The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009

President Barack Obama signed a bill enacting the Omnibus Public Land Management Act of 2009 into law on March 30, 2009. Subtitle C of the bill, The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 establishes:

"a national integrated System of ocean, coastal, and Great Lakes observing systems, comprised of Federal and non-Federal components coordinated at the national level by the National Ocean Research Leadership Council and at the regional level by a network of regional information coordination entities, and that includes in situ, remote, and other coastal and ocean observation, technologies, and data management and communication systems, and is designed to address regional and national needs for ocean information……"

The Integrated Coastal and Ocean Observation System Act of 2009 thus provides a legal basis for the establishment of the “regional information coordination entities” with the responsibility of engaging the private and public sectors in designing, operating, and improving regional coastal and ocean observing systems in order to ensure the provision of data and information that meet the needs of user groups from the respective regions. The Act clarifies that the term ‘‘regional information coordination entity’’ includes regional associations described in the System Plan.

The full act can be accessed here