Periodic Reporting for period 1 - GROOM II (Gliders for Research, Ocean Observations and Management: Infrastructure and Innovation)
Periodo di rendicontazione: 2020-10-01 al 2022-03-31
Developed in the 1980s and 1990s, when ocean observation relied mainly on expensive and punctual expeditions using research vessels, underwater gliders were designed to be small, intelligent, mobile and affordable. Nowadays, the platforms are routinely operated for most environmental observations, marine research and activities supporting the blue economy.
More recently, autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) have started to boom and complement AUVs with surface measurements. ASV and AUV are one same group, the so-called Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS). They can go places the research vessels can’t access, like under the ice or through storms. Hence, its data improves hurricane forecast and has led to major results in weather forecasting, climatology and ocean state estimates.
GROOM RI will be a positive step against today’s fragmented European landscape, aiding connections and synergies for the completion of the GOOS and EOOS. Ocean observation data is also useful to a wide variety of stakeholders such as fisheries, pollution agencies, search and rescue, industrials etc. Services have already been developed and demonstrated. GROOM II addresses this issue and explores new applications of MAS.
The three core objectives of GROOM II are:
1. The full detailed design of the GROOM RI for a possible integration into the ESFRI roadmap after 2021 and implementation. Governance and funding schemes will be formally designed. The integration of the GROOM RI in the landscape of European MRIs and its interaction with similar systems servicing the GOOS (USA, Australia …) will be formally established.
2. To demonstrate the added value of the GROOM RI for research, ocean observing, innovation and the blue economy in Europe by providing services to both public and private sectors.
3. To disseminate results, ensure their exploitation by stakeholders for decision making and ensure support for the implementation of the GROOM RI.
GROOM RI Vision: Be the European Research Infrastructure harnessing the advantages of Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS) to provide high-quality ocean observation data and services for the benefit of society, enabling scientific excellence and moving towards net-zero activities.
GROOM RI Mission: This European Research Infrastructure integrates national infrastructures for MAS to provide access to platforms and services to the broadest range of scientific and industrial users, as well as other ocean observing RIs. It maintains a unique centralised provision of cyber-infrastructure, data and knowledge for the optimised use of MAS to study climate and marine environments, and to support operational services and the blue economy.
More recently, autonomous surface vehicles (ASV) have started to boom and complement AUVs with surface measurements. ASV and AUV are one same group, the so-called Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS). They can go places the research vessels can’t access, like under the ice or through storms. Hence, its data improves hurricane forecast and has led to major results in weather forecasting, climatology and ocean state estimates.
GROOM RI will be a positive step against today’s fragmented European landscape, aiding connections and synergies for the completion of the GOOS and EOOS. Ocean observation data is also useful to a wide variety of stakeholders such as fisheries, pollution agencies, search and rescue, industrials etc. Services have already been developed and demonstrated. GROOM II addresses this issue and explores new applications of MAS.
The three core objectives of GROOM II are:
1. The full detailed design of the GROOM RI for a possible integration into the ESFRI roadmap after 2021 and implementation. Governance and funding schemes will be formally designed. The integration of the GROOM RI in the landscape of European MRIs and its interaction with similar systems servicing the GOOS (USA, Australia …) will be formally established.
2. To demonstrate the added value of the GROOM RI for research, ocean observing, innovation and the blue economy in Europe by providing services to both public and private sectors.
3. To disseminate results, ensure their exploitation by stakeholders for decision making and ensure support for the implementation of the GROOM RI.
GROOM RI Vision: Be the European Research Infrastructure harnessing the advantages of Marine Autonomous Systems (MAS) to provide high-quality ocean observation data and services for the benefit of society, enabling scientific excellence and moving towards net-zero activities.
GROOM RI Mission: This European Research Infrastructure integrates national infrastructures for MAS to provide access to platforms and services to the broadest range of scientific and industrial users, as well as other ocean observing RIs. It maintains a unique centralised provision of cyber-infrastructure, data and knowledge for the optimised use of MAS to study climate and marine environments, and to support operational services and the blue economy.
The future RI will be part of an already existing Marine Infrastructure landscape and the objective is to fill the gaps and avoid duplication. After an extensive review of that landscape, effort has been made to assess where GROOM RI would be most beneficial and efficient. To this intent GROOM II initiated cooperation with other MRI-related projects for the general purpose of:
Sharing experiences and best practices on data interoperability and metadata standardization
Improving access to MAS for research and innovation purposes
Developing MAS calibration and operational services for both Parties’ members and users
Organising joint training activities based on the common requirements of the members and users of both Parties.
To engage industrial users and create synergies, the Industry Advisory Group for Marine Autonomous Systems (IAG-MAS) has been set up. IAG-MAS brings together leaders from over 20 organizations that specialize in manufacturing marine autonomous platforms and marine sensors as well as maritime service providers. The IAG-MAS provides support regarding the existing and/or new services to be delivered through the RI. This group discusses what are the needs that GROOM RI could fill and how could RIs and industry merge and collaborate.
GROOM II community is also developing a set of Use Cases to better understand how to link the services, the strengths of a distributed RI and the capacities of different nodes and partners. Each Use Case explains a specific capacity of the RI and corresponds to the external services that GROOM RI will provide.
