Harmonization in the joint European research infrastructure network for coastal observatories - JERICO

The JERICO European research infrastructure (RI) is integrating diverse platform types such as fixed buoys, piles, moorings, drifters, FerryBoxes, gliders, HF radars, coastal cable observatories and the associated technologies dedicated to observe and monitor coastal European seas. The first steps of setting up, coordination and harmonization were done during 2011 to 2015 in the framework of FP7-JERICO (www.jericofp7.eu), a 4-year long infrastructure project co-funded by the European Commission with 27 partners from 17 European countries under the coordination of IFREMER. Next steps are driven in the H2020-JERICO-NEXT European project until 2019, involving 33 partners. The main objective of the JERICO consortium is to establish a Pan European approach for a European coastal marine observatory network. This is a dynamic activity going beyond a project's lifetime including continuous efforts towards harmonization in terms of design, operation, and maintenance, the evolution and extension of the current systems as well as the delivery of data and products to the users. Our scope here is to present the work done towards the harmonization of operation and maintenance methods, in FP7-JERICO and the next steps in JERICO-NEXT. As a starting point of harmonization assessment, the priority was given to the most pressing issues like calibration and biofouling, while it is the first time that a Best Practice report on all phases of the system from first installation to operation and maintenance is attempted adopting a platform based approach.