AUTHOR=Pinardi Nadia , Stander Johan , Legler David M. , O'Brien Kevin , Boyer Tim , Cuff Tom , Bahurel Pierre , Belbeoch Mathieu , Belov Sergey , Brunner Shelby , Burger Eugene , Carval Thierry , Chang-Seng Denis , Charpentier Etienne , Ciliberti S. , Coppini Giovanni , Fischer Albert , Freeman Eric , Gallage Champika , Garcia Hernan , Gates Lydia , Gong Zhiqiang , Hermes Juliet , Heslop Emma , Grimes Sarah , Hill Katherine , Horsburgh Kevin , Iona Athanasia , Mancini Sebastien , Moodie Neal , Ouellet Mathieu , Pissierssens Peter , Poli Paul , Proctor Roger , Smith Neville , Sun Charles , Swail Val , Turton Jonathan , Xinyang Yue TITLE=The Joint IOC (of UNESCO) and WMO Collaborative Effort for Met-Ocean Services JOURNAL=Frontiers in Marine Science VOLUME=6 YEAR=2019 URL=https://www.frontiersin.org/journals/marine-science/articles/10.3389/fmars.2019.00410 DOI=10.3389/fmars.2019.00410 ISSN=2296-7745 ABSTRACT=

The WMO-IOC Joint Technical Commission for Oceanography and Marine Meteorology (JCOMM) has devised a coordination mechanism for the fit-for-purpose delivery of an end-to-end system, from ocean observations to met-ocean operational services. This paper offers a complete overview of the activities carried out by JCOMM and the status of the achievements up to 2018. The JCOMM stakeholders consist of the research and operational institutions of WMO members and the IOC member states, which mandated JCOMM to devise an international strategy to move toward the achievement of the United Nations Sustainable Development Goals. The three areas of activity are the Observation Program Area (OPA), the Data Management Program Area (DMPA) and the Services and Forecasting Services Program Area (SFSPA), and several expert teams have been established to contribute to the international coordination efforts. OPA is organized into observing networks connected by different observing technologies, DMPA organizes the overall near-real time and delayed mode data assembly, and the delivery methodology and architecture, and the SFSPA coordinates the met-ocean services resulting from the observations and data management. Future developments should enhance coordination in these three program areas by considering the inclusion of new and emergent observing technologies, the interoperability of met-ocean data assembly centers and the establishment of efficient research to operations protocols, in addition to better fit-for-purpose customized services in both the public and private sectors.