Work Package 4

Harmonizing operation and maintenance methods

Operation and maintenance activities are probably the most crucial elements in the life-cycle of a research infrastructure and in some cases even more demanding than the design and construction of the infrastructure itself. Their successful implementation guarantees the good performance of the infrastructure and the protection of the investment. Coastal observatories have been developed in Europe in a rather uncoordinated way. Usually based on national funding and priorities these observatories have very diverse design and architecture and have established very different practices for their operation and maintenance. For certain subsystems (e.g. FerryBox) past EU projects have established a network of operators through which experience and best practices have been shared but this is not the case for other observing platforms, and certainly not for integrated coastal observatories.

Objectives:
Based on the experience of infrastructure operators and relevant regional activities, this WP will:

  • gather elements of best practice in conducting operations and maintaining coastal observatories
  • identify the successes in terms of systems autonomy and reliability
  • propose common procedures to be followed by all operators.

Partners:
HCMR, IFREMER, SYKE, NIVA, OGS, CNR, HCMR, NERC, HZG, MUMM, CEFAS, SMHI, CSIC, MI, TECHNALIA-AZTI, INSU-CNRS, IH, PUERTOS