Regional ocean exploration workshops

During a six-week period in early 2002, the NOAA Office of the Ocean Exploration sponsored a series of eight regional workshops across the country in order to refine the future priorities of its national ocean exploration program. To efficiently address the objectives of the President´s Panel Report on Ocean Exploration, OE, on behalf of NOAA, has actively sought the input of informed and diverse constituencies through these regional workshops. This paper describes the process and results of the workshops. The workshops identified ocean exploration needs and approaches based on knowledge gaps specific to each geographic region. Also identified were design strategies, deployable assets, technology development needs, benefits and partners to participate in satisfying exploration needs. The combined product of these workshops provides valuable guidance to NOAA and OE and helps ensure that the investment of public resources is properly focused and satisfies the greatest number of national stakeholders.