Great Lakes Observing System Hosts Annual Meeting, 2012
Dale Phenicie, GLOS Board Member, presenting on our Enterprise Architecture report.
Attendees enjoyed a beautiful day in Cleveland for GLOS’s annual meeting on March 21 and 22. GLOS’s mission is to connect data users with data providers in ways that support policy and decision making. I saw many examples of this during the annual meeting. Jen Read said it best when she said no longer does she go to meetings and folks ask “What is GLOS?”, but rather say “Can’t GLOS do that for us?”
GLOS has built exceptionally strong partnerships with NOAA’s Great Lakes Environmental Research Laboratory (GLERL), the U.S. Geological Survey (USGS), and the Sea Grant Program. Both sides feel the partnerships, with GLERL representatives Steve Ruberg and David Schwab, USGS’s Norm Grannemann, and Michigan Sea Grant’s Elizabeth LaPorte all briefing on mutual activities. GLERL, under the EPA’s Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, produced the GLOS Enterprise Architecture that charts a clear course for design and implementation of Great Lakes Observing.
This effort bridges GLOS’ blueprint and the GLOS build-out plan. Eric Lindstrom, NASA and co-chair of the Interagency Ocean Observation Committee (IOOC), Zdenka Willis, Director of the U.S. IOOS® Program Office, and Josie Quintrell, Executive Director of the National Federation of Regional Associations (NFRA), formed a panel to present on the certification process. During the panel discussions, the following important reasons for certification emerged:
- affords U.S. IOOS a seamless system between Federal and Regional efforts;
- recognizes a young organization will be around for the long-term, thereby encouraging members; and
- conveys Federal tort liability protection to the Regions.
Maggie Rodgers, Cleveland Water District, Norm Grannemann, USGS, and Jerry Poiel, Ninth Coast Guard District (Cleveland, Ohio)
A user’s panel followed ours, starting with Maggie Rodgers, Water Quality Manager, Cleveland Water District. Rodgers uses GLOS and GLERL data daily for operations, but one use in particular stood out. The water district needs to understand internal waves created after storms that cause hypoxic conditions in the water and require the water district to treat the water differently. Norm Grannemann of USGS followed, discussing GLOS and USGS interactions on the Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS) modeling testbed and its ability to strengthen U.S. and Canada observing ties. Batting cleanup, Jerome Popiel, Ninth U.S. Coast Guard District, spoke on everyday Coast Guard use of the data, from general operations to search and rescue. The USCG expressed the need for a “boatable day” forecast that will allow the Coast Guard to plan resource use more efficiently.
Turning to the successes of GLOS this past year, there are many. In the observing subsystem, Steve Ruberg of GLERL shared a diagram of 17 buoys, 2 AUVs and 2 ships tracks that GLOS and partners leverage to support decision making. And for the first time in 2012, GLOS will deploy a Slocum Glider. The GLOS observation team, with Cooperative Institute for Limnology and Ecosystem Research (CILER) support, has already set up an Observation Community of Practice. This further extends GLOS’ reach to support companies and local communities deploying additional observations.
On data delivery, Tad Slawecki, LimnoTech, Inc., propelled GLOS’ data portal significantly by updating the data catalog, registering GLOS services with the Group on Earth Observations (GEO) data portal, providing new functionality to the Huron-Erie Corridor Waterways Forecast System, and adding new observations to the GLOS Observations Explorer.
On the modeling front, GLOS answered a request to facilitate the Lake Michigan Ecosystem Modeling and Forecasting group. Thanks to the hard work of Sara Maples and Kelli Paige, GLOS Program Coordinators, the modeling group included representatives from each of the relevant State, Federal and Tribal agencies.
Two new GLOS products are imminent. First, in partnership with the Great Lakes Fishery Commission (GLFC), the Great Lakes Acoustic Telemetry Observation System (GLATOS) is scheduled for release in April. Second, in partnership with New York Sea Grant, and the Saint Lawrence River Board of Control, a new St. Lawrence River Boaters product is scheduled for release before the opening of boating season in May.
On the Education front, Elizabeth LaPorte, Communications and Education Service Director, Michigan Sea Grant, discussed Teaching with Great Lakes Data. GLOS supports Teaching with Great Lakes Data, which connects educators and students to data collected throughout the Great Lakes. www.GreatLakesLessons.com provides Great Lakes data sets, an overview of teaching methods, and ready-to-use lessons and activities. All of the materials on the web site are free for use.