Below are the Data Management and Cyberinfrastructure core capability requirements for IOOS Regional Associations and other IOOS grant recipients who are contributing data to the U.S. IOOS.

1. 1. Open Data Sharing IOOS, being a part of the Global Earth Observing System of Systems (GEOSS), ascribes to the GEOSS data sharing principles as a core capacity.  IOOS regions should also have the ability and commitment to maintain data access following the Find, Access, Interoperate, and Reuse data (FAIR) principles.
   2. Data Management Planning and Coordination Data management is an increasingly important aspect of IOOS activities. Data management plans and the coordination of activities between Regions and the IOOS Program Office ensure that data are maintained in easily accessible formats that are archived for long-term storage. DMAC efforts are subject to the procedural directives published by the NOAA Environmental Data Management Committee. The NOAA Environmental Data Management Framework provides the overarching guidance for Environmental Data Management within NOAA programs and the architecture of DMAC is consistent with this Framework.
   3. Data Access Services All IOOS Data Providers must serve all data and products through these DMAC recommended services. They should establish, register, and maintain standards-based Data Access Services that provide data in common, community-established formats. These should include (but are not limited to):
      1. Maintain and publicize an ERDDAP server to facilitate furnishing/publishing data to IOOS national data products and (as applicable) the Global Telecommunications System (WMO GTS).
      2. Maintain and publicize a THREDDS server for regional model outputs (or other gridded data sets), including installation of THREDDS extensions to enable full data access/interoperability.
   4. Metadata and Data Formats All IOOS data providers are expected to ensure relevant metadata is produced, accessible and compliant with IOOS conventions, and to participate as appropriate in the development of such conventions. Descriptive information about datasets, sensors, platforms, models, analysis methods, quality-control procedures is essential for the long-term usability and reuse of information. Data should adhere to the IOOS Metadata Profile in attributing datasets and data access services, including community-standard vocabularies, ontologies and any other requirements listed therein.
   5. Catalog Registration The IOOS Catalog is the master inventory of IOOS DMAC datasets and data access services.  Data providers are expected to register their datasets in the Catalog.
   6. Provision of Data to the NOAA National Data Buoy Center (NDBC) U.S. IOOS is committed to ensuring that all relevant U.S. coastal ocean observations will be contributed in near real time to the World Meteorological Organization (WMO) Global Telecommunications System (GTS) network.   The primary mechanism for sending data to the GTS is via NDBC.  NDBC harvests ingests real-time partner data through the IOOS Regional Associations and then packages and delivers the relevant datasets to the GTS.  This pipeline to the GTS makes data available to WMO member meteorological offices, and also enables access of real-time observations to NOAA and community modelers.
   7. Storage and Archiving Data providers are expected to provide for storage of data, metadata and other supporting documentation and algorithm descriptions, to establish data recovery mechanisms, and to perform off-site storage of backups until the data and metadata are submitted to NCEI for archiving.
   8. Sustained Operations The IOOS observing, data management, and modeling core capabilities  must be sustained for long-term, continuous operations. IOOS partners must maintain data management plans that include a discussion of sustainability as part of normal IOOS operations (e.g., by automating as many activities as possible, implementing operational procedures).

The U.S. IOOS Program Office is happy to answer any questions you have. Please feel free to contact the IOOS Program Operations Division (data.ioos@noaa.gov).