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AN INFORMATION RESOURCE MANAGEMENT 
SYSTEM FOR COASTAL MONITORING 
Anne Lucas 
M.B.Abbedissen 
W.P.Budgell 
University of Bergen 
Dept. of Information Science 
High Technology Center 
Bergen 5020, Norway 
ISPRS Commission VII / Working Group 8 
ABSTRACT 
Monitoring and forecasting of coastal ocean phenomena requires the integration of satellite images, in situ 
observations and historical records with numerical simulations. In spite of the apparent quantity of available 
data, there is rarely sufficient spatially- and temporally- synoptic data to produce optimal forecasts. Efficient 
and appropriate sharing of data and reuse of model results among modellers and applications would, in part, 
improve the situation. To this end, an Information Resource Management System is under development to 
facilitate data sharing among coastal ocean modellers. Its function is two-fold: users first need to be able to 
correctly identify potentially-useful data sets that match specific criteria. Second, users need tools to assist in 
the integration of disparate data sets into their model domain. Identification of potentially suitable data sets is 
a multi-stage process. All users require information about where, when, and what for each data set. However, 
the reuse of model data requires much more detail about initial conditions, parameterization, and forcing 
fields. Preprocessing history of all attendant input data must also be documented. Structured and free-format 
text descriptions are inadequate to provide a reliable view of the data set. Processed images, map-based 
products and model validation scenes augment the users' ability to correctly identify useful data sets. À rule- 
based system is defined to assist users in their effort to integrate spatially- and temporally- variable data. 
Rules combined with data assimilation techniques, allow the user to extract maximum information from 
make the available data sets in firmly fashion. 
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