191 



The Technology for NEMPS 



In recent j-ears, sipniKcant advances have 

 been made in data collection' devices and 

 their associated platforms. Operational ap- 

 plication of these advances and of technology 

 now under development promises dramatic 

 improvements in our ability to observe the 

 total environment and to process and trans- 

 mit the resulting data. Extrapolations of 

 present technology make it appear feasible 

 that the future environment monitoring and 

 prediction system will provide automatic 

 processing of data communicated from over 

 the entire globe in real-time. Some environ- 

 mental sensors would be in nearly continuous 

 operation, permitting computer systems to 

 operate in a continuously updating mode. At 

 regidar intervals the system would produce 

 required forecast charts and other processed 

 data which would be disseminated to users. 



Although one cannot stipulate yet the 

 complete and detailed composition of the 

 anticipated system, the key elements will in- 

 volve buoys, satellites, aircraft, computers, 

 and high speed communications. 



Buoys 



Although buoys have been used widely in 

 research and survey work, they do not yet 

 possess the reliability and service character- 

 istics required of operational buoys. Expe- 

 rience has demonstrated that further test and 

 evaluation are needed to assure reliable trans- 

 mission of the data and that extensive efforts 

 still are required in the development of re- 

 liable anchors, moorings, power supplies, and 

 hulls. Buoy instruments to sense pressure, 

 temperature, salinity, sound velocity, current 

 speed, and direction now are available. Op- 

 erational buoys also can provide platforms 

 for sensors to collect biological and chemical 

 data at very small additional expense. 



It is possible also to use drifting buoys 

 and balloons to collect data to be relayed via 



satellite to central collection points. How- 

 ever, a number of problems still must be 

 overcome to assure system reliability. Im- 

 proved estimates are needed for the number 

 of free-floating buoys and balloons required 

 to obtain worldwide observations of sufficient 

 density. 



After examining the many fragmented 

 ocean data buoy programs being conducted 

 by the Federal Government, the National 

 Council on Marine Resources and Engineer- 

 ing Development secured the initiation of 

 the National Data Buoy System program 

 under the leadership of the U.S. Coast 

 Guard. 



The deployment of. an operational coastal 

 and deep ocean system of moored buoys 

 has been estimated to cost between $200 and 

 $500 million, plus $15 to $45 million an- 

 nually for systems operation. To design an 

 efficient system will necessitate extensive re- 

 search, development, test, and evaluation. 

 A decision was reached by the Marine Coun- 

 cil that the system's potential warranted 

 preliminary development. A $5 million 

 budget to initiate such development was 

 requested for FY 1969 by the Coast 

 Guard, but action on the request was de- 

 ferred by the Congress pending a better un- 

 derstanding of its relationship to the U.S. 

 Coast Guard's mission and other elements of 

 a national monitoring and prediction system. 



The Commission concludes that the inves- 

 tigation of buoy technology should be 

 strongly supported. The objective should be 

 to deploy a pilot network in a limited section 

 of the sea by 1975. The development and test 

 of such a pilot network should draw upon the 

 skills of industry and the universities as well 

 as the responsible Federal agencies. There- 

 fore it might be appropriately designated 

 and managed as a National Project. Several 

 buoy configurations might be included 

 within the network in order to test alternative 



