News
IOOS Congressional Update
The President’s budget for the 2020 Fiscal Year proposes to cut the IOOS Regional line by $19 million, a 50 percent decrease from current funding of $38.5 million. This would mean that critical assets would be pulled from the water, compromising access to coastal and ocean information.
Appropriations Chart for NOAA's National Ocean Service Regional IOOS

The IOOS Association is working hard to ensure that this doesn’t happen. On March 20, IOOS Association members visited over 100 Congressional offices to brief staff on how IOOS makes a difference in the lives of American citizens and thanked them for their support.
Left: David Fitch and Kelli Paige, Great Lakes Observing System; Image credit GLOS
Right: Representatives from the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System and the Central and Northern California Ocean Observing System; Image credit SCCOOS
House and Senate Introduce Bills to Reauthorize the ICOOS Act
Special thanks to Senators Wicker and Cantwell for introducing S 915, The Coordinated Ocean Observations and Research Act of 2019, and to Representatives Young and Bonamici for introducing HR 1314, the ICOOS Act Amendments of 2019. The Senate marked up S 915 last week. The House will hold a hearing on HR 1314 and other related bills in early May. We appreciate their support for the importance of quality and reliable information on our oceans, coasts and Great Lakes. 
IOOS Spring Meeting Selected Highlights
Pictured: Nicole LeBoeuf, Acting Assistant Administrator, National Ocean Service, National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, presents at the IOOS Spring Meeting
IOOS Regional Associations and the Program Office gathered in Washington, DC to discuss national and regional priorities. Read the highlights >
All 11 Regional Associations Certified
Pictured: Mary Miller (CeNCOOS Board Chair), Henry Ruhl (CeNCOOS Executive Director)
and Carl Gouldman (U.S. IOOS Executive Director)
Congratulations to the Central and Northern California Coastal Ocean Observing System ( CeNCOOS ) on becoming certified as a Regional Information Coordinating Entity (RICE) under the ICOOS Act! All 11 IOOS Regional Associations now meet federal standards for organizational and data management practices. Users of IOOS data have the assurance they are accessing high-quality data.
Observing Notes
AOOS Director Moderates Panel on U.S. Ocean Policy
Pictured left to right: Molly McCammon, Deerin Babb-Brott, Tony MacDonald, Alan Mix, Lora Snyder
Image credit: Consortium for Ocean Leadership
The Consortium for Ocean Leadership’s Public Policy Forum in March focused on U.S. Ocean Policy: Past, Present and Future. Alaska Ocean Observing System ( AOOS ) Executive Director Molly McCammon moderated the “Present” panel discussion on U.S. Ocean Policy Today analyzing the current state of U.S. ocean policy. Panelists included Deerin Babb-Brott, White House Office of Science and Technology Policy; Tony MacDonald, Monmouth University; Alan Mix, Oregon State University; and Lora Snyder, U.S. House of Representatives Natural Resources Committee. Read more >
GLOS Featured in Ocean Conservancy Smart Buoys Video
The Ocean Conservancy produced a video on how data from buoys in the Great Lakes ensure safe drinking water. In the video, Great Lakes Observing System ( GLOS ) Executive Director Kelli Paige explains how multiple agencies collaborate to monitor environmental conditions and make Great Lakes data available to drinking water managers, policymakers, and the public. Watch the video >
IOOS Colleagues at HSRP Meeting
Capt. Ed Page (U.S. Coast Guard (Retired), Executive Director, Marine Exchange of Alaska) and Julie Thomas (Program Manager for the Coastal Data Information Program (CDIP) Scripps Institution of Oceanography) celebrate the importance of ocean data for maritime transportation at the Hydrographic Services Review Panel ( HSRP ) meeting in Washington, DC on March 5-7, 2019. Ed serves as Vice Chair of the Alaska Ocean Observing System ( AOOS ) Board of Directors, and Julie served as the Executive Director of the Southern California Coastal Ocean Observing System ( SCCOOS ).
Announcements
Using Drones for Coastal Management:
Workshop Report Now Available
The Alliance for Coastal Technologies ( ACT ) workshop report on Practical Uses for Drones to Address Management Problems in the Coastal Zone is now available. View here >
Meetings and Events
April 23-25, 2019

IOOS Data Management Coordinators Meeting
April 30-May 2, 2019
Silver Spring, MD

Great Lakes Observing System (GLOS) Board Meeting
April 17-18
Ann Arbor, MI

Pacific Islands Ocean Observing System (PacIOOS) Executive Committee Meeting
April 24-25
Honolulu, HI

May 6 - 9, 2019
Halifax, Canada

Mid-Atlantic Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (MARACOOS) Annual Meeting
May 14, 2019
Baltimore, MD

Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS)
TriComm Meeting
May 16-17, 2019
Seattle, WA

May 24th, 2019
Washington, DC

June 4-6, 2019
Washington, DC
June 25-27, 2019
Houston, Texas

July 21-25, 2019
Durham, NH

Northwest Association of Networked Ocean Observing Systems (NANOOS) Annual Meeting 2019
August TBD, 2019
Vancouver, WA

September 16-20, 2019
Honolulu, HI

IOOS Association Annual Meeting
September 20, 2019
Honolulu, HI

Data Management and Control (DMAC) Code Sprint
October TBD, 2019
Ann Arbor, MI

October 16-27, 2019
Victoria, Canada

November 4-8, 2019
Portland, ME

Northeast Regional Association Coastal Ocean Observing System (NERACOOS)
Annual Meeting
December 6, 2019
Portsmouth, NH


About
IOOS Association Logo
IOOS Association is a non-profit organization dedicated to improving the nation's coastal, ocean and Great Lakes observing systems through the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS).  Read More >  
NOAA is the lead agency for IOOS. The IOOS Program Office is locate in the NOAA National Ocean Service and coordinates federal and regional activities.  Read More >  
U.S. IOOS includes a network of 11 Regional Associations that operate coastal observing systems. 
Header courtesy of Chris Ostrander, PacIOOS