Welcome to the OOIFB website. The National Science Foundation (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (OOIFB) provides independent input and guidance regarding the management and operation of the Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI).


OOI Bio-Optics Sensor Summer School

The OOIFB will hosted a 2023 summer school that focused on OOI optical attenuation and absorption data. It reviewed how to access, analyze, and interpret data from the Sea-Bird AC-S. The OOI Bio-Optics Sensor Summer School was held July 17-21, 2023 at Oregon State University in Corvallis, OR. Advanced graduate students, post-doctoral fellows, and early career scientists participated and presented on individual explorations of OOI data. For additional details and information click HERE.

DSC’s summary report on the Results of the Second OOI Community Survey on Data Delivery Systems is now available
In 2019, the OOIFB Data Delivery and Cyberinfrastructure (DDCI) Committee conducted a community survey to determine how OOI could better serve data to users. In response to the feedback received from this first survey and to recommendations from the DDCI, the OOI data management team developed the Data Explorer, a refined and more capable interface for finding and downloading OOI data. This new system was launched in October 2020. After the Data Explorer was in service for over a year, the OOIFB Data Systems Committee (DSC), which succeeded the DDCI, conducted a second survey to evaluate the user experience with Data Explorer and to assess the extent to which this system and other OOI data systems are meeting the needs of the user community. The second survey was available to the OOI community from December 9, 2021 to January 28, 2022. A summary report of the second survey is available HERE. Please note, this survey was designed and conducted by the OOIFB / DSC. Any opinions, findings, and conclusions or recommendations expressed in this material are those of the OOIFB and do not necessarily reflect the views of the National Science Foundation.

Northeast Pacific OOI Community Workshop 2022
The Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (OOIFB) hosted a workshop focusing on current and future science that can be addressed using data from OOI’s infrastructure in the Northeast Pacific and other regional observatory arrays. The workshop was held on June 7-9, 2022 with a hybrid model that included in-person and virtual participation.
The workshop was aimed at researchers who are using or are considering using OOI data and/or adding instrumentation to OOI infrastructure; resource managers from national, state, and tribal agencies; and educators at all levels interested in using data from the OOI’s Cabled, Endurance, and Station Papa Arrays.
Presentations and other information about the workshop are available here.

OOI Pioneer Array Proposed to Relocate to MAB!
It’s official, the proposed location of the OOI (Ocean Observatories Initiative) Coastal Pioneer Array is the Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB) and the move is proposed to take place in 2024. The geographic footprint championed during the NSF-sponsored Innovations Lab #1 is the region of the MAB between Cape Hatteras and Norfolk Canyon. This region offers opportunities to collect data on a wide variety of cross-disciplinary science topics including cross-shelf exchange, land-sea interactions associated with large estuarine systems, a highly productive ecosystem with major fisheries, and carbon cycle processes. This location also offers opportunities to improve our understanding of hurricane development, tracking and prediction, and offshore wind partnerships. Click here to learn more about plans for the Pioneer Array in its proposed location!

Larry P. Atkinson Travel Fellowship for Students and Early Career Scientists
Applications are being accepted
Do you need funding support to present your OOI research?
The Larry P. Atkinson Travel Fellowship helps early career scientists and graduate students who are actively involved in research and/or education programs using Ocean Observatories Initiative (OOI) data. The Fellowship provides funding support for the recipient to participate in and present a paper or poster on research or education using OOI data at a national or international conference or workshop. Participation in conferences that promote diversity and inclusiveness are encouraged. Multiple awards are planned this year.
If you need funding to offset conference expenses (registration fees, travel costs, accommodations, etc.), we encourage you to apply. Conference participation can be in-person or virtual. Information on eligibility, requirements, and how to apply is available here.
