A NAVOCEANO and FNMOC initiative to implement network-centric METOC support to the U.S. Military

The U.S. Navy is undergoing a transformation from a platform-centric force to a network-centric force. The methodologies for the production and distribution of meteorological and oceanographic (METOC) information to the fleet will also be transformed. Traditionally, this information was generated at a central site and pushed to the consumer via intermediate providers who tailored products to the needs of the mission. In the new paradigm, users access Web services that will enable them to request products tailored to their specific mission requirements from centrally located production centers. This new concept of operations allows the production centers to be more responsive to consumer requirements. The Naval Oceanographic Office (NAVOCEANO) and the Fleet Numerical Meteorology and Oceanography Center (FNMOC), the two production centers for Naval METOC, have a major initiative underway to implement a network-centric approach to METOC support of the U.S. Navy and other Department of Defense customers. This paper begins with a brief overview of the concept of network-centric operations and an outline of the scope of the present initiative. The paper then describes the various parts of the initiative, including a framework for providing Web services, a standard for describing the METOC data, a suite of present and future Web capabilities, and other associated aspects. The paper concludes with a discussion of the importance of this initiative.