U.S. National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (NSF OOIFB)

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

Participants of the NSF OOIFB and DSC Fall Meeting (Oct 11-13, 2023) at WHOI in Falmouth, MA.
Photo credit: Karen Besson.

2024 NSF OOI COMMUNITY WORKSHOP: PIONEER MAB ARRAY

September 10-12, 2024
Old Dominion University, Norfolk, VA

The U.S. National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (NSF OOIFB) will host a U.S. National Science Foundation (NSF) Ocean Observatories Initiative (NSF OOI) Community Workshop focused on science and education initiatives that can be addressed using data from the NSF OOI Pioneer Array, which is planed to be relocated to the Southern Mid-Atlantic Bight (MAB). The event will bring together a diversity of scientists, resource managers, educators, and other stakeholders to learn about the capabilities of the Pioneer MAB Array and the cutting-edge research that can be done in this new location. The workshop also will provide a forum to facilitate cross-network collaborations, identify strategies for better engaging current and future users of NSF OOI, and foster the research and proposal development process. NSF OOI Program team members and NSF representatives will be on hand to answer questions and provide information on NSF OOI operations.

For more details and to apply click HERE

NSF OOIFB Town Hall at Ocean Sciences Meeting 2024

The community had the opportunity to hear the latest information about the NSF OOI facility, including an update on the relocation of the Pioneer Array; learn about NSF updates; and meet the NSF OOIFB members. The second half of the Town Hall was comprised of an interactive, panel discussionEnhancing your Science with NSF OOI Data: A Community Discussion about Maximizing OOI Data Use. Panelists included:

  • Chris Edwards, OOIFB/ University of California Santa Cruz
  • Jim Edson, NSF OOI/Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution
  • Kristen Fogaren, OOIFB-DSC/Boston College
  • Denise Bristol, OOI Data Labs/Hillsborough Community College
  • Deborah Hernandez, Southeast Coastal Ocean Observing Regional Association (SECOORA)

For more details on the Town Hall click HERE

NSF OOI Bio-Optics Sensor Summer School

The NSF OOIFB hosted a 2023 summer school that focused on NSF OOI optical attenuation and absorption data. It reviewed how to access, analyze, and interpret data from the Sea-Bird AC-S. The NSF 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 NSF OOI data. For additional details and information click HERE.

DSC’s summary report on the Results of the Second NSF OOI Community Survey on Data Delivery Systems is now available

In 2019, the NSF OOIFB Data Delivery and Cyberinfrastructure (DDCI) Committee conducted a community survey to determine how NSF OOI could better serve data to users. In response to the feedback received from this first survey and to recommendations from the DDCI, the NSF OOI data management team developed the Data Explorer, a refined and more capable interface for finding and downloading NSF 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 NSF OOI data systems are meeting the needs of the user community. The second survey was available to the NSF OOI community from December 9, 2021 to January 28, 2022. A summary report of the second survey is available HEREPlease 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 U.S. National Science Foundation.

Northeast Pacific NSF OOI Community Workshop 2022

The U.S. National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative Facility Board (NSF OOIFB) hosted a workshop focusing on current and future science that can be addressed using data from NSF 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 NSF OOI data and/or adding instrumentation to NSF OOI infrastructure; resource managers from national, state, and tribal agencies; and educators at all levels interested in using data from the NSF OOI’s Cabled, Endurance, and Station Papa Arrays.  

Presentations and other information about the workshop are available here.

NSF OOI Pioneer Array Proposed to Relocate to MAB!

It’s official, the proposed location of the NSF 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 NSF 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 U.S. National Science Foundation Ocean Observatories Initiative (NSF OOI) data. The Fellowship provides funding support for the recipient to participate in and present a paper or poster on research or education using NSF 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