In addition to the above, internal work consisted in developing the structure of the future distributed RI, meaning that a ‘central hub’ will coordinate the ‘nodes’, which are planned to be (at the beginning) the current partners of the group. The first exhaustive mapping of all the resources available in Europe is in progress and will allow to develop a coherent structure for the future RI.
The GROOM RI will provide services to the European Marine community. The access will mostly be virtual / remote as they are e-infrastructure services, but some physical access may be required e.g. for integration of sensors, access to deployment locations, deployment of vehicles from user vessels etc.
Simultaneously, technical work for the efficient use of MAS has been initiated. GROOM RI is elaborating standard operation protocols and best practices, developing new tools and fostering technology development, to improve MAS use and data quality. Partners of the project have gained strong expertise in the field and have joined in the project to share their methods to harmonize MAS operations in Europe.
Sharing experiences and best practices on data interoperability and metadata standardization
Improving access to MAS for research and innovation purposes
Developing MAS calibration and operational services for both Parties’ members and users
Organising joint training activities based on the common requirements of the members and users of both Parties.
To engage industrial users and create synergies, the Industry Advisory Group for Marine Autonomous Systems (IAG-MAS) has been set up. IAG-MAS brings together leaders from over 20 organizations that specialize in manufacturing marine autonomous platforms and marine sensors as well as maritime service providers. The IAG-MAS provides support regarding the existing and/or new services to be delivered through the RI. This group discusses what are the needs that GROOM RI could fill and how could RIs and industry merge and collaborate.
GROOM II community is also developing a set of Use Cases to better understand how to link the services, the strengths of a distributed RI and the capacities of different nodes and partners. Each Use Case explains a specific capacity of the RI and corresponds to the external services that GROOM RI will provide.
In addition to the above, internal work consisted in developing the structure of the future distributed RI, meaning that a ‘central hub’ will coordinate the ‘nodes’, which are planned to be (at the beginning) the current partners of the group. The first exhaustive mapping of all the resources available in Europe is in progress and will allow to develop a coherent structure for the future RI.
The GROOM RI will provide services to the European Marine community. The access will mostly be virtual / remote as they are e-infrastructure services, but some physical access may be required e.g. for integration of sensors, access to deployment locations, deployment of vehicles from user vessels etc.
Simultaneously, technical work for the efficient use of MAS has been initiated. GROOM RI is elaborating standard operation protocols and best practices, developing new tools and fostering technology development, to improve MAS use and data quality. Partners of the project have gained strong expertise in the field and have joined in the project to share their methods to harmonize MAS operations in Europe.
GROOM II is providing to the funding bodies and decision makers, through active dissemination and outreach efforts, an extensive description of a long-term vision of the funding required to build, operate, adapt and sustain the GROOM RI with the new generation of marine robots. This strategy aims at building one RI that could be integrated in the European MRI landscape and would benefit all maritime European regions for their environmental and blue growth policies.
By developing solutions to increase the glider deployment capacities, GROOM II partners will be able to provide data that will break down present barriers in marine environment observation. This concerns better monitoring for EU climate goals and Good Environmental Status (GES) as well as emergency responses to disasters (e.g. oil spills hazards like “Deepwater Horizon”, Harmful Algal Blooms).
GROOM II will develop an inclusive approach with non-EU countries, in particular in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and the West African areas. For the Mediterranean Sea, this is important for the development of an integrated ocean observing system but also for assessing the GES which is the aim of the MSFD for the MS and of the Ecological Approach, promoted with the non-EU countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea by the Mediterranean Action Plan.
The autonomous technology deployed by GROOM RI will provide services that require less personnel at sea and less time working in high-risk environments. It also diminishes marine observation pollution and carbon emission.
Finally, GROOM II will carry out outreach activities targeted to different stakeholders (decision-makers, general public, etc) that will increase the general understanding of the importance the oceans have for the sake of mankind. Development of improved data and metadata access will make the GROOM RI contribution to data collection and integration for specific ocean products visible to the public and other stakeholders alike.
By developing solutions to increase the glider deployment capacities, GROOM II partners will be able to provide data that will break down present barriers in marine environment observation. This concerns better monitoring for EU climate goals and Good Environmental Status (GES) as well as emergency responses to disasters (e.g. oil spills hazards like “Deepwater Horizon”, Harmful Algal Blooms).
GROOM II will develop an inclusive approach with non-EU countries, in particular in the Mediterranean, Black Sea and the West African areas. For the Mediterranean Sea, this is important for the development of an integrated ocean observing system but also for assessing the GES which is the aim of the MSFD for the MS and of the Ecological Approach, promoted with the non-EU countries bordering the Mediterranean Sea by the Mediterranean Action Plan.
The autonomous technology deployed by GROOM RI will provide services that require less personnel at sea and less time working in high-risk environments. It also diminishes marine observation pollution and carbon emission.
Finally, GROOM II will carry out outreach activities targeted to different stakeholders (decision-makers, general public, etc) that will increase the general understanding of the importance the oceans have for the sake of mankind. Development of improved data and metadata access will make the GROOM RI contribution to data collection and integration for specific ocean products visible to the public and other stakeholders alike.