Information Cooperation

　　For many years, NMDIS has actively participated in marine data and information management activities of international organizations, such as IODE, JCOMM, GOOS, etc. NMDIS acts as China’s national focal point for international oceanographic data exchanges. NMDIS also conducts direct bilateral data exchange of marine data and information with dozens of ocean-related international organizations, and over 170 institutions in 32 countries and regions. The NMDIS operates the World Data Center for Oceanography, Tianjin, China. Many experts from NMDIS have been sent to participate various kinds of international conferences and workshops and many has been held in NMDIS as a host. Through international cooperation, nearly one hundred young and middle-aged scientific personnel was trained technically abroad. For some data bases, the data obtained by international exchange is equal or greater than that collected by Chinese sources.

　　The National Marine Data and information Service ( NMDIS ) under the State Oceanic Administration ( SOA ), which was set up in 1958, is a national comprehensive sector for research on marine information technologies and service for public benefit, which is composed of four operational systems, i.e. the National Oceanographic Data Centre of China ( CNODC ), the Institute of Marine Scientific and Technological Information (IMSTI) including the National Marine Archives Centre ( NMAC ), the China Operational Centre of the International Ocean Institute ( IOI-China ) and the National Marine Space Information Research and Development Centre ( MSIRDC ). The major tasks of the Service are to organize and coordinate the national work on marine data and scientific and technological information ; take charge of the collection, processing, storage and service of various kinds of marine information; establish a variety of marine databases; and provide different marine information products and service.

　　The Service has established and developed the National Marine Information System, a subsystem of the National Economic Information System since 1993. The system has got into the information expressway through Internet , and joined the International Oceanographic Data & Information Exchange System.

　　NMDIS acts also as the national Partner participating in the Aquatic Science and Fisheries Information System (ASFIS) of the United Nations and the ASFA National Input Centre in China, the national representative and coordinator for the IOC Committee on International Oceanographic Data and Information Exchange ( IODE ), the Documents Depository Centre of UNESCO's Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission, the West Pacific Secretariat of the World Ocean Commission and a member of the Global Marine Education Network.

As the third center for oceanography of the World Data Center following WDC-A of the United States and WDC-B of Russia, WDC-D for oceanography boasts long-term and stable sources of domestic marine basic data. The State Oceanic Administration now has long-term observations obtained from the fixed coastal ocean stations, offshore and oceanic research vessels, moored and drifting buoys. More and more marine data have been available from the Chinese-foreign marine cooperative surveys, analysis and measurement of laboratory samples, reception by the satellite ground station, aerial telemeter and remote sensing, the GOOS program and global ships of opportunity reports, etc; More marine data are being and will be obtained from the ongoing “863” program, one of the state key projects during the Ninth Five-year plan and the seasat No 1 which is scheduled to be launched next year. Through many years’ effort, the WDC-D for oceanography has established formal relationship of marine data exchange with over 130 marine institutions in more than 60 countries in the world and is maintaining a close relationship of data exchange with over 30 major national oceanographic data centers. The established China Oceanic Information Network has joined the international marine data exchange system via Internet. Through these channels, a large amount data have been acquired of through international exchange, which, plus the marine data collected at home for many years, has brought the WDC-D for Oceanography over 100 years’ global marine data with a total data amounting to more than 10 billion bytes. In the meantime, a vast amount of work has been done in the standardized and normalized processing and management of the data, and a series of national and professional standards have been formulated and implemented successively. Moreover, appropriate standards and norms are being formulated as required.

1. China Argo program

　　China took part in global Argo program in October 2001 and planed to deploy 100-150 floats in Western Pacific and Eastern Indian Oceans during 2002-2005 to set up a local oceanic observing network. Then in each year later, 20-30 floats are to be deployed for the network's operation in normal conditions.

　　China Argo is implemented through the cooperation of the Ministry of Science and Technology, the Ministry of Land, the China State Ocean Administration, China Navy, China Academic of Sciences and China Meteorological Administration.

　　Until now 29 Argo floats have been deployed by China in Pacific and East Indian. 8 floats are active. 949 profiles from 27 floats (two floats have no measurements) have been processed by the end of October 2005. Argos messages from active floats are being transferred to the DAC in real-time. All profiles are passed through RTQC system, which was the same as AOML's

　　The internationally advanced Argo floats of new generation will be introduced into China and launched in the Northwestern Pacific Ocean neighboring China (a few floats will be deployed in the Southern Ocean and the Indian Ocean) to establish the oceanic observing network of Chinese oceanic real-time observing system (China Argo system) .

　　At its 28th session (Paris, November 1995),the General conference of UNESCO adopted Resolution 138 which calls on Intergovernmental Oceanographic Commission ( IOC ) to continue its effort to establish North-East Asian Regional-Global Ocean Observing System ( NEAR-GOOS). In accordance with the resolution , the NEAR-GOOS Implementation Plan was revised and completed by　 the ad hoc Group Meeting (Bangkok, January 1996) and the First Session of Coordinating Committee for NEAR-GOOS (Bangkok, September 1996 ). In the light of the objectives of the NEAR-GOOS Implementation Plan ,an efficient data exchange scheme should be established for the existing observing system in the region at the initial phase. For this purpose, National Marine Data and Information Service of China ( NMDIS ) has developed and maintained China Delayed Mode Data Base for NEAR-GOOS ( CDMDB ) to offer basic data　 service to NEAR-GOOS and GOOS communities.

　　With respect to the information and data sources of ARF-RMIC, apart from considering the domestic marine information and data now available in NMDIS/SOA/P.R. China as well as varieties of marine information and data from international exchange of NMDIS as the WDC for Oceanography, Tianjin. It is suggested that each member of the center provide, periodically or nonperiodically, the varieties of information and data which it has acquired and may be made available for exchange and service.

　　In accordance with the request of the second meeting of ISG-CBMs of ARF, ARF-RMIC will start from the exchange, collection, processing of marine meteorological information and data and their products design and providing service.

　　The exchanged and collected marine meteorological data and information are mainly those obtained by each member from their coastal stations, satellite and remote-sensing and marine monitoring , including those from such international cooperation projects as GOOS and NEAR-GOOS etc. Research and produce of the products include various kinds of marine weather elements such as sea surface temperature, air temperature and pressure at sea surface, sea surface wind, wave, precipitation, humidity, visibility at sea surface etc.

　　The main professional work of the Marine Chart-Making Division is to design, compile, make and publish marine charts and atlases by research on and use of computers and participate in the International Bathymetric Chart for the Western Pacific ( IBCWP ) sponsored and organized by IOC. The Division has compiled and published over 10 thousand marine charts and maps and more than 40 marine atlases showing the development situation and level of marine sciences and marine exploitation and management in China and with the practical value.

　　The marine charts and maps are of many subjects and large information contents. The technologies of data processing and chart making are improved increasingly. The computer-aided plotting system has been established on the basis of the current hardware and software facilities. Various charting making services can be provided for users, such as digital charts, electronic charts and multi-media charts.