The Global Ocean Observing System (GOOS) is a permanent global collaborative system for observations, modelling and analysis of marine and ocean variables to support operational ocean services worldwide. GOOS is sponsored by the Unesco Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission (IOC), the United Nations Environmental Programme (UNEP), the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) and the International Council for Science (ICSU), and is the ocean component of Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS). GOOS is implemented by Member States through their government agencies, navies and oceanographic research institutions working together in a range of global thematic panels and observing networks and regional alliances.

 

GOOS Regional Alliances (GRAs) are comprised of national and institutional efforts that come together at the regional scale to facilitate the advancement of GOOS, to aid the integration and coordination of sustained interdisciplinary ocean observations and services for scientific and societal benefit, and to provide mutual support for capacity development. GRAs facilitate sustained ocean observing, data management, modelling and services that meet regional and national priorities.

 

The map below shows the IOC-recognised regional alliances (in yellow) as well as other cooperating observing systems (in grey):

• EuroGOOS
• MonGOOS (Mediterranean Ocean Network GOOS)
• Black Sea GOOS
• NEAR-GOOS (North East Asian Regional GOOS)
• PI-GOOS
• IOGOOS (Indian Ocean GOOS)
• IOCARIBE-GOOS
• GOOS-Africa
• USA IOOS
• SEA-GOOS (South-East Asian GOOS)
• OCEATLAN
• GRASP
• IMOS (Australian Integrated Marine Observing System)

Other developing regional alliances :

• SAON (Sustaining Arctic Observing Networks)
• SOOS (Southern Ocean Observing System)