At the POGO-6 meeting, the members recognised the need to improve
on information sharing on pre-planned, planned, current and past
cruises and related databases to enhance awareness of opportunities,
to improve cost-effectiveness of cruises and to improve data mining.
With respect to cruise planning and information sharing, it was
recognised that the following steps had to be undertaken to improve
cruise efficiency:
• Identify features needed in an ideal database of research
cruises
• Determine how well existing databases fit the ideal, and
how they would need to be changed to meet the needs of scientists
• Estimate the cost of modifying an existing database or creating
a new one
• Request support from appropriate agencies to augment an
existing database
• Work with existing efforts in the area, rather than re-invent
the wheel.
At a meeting sponsored by the Scientific Committee on Oceanic Research
(SCOR) in September 2004, representatives of international marine
research projects concluded that major benefits would be available
to the research projects if a database of research cruises were
available to them. The meeting recommended that SCOR investigate
the available options.
Since the POGO and SCOR activities had the same goals, POGO suggested
that a working group consisting of Marieke Rietveld (POGO, Royal
NIOZ, Netherlands), Douglas White (U. Delaware), Ed Urban (SCOR),
and Shubha Sathyendranath (POGO) investigate ways and means to implement
these improvements. It was also suggested that Laurent D’Ozouville
(Euroceans) and someone from IOC dealing with the VOS system be
included in this working group, if possible. Time frame for the
operations of this group is 1 year, and the group is to report on
action and recommendations at POGO-7. Mike Johnson (NOAA) has also
been included in these discussions. The group has initiated discussions
by e-mail, and Marieke Rietveld, Jan de Leeuw and Shubha Sathyendranath
also met in NIOZ on the occasion of the N&I Planning Meeting,
to discuss possible actions.
The present situation is that the University of Delaware already
maintains a site that provides cruise information (past, present
and future). Ideally, one would build on this, rather than start
a new process.
The following issues have been identified:
(1) the financial support that UofD was getting has not been renewed;
so there is a need to identify a new source of funding. Doug White,
who is in charge of this site, has been requested to make a proposal
identifying the additional funding required for maintaining and
improving the site.
(2) The site as it exists, is not very user friendly, and there
is a need to improve on the user interface. Doug White has reported
that he has already started working on improving the site.
(3) The third and major problem remains the lack of information
flow from ship operators and research projects to the University
of Delaware. Without adequate information, the usefulness of the
site would be limited. This is an area where POGO members can play
a major role in ensuring that information on past and future cruises
can be provided to the web manager, for periodic and timely updates.
(4) It has also been brought to the attention of the working group
that some organisations are reluctant to provide information on
future cruises to a public domain, because of security concerns.
Ways to address this problem that are being discussed include password
protecting the site (not an attractive solution to those who would
like to see free and easy flow of information among scientists),
and degrading the information on location and time sufficiently
to satisfy security concerns. Once a firm proposal is received from
the University of Delaware, and a clear idea of the funding requirements
emerge, POGO will work with partners to identify funding sources.
1. Airports: Dulles International is the most convenient international
hub -- it is about 45 minutes by taxi, shuttle, or rental car. Baltimore
Washington International is also about 45 minutes to Silver Spring
in good traffic. It sometimes has better air fair prices than Dulles.
The traffic is worse. Reagan National Airport has access to Silver
Spring via the Metro. Minimal international flights.
2. Hotels: In Silver Spring there are three hotels within walking
distance to the workshop site:
Holiday Inn (8777 Georgia Avenue +1-301-589-0800; http://www.ichotelsgroup.com/)
Hilton Hotel (8727 Colesville Road, +1-301-589-5200; http://www.hilton.com/)
Marriott Hotel (8506 Fenton Street, +1-301-589-4899; http://www.marriott.com/)
These three are listed in the order of their rates, low to high.
The Holiday Inn is inexpensive and it is okay, nothing fancy; longest
walk. The Marriott is brand new but quite expensive; shortest walk.
Hilton is in the middle.
If anyone wishes to see Washington D.C. while they are here, we
usually recommend the Hotel Washington which is a historic hotel,
quite nice, convenient to the monuments, and reasonably priced.
It is a 20 minute ride on the Metro from Silver Spring. About the
same distance from the airports.
