Boeing Company• BP America Inc.• CatSat• ChevronTexaco Exploration• Coastal Operations Institute• CODAR Ocean Sensors• DHI• Evans Hamilton, Inc.• Ocean Numerics• Ocean Specialists Services• OceanWorks International, Inc.• ORBIMAGE• RD Instruments• Roffer's Ocean Fishing Forecasting Service, Inc.• Science Applications International Corporation• SeaSpace• Shell Global Solutions U.S.

• ExxonMobil Upstream Research Company• Fugro GEOS Limited• Global Marine Systems, Ltd.• Harris Corporation• Horizon Marine• Intec Engineerings Inc.• International SeaKeepers Society• J. Ray McDermott, S.A.• Marathon Oil Co.• National Ocean Industries Association• Northrup Grumman• Ocean Design, Inc.• Ocean Innovative Systems Inc.• Sonardyne, Inc.• Teekay Shipping Canada Ltd.• The Boeing Company• The Weather Channel• Weather Research Center• Weatherflow, Inc.• Weathernews Oceanroutes• WET Labs, Inc.• Wilkens Weather Technologies L.P.• Woods Hole Group Inc.

Uses/Users of PORTS InformationSafe and Efficient Navigation/Tampa Bay Pilots,

Tampa Port Authority, Shipping Agents, USCGHazardous Material Spill Response/FDEP,

NOAA-HAZMAT, USCG, Private SectorEnvironmental Protection&Management/FDEP,

FWC, EPCHC, Dept. of HealthStorm Surge Prediction&Mitigation/County

Emergency Managers, FDEMRed Tide Studies&Prediction/FWC, FDEPFisheries Management/FWC, NMFSSediment Transport Studies & Mitigation/USGS,

FDEP, USACOE

+ Piney Point Phosphate Plant

Model is used by Pinellas County Department of Health to predict trajectories of accidental sewage spills and to predict transport and fate of discharge from an abandoned phosphate processing facility for Fl. Dept. of Environmental Protection

Real-time observations are combined with a model of currents and water level to provide a predictive capability for storm surge, search and rescue, or hazardous material spills

Sewage Spill Trajectory

Phosphate Discharge Trajectory

August 1993 Oil Spill

Goal of PORTS and VTIS is to prevent this

PORTS data and early version of model successfully used to predict spill trajectory

What opportunities does the IOOSoffer the private sector?

• The commercial opportunities:– The enhancement and/or development of commercial value added data

products and tools– Data to support model development and validation– Equipment and instrumentation sales– Management of systems including deployment and maintenance support– Data processing, management, dissemination and archiving– Software development and sales– Engineering (design and fabrication)– Communication system– The potential for business growth, increased sales volumes, and long term

market stability

Market entry opportunities for organizations not previously involved

What opportunities does the IOOSoffer the private sector?

• The industry opportunities:– Data to support business planning– Increased operational efficiency– More effective design of offshore platforms, pipelines, and risers– Data to support crisis management, response planning, and compliance with

federal regulations– Partnering with academic and governmental organizations for research and

development– Additional research, e.g., larval movement (shrimp), identification of

hypoxic areas and toxic algae blooms (Fisheries)

• IOOS opportunities– Providing data– Providing data products