The Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing
System announces a Workshop for Recreational Boaters
4-5 February 2009
What?: A free workshop
Where?: USGS, 600 4th Street S, St. Petersburg, FL 33701
When?: 4-5 February 2009
Why?: To ensure that the Recreational Boating Community's needs for ocean observational data and products are incorporated into the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observation System being developed.
This workshop will provide a forum for the recreational boating community to learn about integrated ocean observing and to identify for the Gulf of Mexico Regional Association what observational data and products are best suited to meet the needs of the recreational boater to improve recreational boating, fishing, diving, search and rescue, and cruising, whether offshore or for a weekend. Objectives and deliverables are listed below.
Some of the specific breakout sessions considered of interest are:
- Search and rescue
- Recreational fishing
- Recreational diving
- Offshore sailing, and
- Weekend cruising
This is a FREE workshop open to the public. However, pre-registration is required for admittance and registration will be limited. Travel costs and lodging are the individual's responsibility.
Accommodations
A block of rooms has been reserved at the Hilton St. Petersburg Bayfront for the nights of 3-4 February 2009. To reserve a room, call (800) 944-5500. Mention the GCOOS Recreational Boating group and you will receive the rate of $127.00 plus tax per night until the room block is sold out. To receive this special room rate, you must reserve your room by January 9, 2009.
Registration
REGISTER for the workshop now.
Tentative Agenda
If you would like a PDF version of the agenda, please download here.
| Tentative Agenda February 4-5, 2009 St. Petersburg, FL |
|
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Pre-workshop Briefing with Facilitators and Focus Area Leads Objective: Small Group Discussion leads and Facilitators review the workshop objectives and process and discuss specific details regarding breakout sessions. |
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Participant Check-In |
DAY 1 ACTIVITIES and OBJECTIVES |
|
| 8:30 - 9:00 | Call to Order (Don Roman) Welcome, Review of Agenda, Introductions |
| 9:00 - 9:45 | Context Setting (Worth Nowlin) |
| 9:45 - 10:00 | Overview of Recreational Workshop Objectives
and Deliverables (Don Roman) |
| 10:00 - 10:30 | Workshop Structure and Breakout group
discussion (Ann Weaver, Facilitator) Objective: Explain breakout group process and desired outcomes. Note: There will be five breakout groups: Search and Rescue, Recreational Fishing, Recreational Diving, Offshore Sailing, and Weekend Cruising. |
| 10:30 - 10:45 | BREAK |
| 10:45 - 11:45 | Guest Speaker: Mr. Jeff Hoedt, Chief,
Boating Safety Division, US Coast Guard HQ Objective: Demonstrate how GCOOS data can be used to increase recreational boating experience. |
| 11:45 - 12:00 | Breakout Groups: Introduction Objective: Attendees get to know each other. |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | LUNCH (provided) |
| 12:00 - 1:00 | Facilitators and Chairs set up their
space and prepare for break out. |
| 1:00 - 2:15 | Breakout Groups: Preliminary Discussion
of data and tool needs Objective: Attendees begin the process of identifying data and tools they can use to create a better experience when participating in the recreational topic of the session. |
| 2:15 - 2:30 | BREAK |
| 2:30 - 3:15 | Guest Speaker: Andy Reich on Water Quality
and Public Health Objective: Participants will gain an understanding of products that are used to address public health issues and how they may be obtained. |
| 3:15 - 4:30 | Groups reconvene and add public health
issues to list of tools and data Objective: The focus area leader (subject matter expert) from each group shares ideas about how they can address public health issues using data in each topic area. |
| 6:30 - 8:00 | Reception sponsored by GCOOS-RA (Cash
Bar) |
DAY 2 ACTIVITIES and OBJECTIVES |
|
| 8:00 - 8:30 | Light Continental Breakfast for Participants |
| 8:30 - 8:45 | Call to Order Review of Previous Day's Activities, Discussion of Morning Agenda Objective: Review activities of Day 1 and Discuss the Activities during the remainder of the meeting. |
| 8:45 - 10:25 | Presentations of Breakout Session Results Objective: Provide prioritized information identified by the five breakout groups. |
| 10:25 - 10:45 | BREAK |
| 10:45 - 12:30 | Blending of Breakout Groups' Recommendations Objective: Obtain a single prioritized list of needed observations and products. |
| 12:30 | ADJOURN WORKSHOP |
Objectives and Deliverables
The main objective of this workshop is to identify and prioritize, to the extent, possible the ocean observations and derived products needed by the recreational boating community so that they may be appropriately addressed as the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System is developed.
Enabling Objectives of the Workshop
- Provide background informaton on the U.S. IOOS program and specifically on the Gulf of Mexico Coastal Ocean Observing System and its Regional Association,i
- Provide an overview of what observational data and derivative products and services are available to the boating community in the Gulf of Mexico and Florida east coast and how they can be presently accessed,
- Provide understanding of how ocean observations and their derivative products can enhance their boating opportunity,
- Identify the ocean observations and products of greatest value and priority to the recreational boating community and their current activities,
- Explore ideas for ocean observations and derivative products that are not presently available, but that would provide substantial improvements in either safety or pursuit of recreational boating activities, and
- Articulate the means, periodicity (interval), latency, and communication paths by which the recreational boater presently obtains the data and products of importance to them.
Deliverables
- A prioritized description of existing ocean observations and derived products considered to be required by the various areas of the recreational boating community and the means of communication of those observations and products,
- A prioritized list of ocean observations and derived products that are not presently available but that are considered to be future requirements that have the greatest potential benefit to enhance the activity of the particular sectors of the recreational boating community and recommended primary and secondary methods of their delivery, and
- A complete report of the workshop.