The Observations Programme Area (OPA) is primarily responsible for the development, coordination and maintenance of moored buoy, drifting buoy, ship-based and space-based observational networks and related telecommunications facilities. It also monitors the efficiency of the overall observing system and, as necessary, recommends and coordinates changes designed to improve it. It has inherited lead responsibility for a number of important and well-established observational programs, which are managed by bodies that now report through JCOMM.

More detail about the Observations Programme Area is available at About the OPA

OPA Activities

OPA Programmes		Related Programs
	Data Buoy Cooperation Panel (DBCP) see more information about DBCP go to the DBCP website http://www.jcommops.org/dbcp »		Argo Profiling Float Program Argo Information Centre » Argo Project Office »
	Ship Observations Team (SOT) » Voluntary Observing Ship Scheme and ASAP » Ship of Opportunity Program »		Ocean reference stations see more information about OceanSITES go to the OceanSITES website »
	Global Sea Level Observing System (GLOSS) »		International Ocean Carbon Coordination Project IOCCP »
Network Monitoring and Support			The Global Ocean Ship-Based Hydrographic Investigations Program GO-SHIP »
	JCOMM Observing Platform Support Centre (JCOMMOPS) » JCOMM Network Status		Satellite Remote Sensing programs ESA and GMES NASA and NOAA Projects: e.g. GHRSST
OSMC	Observing System Monitoring Center (OSMC) »
		Pilot Projects A Pilot Project for the integration of marine and other appropriate oceanographic observations into the WMO Integrated Global Observing Systems (WIGOS ») has been initiated in close cooperation with IOC and its IODE Ocean Data Portal (ODP). Details about the Pilot Project are available here ».