Lockheed Martin has been selected by the National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) as one of two companies to proceed with conceptual designs for the Integrated Ocean Observing System (IOOS), the first step in a proposed multiyear program to build an integrated environment for the collection, distribution and application of coastal and ocean information.

The IOOS is intended to provide to NOAA information that will improve predictions of climate change and weather, and better understand the effect of these elements on coastal communities and the nation. The remote sensing and data integration capabilities of these integrated systems also will improve the safety and efficiency of marine operations; more effectively mitigate the effects of natural hazards; improve national and homeland security; reduce public health risks; more effectively protect and restore healthy coastal ecosystems; and, enable the sustained use of ocean and coastal resources.

Lockheed Martin received a six-month, competitive contract to develop a conceptual design, life-cycle cost estimate and viability narrative for the IOOS. The award was made by NOAA on behalf of the federal interagency IOOS partnership program, and lays the foundation for NOAA's integrated information technology systems of the future.

Working in cooperation with NOAA and other IOOS partners, Lockheed Martin will lead a research, systems and information technology team that includes the Southeastern University Research Association, Itri Corporation and Metier Ltd.

The IOOS contract is strategically linked to NOAA's future Global Earth Observation System of Systems (GEOSS). Lockheed Martin's work, which started March 1, will provide critical information for the eventual development, implementation and delivery of the IOOS.

"This work will help us launch new capabilities for ocean observing, and will contribute to a global earth observing system of systems that will address key societal concerns of the United States and many other nations around the globe," said Richard Spinrad, assistant administrator for NOAA's Office of Oceanic and Atmospheric Research.

"Our early work on this vital program supports a collaborative effort with NOAA to build an integrated ocean observing system that will ultimately protect lives, property and livelihoods," said Andy Patrichuk, vice president of Civil Mission Solutions for Lockheed Martin. "We are extremely proud to be selected for this project," added Jarvis Myrick, director of Enterprise Content Management for Lockheed Martin.

The IOOS, which is the U.S. contribution to the oceans and coasts component of the GEOSS, encompasses the oceans and United States' Exclusive Economic Zone, Great Lakes and estuaries. The system's infrastructure includes a network of buoys, ships, satellites, underwater vehicles and other platforms that supply data and information needed for rapid detection and timely prediction of changes in our oceans. An integrated system used to observe all oceans will collect the data and make it available far more efficiently than possible today so that information can better help project the environment and ocean, save lives and benefit the economy.

Headquartered in Bethesda, Md., Lockheed Martin employs about 135,000 people worldwide and is principally engaged in the research, design, development, manufacture, integration and sustainment of advanced technology systems, products and services.

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SOURCE: Lockheed Martin