Introduction
MAMA - The Mediterranean
network to Assess and upgrade Monitoring and forecasting Activity
in the region is an ongoing thematic network funded under the
EC Programme Energy, Environment and Sustainable Development within
the 5th Framework Programme. With a consortium made up of focal
institutions from all the Mediterranean countries, MAMA is staging
a concerted effort between countries in the region to put in place
the institutional linkages and regional platform to promote the
establishment of an ocean observing and forecasting system in
the region. MAMA focuses on the trans-national pooling of scientific
and technological resources in the basin, through the sharing
of experiences and the transfer of expertise, to bring capacities
in operational oceanography at comparable levels, and provide
an integrated effort towards the planning and design of the initial
ocean observing and forecasting system in the Mediterranean. Furthermore,
MAMA is interacting with all stakeholders and relevant organisations,
working in the whole basin to trigger local awareness on the benefits
of operational oceanography and ocean forecasting with dissemination
of results and demonstration products, and building momentum towards
long term commitments by governments. Within this effort MAMA
is pioneering the implementation of GOOS by an unprecedented endeavour
and novel approach that will put the region at the forefront of
operational oceanography.
MAMA is structured into several workpackages. The general objective
of Workpackage 1 (MAMA-NOW) is the stocktaking and identification
in the Mediterranean of the current regional and national capabilities
in the routine monitoring, assessment and forecasting of the state
of the ocean and coastal areas. This survey is being conducted
as one component activity of this workpackage and is intended
to collect information and to establish an inventory on operational
ocean/coastal monitoring activities in the region. The information
required in this survey will provide the basis for an assessment
of:
· the present capabilities of research institutions
in the different countries in operational oceanography
· availability of technological infrastructures and
equipment
· human resources and funding potential
· applications and product needs.
The inventory is considered to be an essential step in the identification
of the existing systems that can feasibly be networked to operate
in near-real-time, and constitutes the basis for the design of
a cost-effective observing system in the Mediterranean. The questionnaire
is structured in four sections:
A. Entry form signature
B. National requirements for the monitoring of the marine
environment
C. Description and practices of the marine monitoring activities
D. Maintenance practice
This questionnaire is being conducted in close cooperation with
EDIOS - the European Directory of the Initial Ocean-observing
System. EDIOS is an EU-funded project under the Vth Framework
Programme (Environment and Sustainable Development) and is an
initiative of EuroGOOS (European Global Ocean Observing System).
It aims to build a searchable marine Directory of the ocean observing,
measuring, and monitoring systems operating in Europe. With the
inputs from the MAMA WP1 inventory the Directory will be extended
to cover the Mediterranean region. The MAMA/EDIOS initiative constitutes
a prerequisite for the full implementation of a Euro-Mediterranean
ocean observing system by allowing for the first time an analysis
of the continuously available data for operational models, and
hence the ability to optimise the development and maintenance
of instruments, and the design of sampling strategy. The collected
information will enable the identification of the gaps in the
monitoring systems in the region and in the capacity to measure,
model and forecast the ecosystem.
The user-friendly visual interface to be developed in GOOS will
ensure the multipurpose use of the Directory allowing a large
variety of users from different sectors to perform individual
searches through the Directory without being experts on data base
use.
