d. Conduct proof-of-concept pilot projects to deliver real-time data on 

 water level to CESWG offices. 



e. Make recommendations on alternatives for establishing local 

 project navigation datums that may not be related to the phase of 

 the tide, related to mllw or appropriate chart datum, for CESWG 

 use. 



f. Document results in a report. 



The needs assessment encompassed numerous tasks, including: 

 coordination and information gathering with CESWG; inventory of 

 existing CESWG tide staffs; assessment of the need for gauges according 

 to present and possible future activities of the District, leading to develop- 

 ment of a preliminary design plan and evaluation of alternatives; 

 reconnaissance of existing and potential sites for water-level gauges; 

 development of recommendations for water-level measurement and 

 communications hardware; and general guidance on time and costs for 

 implementing the recommended plan. 



Scope of this Report 



Chapter 1 of this report contains the background and objectives of the 

 study. Water-level definitions and the character of the tide along the coast 

 of Texas are discussed in Chapter 2, which includes concepts and 

 nomenclature used throughout the report. Present water-level measure- 

 ments available along the coast of Texas are given in Chapter 3. Chapter 4 

 describes communications alternatives for supplying real-time, voice- 

 reported, and archived data to the CESWG. Chapter 5 describes the 

 preliminary design of a water-level network aimed to provide real-time 

 data to the District, as well as to give general access to the database. 

 Chapter 6 contains a summary with main conclusions and 

 recommendations. Appendices contain listings of detailed information 

 developed in this needs assessment. 



Chapter 1 Introduction 



