A very active storm season is in full swing in the PacIOOS region. Please be prepared and be safe! In this month of August, PacIOOS has great updates to share -- be sure to scroll down, or visit us
online
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PacIOOS Certified as 'Regional Information Coordination Entity' (RICE)
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| The Voyager Lesson Plan offers fun and engaging activities, using real data layers. |
Fun Classroom Activity Using Voyager
Do you want to spice up your teaching? Are you still looking for a fun and interactive activity for your classroom? Check out the Voyager Lesson Plan and explore real-time, forecast, and historical data on winds, waves, currents, and more. By engaging students with activities relevant to their lives, this lesson plan fosters decision-making and environmental awareness based on real data. PacIOOS Voyager is continuously evolving as new data sets and functionalities are added and updated. Visit Voyager today, and check out data sets that are of interest for you!
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| Families learned about tiger shark tracking in Hawai'i. |
PacIOOS Joins Family Night at the Waikīkī Aquarium
PacIOOS participated in the annual Family Night event at the Waikīkī Aquarium, featuring tiger shark tracks and hand-on activities to teach young and old fun facts about sharks in Hawai'i. "Aqua Explorers" was the theme of the night and families were invited to board the research vehicle Imi loa to study plankton, deploy scientific equipment, and check out exotic animals. Hundreds of families and community members enjoyed the educational booths, activities, and exhibits.
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| PacIOOS serves citizen science data from Maui on Voyager. |
'Non-traditional' Sources of Data
As part of NOAA's Marine Planning Portal Network webinar series, Jim Potemra, PacIOOS' Data Management Lead, presented on the collection, use, and distribution of Citizen Science data.
An example citizen science data set served by PacIOOS is collected by
a trained network of citizen science volunteers on Maui. Water measurements, such as temperature and salinity, are collected periodically at several beaches. The webinar also featured other presenters, including representatives from the New York Department of State, New Jersey National Estuary Program, and the IHO Crowdsources Bathymetry Working Group.
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EPSCoR funding will provide the University of Guam with additional resources to conduct marine research.
Photo Credit: University of Guam. |
$6M Grant Award for University of Guam Marine Research
The National Science Foundation (NSF) has awarded a $6 million grant to the University of Guam (UOG) through its Experimental Program to Stimulate Competitive Research (EPSCoR) program for coastal ecosystems research. The UOG Marine Laboratory will spearhead the EPSCoR project, which will evaluate how marine ecosystems and fragile coral reefs respond and adapt to environmental and climate stressors. Guam will function as a "living laboratory" to investigate the sustainability of marine coastal environments under changing sea levels, sea-surface temperatures, and water quality conditions in the Western Pacific.
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| 1000 participants came together for the 2015 Hawai'i Conservation Conference. Photo Credit: HCA |
Hawai'i Conservation Conference in Hilo
The Hawai'i Conservation Conference was held for the first time at the University of Hawai'i campus in Hilo. Community members and organizations, scientists, resource managers and many others came together to "celebrate collaboration and wisdom across Hawai'i's ecosystems." The new location offered a great opportunity to learn about conservation success and challenges on the island of Hawai'i and other places around the state. The Hawai'i Conservation Alliance and its Foundation coordinated keynotes, forums, general sessions, workshops, poster sessions, community sessions, field trips, and special events for 1000 participants.
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| Coral reef in West Hawai'i.Photo Credit: Danielle Jayewardene |
Job Opportunities with NOAA in the Pacific
Interested to work for NOAA in the Pacific Islands Region? Be sure to note that NOAA's multiple award task order contract vehicle is used to provide a suite of commercial contract services through vendors such as Ocean Associates Institute
, Lynker Technology
, and the Baldwin Group
. Services provided by these vendors to NOAA include employment opportunities such as Biological Technicians, Natural Resource Specialists, Economists, GIS Specialists, and Fisheries Research Scientists. Interested candidates are encouraged to apply for specific positions, and to submit their resume to the vendors for inclusion into the pool of candidates for employment consideration with NOAA as future opportunities arise.
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Check out the new 'Adaptation to sea level rise' video.
Photo Credit: COMET Program/MetEd |
Informing Adaptation to Sea Level Rise
NOAA's National Geodetic Survey released a new video "Geospatial Infrastructure: Informing Adaptation to Sea Level Rise" in cooperation with the COMET® Program, a world leader in education and training for the environmental sciences. The video explains how geospatial information available through NOAA, combined with strategic local investments in infrastructure, can provide communities with the data needed to confidently plan for future sea-level changes.
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Problem Solving All Day Long: Meet Our Technical Soul
Joseph Gilmore, the PacIOOS Systems Management Specialist, has always been fascinated by being "out there." Joe is an instrument-rated pilot, former U.S. Army officer, and a very passionate AAUS Scientific Diver. With more than
30 years of combined experience in Information Technology, Joe joined the
PacIOOS team four years ago and has been an integral part of the Data Management and Communications (DMAC) team ever since. Day and night, Joe keeps an eye and ear on his alerts to monitor servers, services, and instruments, making sure all systems are up and running.
PacIOOS provides ocean observation data from some of the most technologically remote areas in the Pacific. Finding reliable ways to bring data back to the servers in Hawai'i, as well as designing a data center to hold and serve all these data are fascinating challenges to Joe. The most valuable aspect of his work, though, is helping others accomplish their research and scientific goals, and finding technical solutions for their projects. Whether it is designing a grounding system for an instrument with above and below water components, helping to install cables, relays and instruments, or troubleshooting technical issues, Joe enjoys solving problems on a daily basis!
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Based within the School of Ocean and Earth Science and Technology at the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa, PacIOOS is the Pacific Islands regional component of the U.S. Integrated Ocean Observing System (
IOOS®
). PacIOOS is a partnership of data providers and users working together to enhance ocean observations and develop, disseminate, evaluate, and apply ocean data and information products designed to address the environmental, economic, and public safety needs of stakeholders who call the Pacific Islands home. For more information on PacIOOS, please visit
www.pacioos.org
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Copyright © 2013. All Rights Reserved.
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