Continued Development of the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System

The overarching goal of this project is to build a robust, user-driven, sustained, operational Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System (GCOOS). The specific goals of this project are to maintain the existing GCOOS capabilities and, as funding allows, to augment the existing observations to fill gaps and provide enhanced products and services. GCOOS capabilities include components to integrate data sets from diverse providers; assure consistency, quality, and accuracy of the data; create new products needed by users; and provide in a timely and efficient manner the data, products, and services needed by decision-makers, diverse stakeholders, and the public. Physical, meteorological, biogeochemical, and bathymetrical data are major components of the data system.